Health body opens market engagement on sustainable transport framework
A health body is shaping a multi-lot framework for low-carbon transport, from drones to EV charging, signalling a shift in smart, sustainable logistics.
A health body is shaping a multi-lot framework for low-carbon transport, from drones to EV charging, signalling a shift in smart, sustainable logistics.
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A new Sustainable Transport Framework from NHS Shared Business Services Limited aims to give Approved Organisations a route to low-carbon transport and infrastructure. Structured as a multi-lot agreement spanning micro-mobility, drone delivery, robotic logistics, traditional courier services, car park management, electric vehicle charging and cycle parking, the framework is intended to help buyers cut carbon outputs and move towards net zero. Published on 8th April 2026 as a Prior Information Notice, it points to a more strategic approach to how transport and logistics services are sourced across the health system.
At its core, the initiative is about bringing a diverse set of transport-related categories into one commercial structure. Rather than treating courier services, parking management and new mobility options as separate procurements, NHS Shared Business Services Limited plans to package them within a single Sustainable Transport and Infrastructure framework. The stated aim is to help Approved Organisations reduce their carbon outputs and support progress towards net zero, while still giving them access to familiar services and newer, less established technologies.
The planned lots span both services and physical infrastructure, including:
That mix underlines a deliberate attempt to treat transport as a whole system. Micro-mobility and cycle parking relate to short-distance movement on and around sites; drones, robots and couriers address delivery and logistics; while car park management and electric vehicle charging focus on how vehicles are managed and powered. For category managers, it creates scope to connect decisions that would previously have sat in separate budgets.
Including drone delivery and robotic logistics in the same structure as traditional courier services shows that innovation is being considered alongside the core transport offer. The planned framework structure creates the possibility to compare emerging options with established ones within a common commercial and sustainability context, and to introduce new approaches to moving items without displacing services that must remain conventional.
Alongside services, the inclusion of car park management, electric vehicle charging and cycle parking solutions highlights the role of estates and infrastructure teams in transport decarbonisation. Placing these elements in the same framework as logistics services indicates that physical assets and contracted operations are all being treated as relevant to the net zero goal. It also means that organisations using the framework should be able to align on-site infrastructure decisions with choices about how people and goods move to, from and within their facilities.
The transport plans sit alongside a growing set of framework-based approaches to net zero. In November 2025, Kent County Council (trading as Laser) announced its intention to establish a Flexible Energy Procurement Framework for the supply of gas and electricity, explicitly including innovative solutions for net zero energy. As with the new Sustainable Transport and Infrastructure framework, the focus is on giving a wide group of public-sector organisations structured access to lower-carbon options within a single agreement.
A similar pattern is visible in the water sector. In January 2026, Southern Water Services Limited went to market for a Sustainable Drainage and Habitat Services framework covering sustainable drainage, habitat restoration and biodiversity improvement. Here too, the framework model is being used not just to buy works and services, but to frame long-term environmental outcomes around land management, monitoring and community activity.
Within health and care, capital and clinical frameworks are also carrying sustainability expectations. In February 2026, Supply Chain Coordination Limited set out proposals for a national Dental Equipment Framework covering consumables, clinical solutions, equipment and digital technologies, supported by defined certification requirements for suppliers. And in March 2026, NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership – Procurement Services published plans for a Capital Construction Framework for Health Boards designed to enhance project delivery, support regional supply chains and incorporate sustainable practices into a broad range of capital works. The Sustainable Transport Framework fits that trajectory, positioning decarbonisation as a standard lens in category strategies rather than an add-on requirement.
Beyond sustainability, the notice forms part of a wider rethinking of transport in health and related services. In October 2025, Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, working with University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, began market engagement on a collaborative Secure Patient Transport Service for individuals transported under the Mental Health Act, with an emphasis on safety and high-quality, patient-led care. In November 2025, NHS London Procurement Partnership signalled plans for a Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services framework to cover a range of mobility types and operate throughout the year.
Local authorities are taking a similar route for everyday mobility. In January 2026, North Lanarkshire Council issued a Taxi and Private Hire Services framework to meet a mix of transport needs, from school pupil journeys to services for people with Additional Support Needs. In November 2025, Procurement Services at Kent County Council moved to renew its Bus Shelters and Services Framework, covering shelters, real time passenger information systems and associated services for local authorities and public sector establishments in the UK. Together with the new Sustainable Transport Framework, these procurements show how core passenger and logistics services are being brought into more structured, multi-lot arrangements.
As a Prior Information Notice, the Sustainable Transport and Infrastructure plan is at a formative stage. NHS Shared Business Services Limited is signalling its intentions early, in line with a broader move towards structured market engagement in complex categories. Recent notices such as NHS Blood and Transplant’s Supply Chain Planning Solution engagement in November 2025, UK Shared Business Services’ UKSBS Security Operations Center plans in January 2026, and the NHS Business Services Authority’s File Tracking Solution Engagement in February 2026 all follow a similar path: using pre-procurement dialogue to understand capabilities and refine future requirements.
Framework specialists are doing the same. On 8th April 2026, SCAPE Procure Limited announced work towards a Construction Works Framework across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, highlighting SME engagement through market awareness and pre-market engagement activities. Scape Procure Scotland has recently launched a Corporate Services Framework covering advisory, legal and audit services. Against that backdrop, the development of the Sustainable Transport Framework will be watched closely by suppliers in micro-mobility, logistics, parking management, electric vehicle charging and related fields, as it will influence how sustainable transport and infrastructure solutions are organised and bought in the years ahead.
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