NHS Shared Business Services Signals New Consultancy Services Framework Opportunity
A new framework for consultancy and advisory services aims to give public bodies faster access to expertise for strategic change and sustainable delivery.
A new framework for consultancy and advisory services aims to give public bodies faster access to expertise for strategic change and sustainable delivery.
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A new framework proposed by NHS Shared Business Services Limited would give Approved Organisations across the NHS and wider public sector a shared route to consultancy and advisory support, with a clear emphasis on strategic change and sustainable long-term results.
Published on 10th February 2026, the prior information notice for a Consultancy Services Framework describes a framework agreement intended to provide Approved Organisations with efficient access to a variety of consultancy and advisory services across the NHS and public sector.
The notice states that the framework will support both strategic and operational needs, promoting transformation and sustainable results across the NHS and public sector. That framing links consultancy spend directly to service improvement and organisational change rather than treating it as a purely transactional purchase.
The reference to Approved Organisations suggests a defined community of users, but the scope is deliberately broad. By positioning the agreement for use across the NHS and public sector, the buyer is signalling an intention to create a shared commercial route that can be adopted by a wide range of bodies facing similar strategic and operational challenges.
In September 2025, East Of England NHS Collaborative Hub c/o West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust set up a Managed Neutral Vendor Services framework with a similar aim of establishing a compliant route that would enhance service operations, reduce costs and secure value for money in service management. And in January 2026, Kent County Council trading as Procurement Services outlined plans for a Legal Services Framework to give public sector bodies efficient and cost-effective access to a range of legal expertise.
Taken together, these notices point to a consistent direction of travel: centralised frameworks that simplify access to specialist advice while asserting stronger control over how external support is sourced and used. The NHS Shared Business Services framework now sits within that trend, but with an explicitly cross-cutting brief that spans many types of consultancy.
Across local government, housing and central functions, new agreements are being prepared to build sustainable consultancy supply chains. In September 2025, Westmorland and Furness Council announced plans for a Consultancy Services Framework aimed at creating a sustainable consultancy supply chain to support its capital works programme through collaboration and efficiency.
A similar message came from Kent County Council (trading as Procurement Services) in November 2025, when it began developing a Consultancy and Advisory Services framework for the public sector and invited suppliers and customers to shape it through an online questionnaire. In December 2025, Procurement for Housing followed suit with a national Technical Consultancy Services Framework, opening market engagement sessions before finalising the specification.
These initiatives sit alongside wider, cross-government provision. In January 2026, Crown Commercial Service signalled its intention to let a broad Consultancy Services Agreement covering business, strategy, finance, HR and community infrastructure. Technology-focused needs are being addressed through arrangements such as Efficiency East Midlands' Technology Consultancy Services framework, published in November 2025 to streamline procurement, enhance transparency and encourage SME participation in technology-enabled change.
Frameworks are also being used to aggregate demand for built environment and infrastructure advice. In November 2025, SCAPE Procure Limited set out plans for a Professional Services and Development Framework across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, while in October 2025 Scape Procure Scotland launched a companion Professional Services and Development Framework for suppliers in Scotland. Most recently, in February 2026, SCAPE has gone to market with a further Professional Services and Development Framework that continues this focus and adds a clear emphasis on facilitating SME engagement.
Frameworks are increasingly framed around explicit transformation outcomes. In September 2025, NHS Business Services Authority issued an RFI for Benchmarking Services to explore external benchmarking that could enhance operational efficiency, customer experience and performance assessments across its diverse services. In November 2025, Southern Water Services Limited launched a Business Management Consultancy framework covering regulatory advice, procurement, financial services and strategy, again positioning advisory support as a means to improve core performance.
In the health sector, buyers are turning to frameworks for specialist support across full service lifecycles. The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust's Biomedical Research Support Solutions Framework Agreement, published in November 2025, spans clinical trial design, sample management and data analysis. Gloucestershire Hospitals Subsidiary Company Limited has sought consultancy services to develop an estates strategy, while ITSC GmbH plans framework agreements for project management services in health and social care, underlining demand for structured support on complex programmes.
Digital transformation is equally prominent. Universitätsklinikum Aachen AöR is procuring a framework agreement to support its SPRUNG project, including SAP S/4HANA transformation, development of existing SAP systems, IT service management and project management. Föreningen Sambruk's IT consultancy services agreement and Andel Holding A/S's framework for SAP Business Intelligence consultancy both focus on long-term technical management, support and system development for critical IT platforms.
Beyond technology, several buyers are targeting organisation-wide development and governance. Ministerstvo práce a sociálních věcí is establishing a Strategic Consulting Framework that covers management, strategic support, project management, business analysis and IT system development. Departementenes sikkerhets- og serviceorganisasjon is letting a framework agreement for organisation development, embracing competence management, leadership and workplace design. Closer to home, the London Borough of Barnet is creating an Internal Audit and Advisory Services framework to reinforce corporate governance and risk management across publicly funded bodies.
Against this landscape, the NHS Shared Business Services framework is notable for drawing strategic and operational consultancy into a single agreement that explicitly references transformation and sustainable results. It reflects a broader move to treat consultancy as a managed category of spend, aligned with defined organisational objectives.
As a prior information notice, the document released on 10th February 2026 offers only a high-level view of the planned framework; details such as the service structure, the number of suppliers that may be appointed and the governance arrangements are not yet available. Further procurement documents will need to clarify how the agreement will operate in practice and how participation will be opened to Approved Organisations.
What is already clear is that public bodies are steadily expanding their use of consultancy frameworks, from broad national vehicles to highly specialised panels. The planned NHS Shared Business Services agreement is set to sit alongside arrangements such as Crown Commercial Service's consultancy services agreement and sector-focused frameworks in technology, estates and research. How well these routes complement one another – and how clearly they link the use of consultancy services to sustainable results – will be key tests as this latest framework takes shape.
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