Supporting faster, safer diagnostics through collaborative procurement
NHS LPP’s Healthcare & Pharmacy Services team worked with three other NHS procurement hubs to develop a national framework for contrast media, injectors, consumables and maintenance. Designed around clinical needs, it simplifies procurement, widens supplier participation and improves access to essential imaging products.
At a glance
Category: Healthcare & Pharmacy Services
Project: Contrast Media and Associated Injectors/Consumables Framework
Framework reference: LPP/2024/001
Partners: NHS North of England Commercial Procurement Collaborative, East of England NHS Collaborative Procurement Hub and NHS Commercial Solutions
Customers: NHS trusts and other healthcare organisations across England
Scope: Contrast media, injectors, consumables and injector maintenance
Key benefits: A standardised national route to market, increased supplier participation, reduced duplication and improved access to diagnostic products
The challenge
Increasing diagnostic capacity is essential to improving elective and urgent care pathways across the NHS. Contrast media, injectors and associated consumables are critical to CT, MRI and other imaging procedures, making reliable access to these products essential to maintaining diagnostic services.
Historically, these products were sourced through fragmented regional arrangements, creating duplication and variation in pricing and procurement routes available to NHS organisations.
Trusts were also managing growing demand and diagnostic backlogs. Delays in sourcing suitable products or equipment could affect the speed at which patients were diagnosed and moved onto treatment.
NHS LPP and its partner procurement hubs identified the need for one nationally accessible framework that would simplify procurement, improve consistency and give organisations access to clinically appropriate, MHRA-compliant products while retaining flexibility for local needs.
Our approach
NHS LPP’s collaborative working group combined procurement, clinical, legal and data expertise to develop this single national framework. The core project group met weekly, supported by shared governance and digital collaboration tools. Clinical radiologists, imaging leads and trust procurement teams were involved throughout the development, helping ensure the requirements reflected clinical needs and operational priorities.
The team engaged early with both SME and multinational suppliers to test the market, understand supply capability and encourage wider participation. This informed the framework structure and helped create a route to market that was commercially robust while maintaining appropriate clinical and regulatory requirements.
To support implementation, the project team developed standardised documentation, including customer guidance, call-off documentation and an evaluation. Fixed-pricing periods and indexation review mechanisms were also included to improve cost predictability.
Sustainability and social value accounted for 10% of the evaluation, including assessment of environmental accreditation and commitments to improving access across diverse patient populations.
The impact
Within the first 12 months of operation, 126 NHS organisations recorded activity through the framework, with further NHS organisations aligned to join the framework.
Early supplier engagement resulted in a 75% increase in supplier participation, with SMEs accounting for more than half of participating suppliers, supporting a broader and more competitive supplier base.
The framework brings together four lots covering contrast media, injectors, associated consumables and injector maintenance, providing a single national route to market while retaining flexibility for local requirements.
Trusts can use direct award or further competition, supported by standardised call-off documents, a common evaluation toolkit and customer guidance. This reduces duplication and provides a more consistent approach to procurement across NHS organisations.
Injector loan arrangements provide an alternative to outright equipment purchase, helping organisations reduce upfront capital requirements.
Why it matters
Diagnostic imaging is central to the identification and treatment of conditions including cancer, stroke and cardiovascular disease. Reliable access to contrast media, injectors and consumables can therefore influence how quickly patients receive a diagnosis and begin treatment. The framework shows how procurement can support diagnostic transformation, not simply provide a route to purchase products.
By involving clinicians, imaging professionals, procurement teams and suppliers from the outset, the partnership developed an approach that balanced commercial value with clinical safety, service continuity and local flexibility.
The collaborative model also reduces pressure on individual procurement organisations. Rather than creating several similar regional agreements, the four hubs shared expertise, workload and governance to develop one scalable national solution.
Find out more
To find out how the Contrast Media and Associated Injectors/Consumables framework can support your organisation, or to discuss NHS LPP’s wider portfolio of products and services, contact our Healthcare & Pharmacy Services team at gstt.mopp@nhs.net.