Who Can Use NHS SBS Frameworks? Understanding Public Sector Eligibility

Who Can Use NHS SBS Frameworks? Understanding Public Sector Eligibility

‍

There is a persistent assumption in public sector procurement circles that NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS) frameworks are the exclusive preserve of NHS organisations. It is an understandable assumption, given the name, but it is also significantly wrong. Eligibility extends far beyond NHS trusts and clinical commissioning bodies, covering a wide spectrum of UK public sector and third-sector organisations that many procurement leads simply do not realise qualify.

‍

This article sets out exactly who can access NHS SBS frameworks, how eligibility is determined, and what practical steps organisations should take to begin procuring through them. If you are early in your research and trying to understand whether your organisation qualifies, this is the right starting point. For a broader view of how the procurement landscape works, it is also worth understanding how NHS frameworks simplify public sector procurement before going further.

‍

Key fact: Over 2,274 approved organisations across the UK public sector are already registered to use NHS SBS framework agreements. (Source: NHS Shared Business Services, 2025)

‍

What Are NHS SBS Framework Agreements?

NHS Shared Business Services is a joint venture between the Department of Health and Social Care and Sopra Steria, established to provide procurement, finance, and business services to public sector organisations. Within that remit, it manages a portfolio of framework agreements covering everything from estates management and HR services to communications technology and digital solutions.

‍

A framework agreement, at its simplest, is a pre-approved list of suppliers. NHS SBS runs the competitive procurement process on behalf of the wider public sector, vetting suppliers for financial stability, GDPR compliance, and cyber security accreditation (including Cyber Essentials) before they are admitted to any framework.

‍

Plain-language definition: A framework agreement is a pre-tendered contract. Eligible organisations can appoint suppliers from the list without running a full procurement process from scratch - the legal groundwork has already been done.

‍

This matters considerably for procurement teams operating under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015), and increasingly under the Procurement Act 2023. Using a properly constituted framework agreement like those managed by NHS SBS satisfies the legislative requirement for competitive procurement, substantially reducing the risk of legal challenge for buyers.

‍

Which Organisations Are Eligible to Use NHS SBS Frameworks?

This is the question most procurement leads arrive with, and the answer is broader than most expect.

‍

NHS SBS maintains an official list of "Approved Organisations" - entities that have been confirmed as eligible to procure through its frameworks. The list covers a genuinely wide range of bodies, not a narrow NHS-only subset. According to NHS SBS's published documentation (2025), approved organisations include:

• ‍NHS Trusts and Foundation Trusts
• Integrated Care Boards (ICBs)
• GP Practices and Primary Care Networks
• Local Authorities (district, borough, county, and unitary councils)
• Educational Institutions (universities, colleges, and maintained schools)
• Housing Associations and Registered Social Landlords
• Central Government Departments and their arm's-length bodies
• Charities and third-sector organisations with public service delivery remits

‍

That list covers a substantial proportion of the UK's public and quasi-public sector. A housing association managing digital communications to tens of thousands of residents, a university running student outreach campaigns, a county council sending formal correspondence at scale - all of these organisations may qualify, and many already have. For any of these bodies currently relying on manual or fragmented mailing processes, switching to hybrid mail through a compliant framework route is often the most practical and cost-effective first step toward modernising communications.

‍

It is worth noting one practical limitation here: eligibility does not automatically mean that every framework will be relevant to every organisation. Some frameworks are sector-specific in their design, even if formally open to wider access. Procurement leads should review individual framework documentation to confirm fit with their specific requirements before proceeding.

‍

The Specific Framework for Communications and Hybrid Mail

For organisations focused on hybrid mail, omnichannel messaging, or patient and citizen communication, the directly relevant agreement is the NHS SBS Patient and Citizen Communications Framework (SBS10142) - formally titled Patient/Citizen Communication, Engagement and Hybrid Mail Solutions.

‍

This framework is explicitly described by NHS SBS as open to "wider public sector organisations" seeking to modernise how they engage with patients, citizens, and service users. It covers the delivery of both physical correspondence (printed and mailed letters) and digital communications through a single, integrated platform - making it relevant not just to NHS bodies but to local authorities, housing associations, and other approved organisations that need to communicate at scale with the people they serve.

