Background

The trusts that make up the Joined Up Care Derbyshire (JUCD) ICS stored data on suppliers, contracts and associated workplans in different locations and in inconsistent ways. Some data was incomplete or missing altogether. There was a desire to bring this data together to give the team better visibility and a better understanding of what supply contracts they had, which suppliers they were using for which products and services, and how much they were spending, across all trusts within the group.

The Project

Michael King, Assistant Director ICS Procurement Delivery at JUCD, asked colleagues at NOE CPC to compile purchase data from various sources into a report. This involved collating accounts payable, purchase order dates, supplier names and more, from all trusts in the group. Adam Taylor, Technical Programme Manager, worked closely with Michael over the course of two months, cleansing data from various sources so that supplier names and formatting were consistent. By doing this, Adam was able to aggregate spend by the same suppliers across multiple trusts in the group.

Outcome

Adam then worked with Michael to develop a workplan. He utilised the group’s data on supplier contracts, and any existing workplans, to build a report outlining spend on various products and services, how many of the trusts use each supplier, and when various contracts were due to expire. Michael and the team can use various filters to find contracts that expire in the next six, nine or 12 months, or which suppliers are used by two or more trusts. By doing this, they are able to find opportunities to combine contracts or aggregate spend across the organisation by utilising one supplier instead of multiple suppliers, thus generating efficiencies.

Testimonial

Michael King, Assistant Director ICS Procurement Delivery at JUCD:

"The Joined Up Care Derbyshire ICS faced challenges with its data sources, as there was a lack of consistency across the region; information was stored in disparate locations, data was often incomplete, and in some instances, entirely absent.

"NOE CPC were approached with this problem statement and committed to try and put some logic into the data and provide some key lines of opportunity to build a work plan for the forthcoming financial year.

“Adam and the team have consistently demonstrated a high level of expertise in transforming complex and fragmented procurement data into clear, robust, and actionable insights. His approach was grounded in strong analytical rigour, transparency of methodology, and – critically – a clear understanding of how data must be applied in real NHS procurement and operational contexts.

“Through his work, Adam and his team have enabled improved visibility of spend, supplier alignment, and variation across organisations, directly supporting more informed commercial discussions and decision making. The insight produced has helped identify collaborative opportunities, support prioritisation of sourcing activity, and strengthen the evidence base for system level planning.

“Adam has helped to reinforce the NOE CPC position locally as a trusted and credible source of procurement intelligence. His work demonstrated how analytical capability can directly support value, collaboration, and improved outcomes across the system."