Successful EUD Pooling Project secures 87,000 devices and delivers savings
The PTOM Digital team along with Crown Commercial Service (CCS) and the North of England Commercial Procurement Collaborative (NOE CPC) launched a procurement project in the autumn of 2021 to meet the usual increased year end demand from NHS trusts for end user devices (EUDs), such as tablets and laptops and to take into account the unusual global IT market conditions at the time.
The aim of the End User Device (EUD) pooling project was to pool demand across the NHS, saving CIOs and procurement leads time by providing expertise in digital category buying. There were global supply issues, price increases, known supply shortages on certain devices and components and extended lead times in supply chains.
By pooling demand from over 40 trusts and engaging with the market, the pooling project was able to buy 87,000 devices, securing delivery of supplies by 31st March 2022 and bringing savings in the region of 5%-12% despite the short project timescales and supplier constraints.
Alison Petrie, Senior Category Manager for Technology (ICT) at NOE CPC said: “The project delivered financial and time savings, as we were able to provide strategic market consultation. This was welcomed by both NHS buyers and the market.”