North East and North Cumbria Secure Data Environment (NENC SDE) - Workflow Automation

Following our Market Engagement Event on Wednesday 23rd July 2025, Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria are publishing this Prior Information Notice (PIN) to inform market operators of a potential future exercise to procure services supporting the digitisation of the NENC SDE project application workflow. The North East and North Cumbria Secure Data Environment (NENC SDE) Programme seeks to procure a digital solution to streamline the referral and early application intake process for projects and data access requests. This function represents the first phase of a wider digitisation roadmap. Currently, these early-stage workflows are highly manual; relying on emails, spreadsheets, and ad-hoc communications between stakeholders. This results in inconsistent approaches to referral capture, validation, triage, and handoff into governance channels such as the Data Access Committee (DAC) and Public Evaluation Group (PEG). The proposed solution will replace this with a consistent, auditable, and scalable digital workflow that enables transparent, efficient processing of external enquiries and early-stage research applications. The specification will outline the requirements for a system that functions as both a user-facing portal and internal case management platform. Key capabilities should include structured form intake, document upload, progress tracking for applicants, role-based access controls, automated workflows for triage and validation, audit logs, version control, and the ability to interface with governance pathways. This intake solution will underpin the NENC SDE's broader commitment to delivering a consistent, transparent, and user-friendly journey from enquiry through to access. The final system must align with NHS data governance and digital standards, supporting scalability across multiple stakeholder groups, including NHS organisations, researchers, and SDE programme teams.