NHS approves £900m AI framework

NHS Shared Business Services has launched a £900 million framework designed to let NHS bodies and other public-sector organisations buy artificial intelligence tools through a single procurement route. The vehicle, called Healthcare AI Solutions, was published in the U.K. government tender system on May 11 and was reported by Digital Health News on May 19. The tender notice describes it as an open framework intended to support “efficient, legally compliant, and scalable procurement” of AI technologies across the NHS and wider public sector. It carries an estimated value of £900 million including VAT and is scheduled to run from May 12, 2027 to May 11, 2035. ### What exactly has NHS SBS put in place? The tender notice says NHS Shared Business Services is establishing an open framework, a procurement structure in which awarded suppliers can be carried over and new suppliers can bid over time. NHS SBS says the framework is meant to serve approved organisations across the NHS, social care and other bodies it authorises to use the agreement. (find-tender.service.gov.uk) NHS SBS already manages about £1 billion of NHS spend annually through its framework agreements and says those agreements are intended to provide a compliant route to market under U.K. procurement rules. On its framework pages, the organisation says its digital and IT agreements are aimed at supporting NHS and public-sector digital transformation. ### What kinds of AI would be bought through it? (find-tender.service.gov.uk) The procurement is split into eight lots, according to the tender notice and Digital Health News. Those lots cover radiology and diagnostic imaging; pathology and preventative healthcare; virtual and robotic health; predictive analytics; research and innovation; operational efficiency; advisory services; and combined solutions. (sbs.nhs.uk) The notice says the framework is intended to cover AI technologies that can improve diagnostic accuracy, support clinical decision-making and streamline operational processes. Lot 1, for example, includes AI-powered radiology tools, medical imaging diagnostic platforms and integrated imaging software designed to support image-based diagnostics. ### Why does the £900 million figure matter? (find-tender.service.gov.uk) The £900 million figure is the estimated ceiling value of the framework including VAT, while the tender notice lists £750 million excluding VAT. In public procurement, that number does not mean the NHS has approved or committed that full amount of spending on day one; it sets the maximum estimated value that can flow through the framework over its life. That reading is based on the tender notice’s description of total estimated value and contract dates. (find-tender.service.gov.uk) Digital Health News reported criticism from a GP and clinical informatician, who said the headline value was high and described NHS England spending as “out of control.” NHS SBS, by contrast, presented the framework as a way to help NHS organisations access AI tools more quickly and through a standard route. ### What has NHS SBS said about the purpose? (find-tender.service.gov.uk) Paddy Howlin, procurement solutions director at NHS SBS, told Digital Health News that the NHS is aiming to become “the first national health system in the world to make routine use of AI and machine learning technologies.” He said the framework focuses on applying AI in different areas of care to provide new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat illness. (digitalhealth.net) Howlin also said the agreement is aligned with NHS priorities including reducing misdiagnosis, cutting waiting times for test results and treatment, and limiting administrative inefficiencies. He said NHS SBS was “the first framework host to provide this breadth of coverage and strategic focus.” ### Who can use it, and what happens next? (digitalhealth.net) The framework is intended for NHS SBS approved organisations, which the tender notice says include NHS and social care organisations and other public or private sector bodies authorised by NHS SBS. Suppliers can bid for multiple lots, and those awarded to two or more lots will also be awarded to the combined-solutions lot, according to the notice. (digitalhealth.net) The procurement notice was published on May 11, 2026 under reference SBS10523 and notice identifier 2026/S 000-043057. Digital Health News reported that NHS SBS had been planning the framework since at least January 2025, and the current tender process now sets up the supplier competition ahead of the framework start date on May 12, 2027. (find-tender.service.gov.uk)