Pictured above: Richard Stone
A new 'Suppliers Registration Portal', designed to level the
playing field for SMEs competing for NHS contracts, was voted a
boost for business development by delegates at its Birmingham
launch event hosted by MedilinkWM.
Life Science organisation MedilinkWM has partnered with ADB
MultiQuote to develop the Suppliers Registration Portal, which aims
to help SMEs offering healthcare products and services to the NHS,
to have the opportunity to quote on requisitions below the OJEU
tender threshold of £101,323.
The launch event, which marked the roll-out of the Portal system
following a pilot scheme in the West Midlands, was attended by
forty companies, including Cannock-based Dr. Weigert, a specialist
in solving hygiene issues in medical areas. Its General Manager,
Alan Abbatt, said: "The Suppliers Registration Portal is a simple
route for small SMEs to access NHS Trust tenders, which is
excellent news for business development.
"Not only does the system alert subscribers to NHS Trusts'
requests for quotations and potential suppliers, it also delivers
feedback on suppliers' performance. To have the opportunity to
learn, instantly, of enquiries under the OJEU threshold on a system
which quickly delivers the quote to the purchaser, is excellent.
This is a great service for small SMEs and particularly valuable at
the present time when the market is in so much flux. For SMEs like
us, it is also an added boost to have this kind of 'exposure' to
NHS Trusts."
Richard Stone, MedilinkWM Operations Director, explains:
"Winning new business from the NHS is one of the toughest
challenges facing UK SMEs. The Suppliers Registration Portal is an
easy to use system, which gives these SMEs a chance to tender for
supplying their healthcare products or services to the
NHS.
"The pilot involved a dozen or so companies and proved the value
and potential to SME healthcare suppliers and NHS Trusts of such a
web-based service. We know quotations are going out all the
time, with some companies landing new business from NHS Trusts they
would not otherwise have been able to connect with.
"As part of the system roll-out, SMEs within the region are not
only given the opportunity to quote but will also be given
assistance wherever possible, to include the education and
facilitation of customer engagement, re-categorisation support and
advice as well as NHS procurement feedback relating to products and
services."
Speaking at the event was David Thomas, Head of Procurement at
Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. He
explained: "We have an income of over £200M and are one of
the largest Mental Health Trusts in the country, with around 4000
staff operating from over 140 sites across Birmingham and
Solihull.
"We source and purchase from suppliers in a number of ways,
depending on the financial value of the products or service
contracts. For adhoc product requirements, the Suppliers
Registration Portal system is what we use to source suppliers, and
we issue quotation requests on a daily basis. We have found the
system very useful, not least as before using it, it was often
difficult to know who to approach when trying to locate suppliers
of specific products or services."
Event delegates also learnt from ADB MultiQuote about how the
portal can support SMEs and help them win business through their
work with over 180 NHS Trusts procurement departments. For more
information about the Suppliers Registration Portal, contact
Richard Stone at MedilinkWM, Tel: 0121 452 5630.
MedilinkWM influences and guides public sector initiatives at
regional and national level for the benefit of companies, and
drives research and development by identifying potential markets
for growth and new product commercialisation in the Life Science
market. Visit www.MedilinkWM.co.uk