Description
The NHSBSA is a Special Health Authority and an Arm’s Length Body of the Department of Health and Social Care. We provide a range of critical central services to NHS organisations (our ‘clients’), NHS contractors, health bodies, patients and the public (our ‘customers’)
One such central service to the NHS is the in house Scanning Service and Digital Print Suite.
The RFI will be split into two Lots as we understand that market operators may have specialisms within one or both service areas thereby providing the greatest opportunity to gather market information on both services. Organisations are able to complete the RFI for either Lot 1, Lot 2 or both Lots dependant upon their capability.
Lot 1 will detail the Digital Print Suite:
The NHSBSA currently operates a digital print suite which produces over 4.4million letters per year (data taken from April 2025 – March 2026). The letters are on behalf of internal BSA services such as:
Prescription Exemption Checking Service (PECS);
Dental Exemption Checking Service (DECS);
Prepayment Certificate (PPC);
Low Income Scheme (LIS);
Dental Services;
Medical Exemptions (MEDEX),
NHS Pensions,
NHSBSA Finance,
Direct Payments to Contractors (DPC);
Prescription Services;
Adult Social Care;
Healthy Start;
Ophthalmic;
EIBBS and;
Various print requirements for NHS Counter Fraud Authority who are an external organisation to the NHSBSA
Of this total, 2.5 million letters were generated for PECS and DECS, with associated enveloping, and postal costs.
The letters are all A4, printed double sided and in general are black/white printed – occasionally a colour print is required. They are collected unsorted by Royal Mail and Whistl from site daily – going out 2nd class A3 envelopes. On occasion some letters may need to go 1st class or traceable. There are some A4 envelopes used too.
In addition, the team produced over 3,000 ad hoc print items for internal NHSBSA teams which included certificates, posters, handouts, leaflets, calendars, and user manuals, often requiring specialist specifications such as card stock, non-standard paper, colour printing, and binding. Additionally some items are printed onto coloured paper.
Lot 2 will detail the Scanning operations.
Prescriptions Scanning
The Prescription Scanning service manages preparation, and scanning for over 12,000 contractors, including:
English Pharmacy (EPHM);
English Dispensing Doctors (EDDR),
English Appliance Contractors (EACN),
Personally Administered Medicines (PADM),
private accounts, Island services, MOD, and Out of Hours providers.
There are 12000 + boxes/envelopes etc are delivered by a number of couriers each month to site the NHSBSA where they are receipted, opened, identified and logged.
After the accounts are logged they need to be prepared for scanning as they often arrive in a way that require attention to maximise the efficiency of scanning. This requires identification that the account number submitted is correct or the prescriptions (A5) in the box – sorting into groups (exempt from payment/chargeable) plus prescription form types (eg some forms are A5 and some larger to accommodate more clinical and reimbursement type information.
(Please note prescriptions and prescriptions tokens which we require to be scanned are unique We believe the weight of the paper used for both documents to be between 55 and 70 gms.)
Once prepared for scanning the account/batch is taken to the scanner for image capture utilising different headers/identifiers for each of the groups.
Following scanning as agreed with the DHSC the paper copies are stored for 6 months before being securely destroyed to shred level P3
Historical volumes of prescription scanning is set out below:
Docs all areas 2024/25 = 395,243,239.00
Docs all areas 2025/26 = 375,751,782.00
Other Scanning
Document Scanning provides digitisation services to both internal NHSBSA teams and external NHS and none NHS organisations.
We provide an end-to-end collection, receipt, preparation, scan and destroy solution which incorporates a high level of customer engagement and satisfaction (shown in CSAT scores). We work with each client offering a SME consultation to design the right scanning job for the customer to meet their needs. Regular contact and review meetings throughout the programme of works with a built-in quality assurance process.
Internal scanning circa 3 - 4m docs per year
external scanning circa 9m in 2024/25 & 3m in 2025/26
At this stage the Authority is seeking high-level input to enable us to assess the market and to inform any future procurement strategy to ensure compliance with The Procurement Act 2023 and/or the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 as the case maybe.
Interested parties must register an interest in this RFI via https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome (search opportunities using system reference C456761). Suppliers can register from 7th July 2026 and the RFI documents will be made available shortly thereafter . Registration for the event will close on Monday 20th July 2026 at 12:00 BST.
As part of our pre-tender market engagement process for the provision of the Scanning and Digital Print Suite services Registered suppliers are invited to attend a Supplier Briefing Session which will consist of a presentation via Microsoft Teams which will be held on Wednesday 22nd July 2026. Suppliers may also request an optional 1-2-1 session on 22nd & 23rd July 2026. Written RFI responses are requested by no later than Tuesday 4th August 12:00 BST
The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) invites all interested capable orgnanisations to participate in an RFI and a Supplier Webinar, followed by a number of 121 sessions in addition to a number of questions Suppliers can answer and submit following the presentation,
Additional Information
Suppliers should note that this RFI and Preliminary Market Engagement is a market research exercise only and it is not an invitation to tender, an invitation to offer an agreement or a guarantee there will be a future procurement exercise.
Participation in this RFI is limited to organisations that are capable of supplying goods, services or works relevant to the subject matter of this procurement. The Authority reserves the right to refuse participation where an organisation is not, in the Authority's reasonable opinion, a potential supplier of the goods, services or works to which this RFI relates.. Where a participant does not meet this criteria they will not be able to attend the Supplier Briefing Session and may therefore be removed from the RFI.
The Supplier Webinar will start with an Open Forum Presentation that will be delivered by key members of the Project Team. Individual supplier 1-2-1 sessions will take the format of questions and answers with suppliers being able to ask any questions relating to the NHSBSA’s requirements, the previously delivered presentation and the potential procurement process.
Disclaimers:
(1) No competitive advantage will be gained by the suppliers engaging with the NHSBSA at this early stage and NHSBSA will ensure equal treatment of all interested parties at all times. We will make the outputs of the day available to those Suppliers who are unable to attend.
(2) NHSBSA does not bind itself, by conducting this Supplier Webinar exercise, to commence any procurement procedure or award any contract, and will not in any event be responsible for any costs incurred by invitees in attending and/or preparing for the presentation and individual supplier meeting referred to above.
(3) Confidentiality of information which is clearly marked or identified as being confidential and which is reasonably viewed by NHSBSA as confidential will be observed, but NHSBSA does not accept any blanket claims of confidentiality.