Commissioning Guidance
Purchasing
Purchasing involves a spectrum of possible approaches ranging from, at its simplest, buying an inexpensive piece of equipment for a clinic to running a full tender process for a clinical service worth millions of pounds. The approach used and the effort expended must be proportionate to the size of the task.
The purchasing stage should begin with a clear statement of what you are trying to achieve and why. This is likely to require writing a business case which sets out the reasons for the change and identifies additional funding needed.
The business case is aimed at those who will be funding the service. You will also need to make clear to those who might provide the service exactly what you want, normally by drawing up a service specification.
Once you have these documents it should be apparent how big and complex the task will be, whether you can just tweak the existing service or whether you need a radical approach. At this point you need to agree the procurement method.
Once you have agreed this it will follow naturally to run the procurement.
A set of frequently asked questions is also provided as well as a section showing relevant web and written resources.
Involving patients in purchasing.
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This website also contains a frequently asked questions section and also a searchable library of online resources.
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