Blog: The uncomfortable truth – Why MCF4 falls short for NHS procurement

Published: 14 Jan 2025

Clare Fountain, Associate Director of Quality Improvement

When it comes to procurement, it’s not just about how much you spend – it’s about how well you spend it. A tailored approach aligns every pound with quality outcomes, ensuring that each investment directly contributes to a better, more effective solution. In contrast, a generic approach spreads resources thinly; often compromising on fit, efficiency and impact.

If you’re an NHS organisation considering the Crown Commercial Services Management Consultancy Framework 4 (MCF4) as a compliant route to market, you’re not alone.

But will MCF4 be the right tool for your complex procurement needs?

While MCF4 offers value in certain contexts, it often struggles to address the unique demands of healthcare procurement:

  • Favouring the same large organisations with their ‘off-the-shelf’ solutions:
    NHS projects frequently require specialist expertise, deep NHS system knowledge and tailored specifications, KPIs and benefits realisation. Solutions via MCF4, particularly by large consultancies, tend to be generic rather than carefully tailored to meet individual organisational needs. This means opportunities for long-term value and sustainable improvement are often missed.
  • Not tapping the most specialist expertise:
    Suppliers selected during the framework’s setup may not represent the most innovative or specialised in the market. MCF4’s design can unintentionally sideline many SMEs – organisations that often bring specific expertise, agility and a deep understanding of NHS systems. These qualities are not just beneficial, they’re essential for addressing the complex, multi-layered challenges facing healthcare services today.

What’s the answer?

In-house procurement teams can run bespoke invitations to tender (ITTs), but they risk reinventing the wheel or struggle with resourcing. In certain situations, employing a procurement specialist will pay dividends for NHS trusts by offering:

  • A transformational focus: Procurement isn’t just about sourcing or signing contracts. It should be a catalyst for long-term healthcare improvement with:
    • A deep understanding of the challenges to be addressed
    • Consideration of value along the whole pathway
    • Clear benefits realisation – contracting is not the end point!
  • Contracting the right solutions, not just the usual suspects: SMEs with expertise, innovation and deep NHS insight are sidelined by rigid framework structures, but procurement specialists like HQIP can do the leg work for you to find the best fit.
  • Effective pre-market engagement, including patient involvement: Patient voices are often added late in the process, or not at all, reducing alignment with real-world healthcare needs. NHS procurement teams are also not always equipped to do this effectively. Procurement specialists with patient engagement experience can support teams with a strategic approach to embedding this throughout the procurement process.
  • Higher value delivered: When done right, tailored procurement delivers better outcomes – outcomes that are sustainable, impactful and aligned with the needs of patients, clinicians and healthcare teams.

Procurement + Patient Engagement + Quality Improvement = Better Value

HQIP’s exemplary commissioning approach: Delivering better outcomes

We go beyond transactional procurement by embedding quality improvement principles, patient involvement and social value into every stage of our commissioning work. With years of experience developing and refining our exemplary commissioning approach, we can help you navigate some common pitfalls.

HQIP commissions the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme (NCAPOP), a nationally recognised quality improvement initiative funded by NHS England since 2009. Through rigorous, specification-driven commissioning, we measure the quality of care across a range of medical specialties, driving:

  • Clinical pathway improvement
  • Reduced variability in care standards
  • Improved patient outcomes

Reasons to commission HQIP procurement

Aligned with NHS values Quality and value for the NHS is at our core. As a not-for-profit organisation, we share NHS values, focusing on long-term outcomes over short-term returns.
Flexible, tailored procurement Our approach is adaptive and context-specific, ensuring each procurement strategy is fit for purpose. We can provide capacity or manage procurements end-to-end, as well as mentoring and training your local procurement team.
Pre-market engagement We can help you maximise the benefits. A unique strength of HQIP is how we embed the patient voice through every stage of the procurement. Doing this produces significant benefits by ensuring all commissioning considers exactly what end users want – delivering better value and outcomes.
Social value-driven We are experienced in awarding suppliers based on multiple criteria that assess their capacity to impact long-term patient outcomes and social value, in addition to cost.
Continuously improving HQIP leads best-practice in procurement by continuously refining commissioning and supportive practices for greater social benefit.

When healthcare commissioning demands flexibility, deep NHS expertise and meaningful patient involvement, contact us at: [email protected]

Our value-based Procurement+ service combines expertise in procurement, patient engagement and quality improvement to ensure you achieve better value and outcomes. Schedule a consultation with our team today.