What was confirmed
In mid-September 2026, ministers confirmed that NHS Supply Chain is fully committed to the adoption of value-based procurement and has moved to a comply-or-explain model for future frameworks. Suppliers will need to demonstrate outcome and total-cost-of-ownership evidence, not just unit price, to remain competitive.
Why price-only bids will struggle
Comply-or-explain shifts the burden of proof onto suppliers who want to compete on price alone. Framework evaluators will expect a documented rationale wherever value-based evidence is not the basis of a bid, which raises the bar for anyone still submitting price-led tenders without outcome data.
Preparing your next framework submission
Suppliers should start collecting real-world outcome and total-cost data now, ahead of the next tender cycle, rather than trying to construct it retrospectively. Buyers assessing healthcare frameworks are increasingly comparing this evidence across the whole supplier pool, so consistency and clarity in how it is presented matters as much as the underlying numbers.
Back to Insights