Future Procurement Recommendations for NHS Core Content

1. Reprocurement of the National NHS Core ContentReflections & Recommendations for Future Procurement UKSG, April 2011

2. Introductions Celestine Johnston – Commissioning Manager, Commissioned Content Team, NHS Evidence Celestine.johnston@nice.org.uk Moira Laird – Associate Director, Commissioned Content Team, NHS Evidence Moira.laird@nice.org.uk

3. Session Format • Overview and background • Considerations & influences • Procurement approach & purchasing • Next steps • Reflections and recommendations for future procurements

4. Overview • The national core content comprises a collection of electronic knowledge resources which are licensed for use by NHS staff and students in England. The collection is funded collaboratively by the ten Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs) in England, to achieve cost-savings for the NHS and to deliver equity of access to a core set of resources. • Eligible NHS users can access the content via Athens login. • NHS Evidence, in collaboration with the Strategic Health Authorities Library Leads (SHALL) and JISC Collections (representing Higher Education) reprocured the national “core content” for a further period of 33 months, 01 April 2011 – 31 December 2013. • The content resources had previously been subscribed to for the period 01 April 2008 – 31 March 2011.

5. Background • The national content was procured and managed by the previous National Library for Health (NLH) on behalf of the NHS for the period 2008 to March 2011 - novated over to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) with the launch of NHS Evidence in April 2009. • The content was funded by the combined Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs) across the NHS. • Access to the content was provided through the Search 2.0 / Health Care Databases Advanced Search (HDAS) interface developed at the previous NLH. The interface aimed to pull together content from multiple external providers into a single NHS owned search interface. • Search 2.0 provides a quick and simple search option, while HDAS allows the addition of thesaurus terms, limits and other functions associated with an advanced search service.

6. National Content Resources

7. Considerations & Influences – future content selection and procurement. • Content purchase decisions should rest with SHALL. • There was limited understanding from the content contracts as to what suppliers had signed up to and what they were contractually obliged to do. • Explore the value of collaborative procurement, emerging trends and procurement models in HE and research markets, the wider public sector, practice and experience from NHS Scotland and Wales. • Within the procurement process, it is important to ensure that there is both the expertise around the content being procured and the legal requirements of the contracting process (OJEU tendering etc). • Need to have a clear understanding of technical requirements required for current and future content delivery through NHS Evidence.

8. Considerations & Influences - future service & contract management • There need to be clear lines of responsibility set out for all parties. • Need to formalise supplier response times and reporting processes within contract SLAs e.g. for enquiries , fix times for critical and non-critical incidents, changes to databases made at the publisher end, communication of planned fixes and third party changes e.g. downtime, fixes, thesauri changes, data refreshes. • Need to formalise incident management and reporting within contracts. • Provide quarterly reporting of the service and contract management to all key stakeholders. • Ensure process in place to minimise duplication of purchase at local level – consider print and e-access options for some content.

9. Considerations & Influences - future content delivery and access • Secure supplier current ability and / or willingness to develop content feeds for future delivery options e.g. mobile and PDA, xml feed, integration with internal systems. • Ensure there is flexibility for access methods built into the contracts depending on user choice e.g. Athens, IP address, databases suppliers interface. • NHS eligibility table needs further development and refinement. • Ensure that ejournals are procured in perpetuity – establish the access methods(s) and any further costs (e.g. platform fee, hosting fee) from the outset. • Address issue of title changes within the full text ejournal databases; secure alerting process got maintenance of journal currency, time frames for upload. • eBooks, - preferable to receive advanced notification of new editions.

10. Considerations & Influences – current environment • Changing structure of the NHS - uncertainty as to what structures / institutions would replace the SHAs post December 2012. • Year on year reduction in funding available for the core content from the combined SHAs over new procurement period. • NHS Evidence development since launch in 2009 - resource and experience available for procurement. • Risk (financial and reputational) and liability at NICE for the national contracts. • Procurement of a three year subscription period was SHALL’s strongly preferred approach. • Timescales for the national content reprocurement had become increasingly tight to ensure service continuity. • Range of issues had been identified within the current Framework T&C’s which required improvement upon.

11. Procurement Approach & Purchasing Ensure best value for the NHS within the decreasing funding available. • Collaborative approach between NHS Evidence, SHALL and JISC Collections. • Phase 1 – reprocure the national content. • Phase 2 - development of new Framework Agreement. • Procure (AMA) content via mini-tender off the OGC Framework and sole supplier negotiations for the remaining content. • Limit risk impact within national contracts – termination clauses and payment terms. • Revised NHS eligibility criteria. • Content decision-making led by SHALL with input from librarians in each SHA, in line with agreed, selection criteria, usage stats & price to establish essential & desirable content. • National and local technical requirements for delivery of and access to, content revised. • SLAs & reporting strengthened.

12. National core content: 2011 - 2013

13. Next Steps • Development and subsequent ongoing hosting and management of a new NHS Framework Agreement for the purchase of content (Jan 2012) • Replaces current OGC Framework which expires in July 2011. • NICE has agreed to become “central purchasing body” for the Framework in order to support content purchasing at both a local and national level across the NHS going forward. • Communicate purchasing guidance to the NHS during the transition phase. • Framework suppliers and local content purchasers feedback meetings.

14. Access to specialist resources

15. Reflections & Recommendations • More time and strong planning required to ensure adequate timescales for procurement completion and resource available – both internally and from key stakeholders. • Knowledge and experience of internal processes e.g. senior authorisation updates and comms, workflows and internal team engagement. • Knowledge and expertise of EU procurement requirements and sign off. • Ensure the learning and knowledge from the reprocurement activity is captured and embedded e.g. within contract and performance strategy. • Content selection & usage stats available - value of cost per download? • Little appetite from some publishers for alternative subscription models.

16. Reflections & Recommendations • Collaborative approach – • ensures stakeholder involvement and consultation; • harnesses a range of procurement skills and experiences as well as knowledge share; • excellent opportunity to revisit and revise NHS eligibility criteria –SHALL well placed to develop’. • roles of each party and responsibility for project activities need to be clearly defined from the outset; ?

17. NHS Evidence • Selected reliable information for health and social care in one place. • www.evidence.nhs.uk