‍

The timing matters. In 2024-25, missed hospital appointments - so-called DNAs (did not attends) - reached 8.1 million across NHS England (Source: NHS England, 2026). That figure is not just a clinical problem, it is a communications problem. Frameworks like SBS10142 exist precisely to make modern, compliant communication solutions accessible to the organisations that need them, without the procurement friction that often delays adoption.

‍

How Do Eligible Organisations Actually Access the Framework?

Assuming your organisation falls within the approved categories, the process for accessing the framework follows a defined path. There are two primary procurement routes available.

‍

Route 1: Direct Award

‍

A direct award allows an eligible organisation to appoint a specific framework supplier without running a secondary competition, provided the supplier's offering demonstrably meets the requirement and represents value for money. This is the faster route - useful where requirements are clearly defined and a named supplier's pricing and capability already satisfy internal governance thresholds.

‍

Route 2: Mini-Competition

A mini-competition re-opens competition among framework-listed suppliers for a specific contract. All eligible suppliers on the relevant lot are invited to submit a further response, allowing the buying organisation to secure bespoke pricing or service terms. This route is appropriate for larger or more complex requirements where additional market testing is warranted.

‍

The practical steps for most organisations look like this:

‍
1. Confirm your organisation appears on the NHS SBS Approved Organisations list

2.Identify the relevant framework and lot for your requirement (for hybrid mail and communications, this is SBS10142)

3. Determine which procurement route - direct award or mini-competition - is appropriate based on contract value and complexity

4. Contact NHS SBS or a listed framework supplier to initiate the procurement

5. Complete any internal governance approvals required by your organisation before award

One note that often gets missed in conversations I have with procurement leads: the framework does the legal heavy lifting, but your internal governance requirements still apply. Finance directors and compliance officers should still be involved at appropriate stages, even where the external procurement process is straightforward. Frameworks reduce risk, they do not remove all internal process obligations.

‍

What Are the Practical Benefits of Procuring This Way?

Beyond eligibility, the question that usually follows is whether it is actually worth doing. The answer, for most public sector bodies, is yes - with some nuance.

‍

Public sector organisations procuring through NHS SBS frameworks typically achieve savings of approximately 15% compared to direct procurement (Source: NHS Shared Business Services, 2025). NHS SBS manages around £1 billion of NHS and public sector spend annually through its framework agreements, giving it considerable negotiating leverage with suppliers that individual organisations cannot replicate independently.

‍

The compliance benefit is also real. Suppliers admitted to the framework have already been assessed for financial standing, cyber security credentials, and data protection compliance. For a local authority IT lead or an NHS trust information governance manager, that pre-qualification provides meaningful assurance that would otherwise require significant internal resource to replicate.

‍

The honest counterpoint: framework pricing is not always the most competitive available in every circumstance. For organisations with very specific or unusual requirements, a standalone procurement with a bespoke specification may occasionally yield better commercial outcomes. Frameworks are an excellent default, not an unconditional guarantee of the lowest price in every scenario. Most procurement teams find the compliance certainty and reduced process overhead outweigh any marginal pricing differences in practice.

‍

Am I Eligible? A Quick Reference Summary

Yes. All NHS Trusts and Foundation Trusts are included in the NHS SBS Approved Organisations list.

Yes. Local authorities at all tiers - district, borough, county, and unitary - are eligible approved organisations.

Yes. Registered social landlords and housing associations with public service delivery functions are included within the approved organisations list.

Charities and third-sector organisations operating within public service delivery contexts are eligible, though it is advisable to confirm your specific organisation's status with NHS SBS directly before proceeding.

No. That is the central benefit. NHS SBS has already run the compliant tender process. Eligible organisations procure through either a direct award or a mini-competition among listed suppliers.

‍

Next Steps for Your Organisation

If your organisation falls within the eligible categories described above, the next logical step is to understand which suppliers are listed under the relevant framework and what each offers.

‍

For hybrid mail and omnichannel communications specifically, Micom is an approved supplier under the NHS SBS framework, providing enterprise-grade hybrid mail and secure digital messaging to public sector organisations across the UK. Organisations already exploring switching to hybrid mail will find the framework route removes much of the procurement complexity that would otherwise slow adoption. Understanding Micom's position and what the framework enables, in practical terms, is covered in more detail elsewhere in this resource series.

‍

All NHS SBS eligibility and framework data referenced in this article is drawn from NHS Shared Business Services published documentation and the NHS SBS Framework Agreements portal (2025). Organisations should verify current approved status and framework availability directly with NHS SBS prior to initiating procurement.