PSR Framework Call-Offs: My top tips for navigating the Provider Selection Regime
In our latest update, Kimberley Kay MCIPS, Category Manager for Healthcare and Pharmacy Services at NOE CPC, shares some of her practical top tips for navigating the Provider Selection Regime (PSR) when calling off from framework agreements.
Having recently achieved MCIPS status, Kimberley reflects on how continued professional development goes hand-in-hand with applying procurement knowledge in practice. With the PSR bringing greater flexibility, she shares some simple considerations to help NHS organisations and Local Authorities approach PSR framework call-offs with greater clarity and confidence.
From choosing the right call-off route and aligning evaluation criteria with the PSR key criteria, to keeping a robust audit trail and remembering those all-important notices, Kimberley’s message is simple: keep it proportionate, document your thinking and don’t be afraid to ask for support.
PSR Framework Call-Offs – My Top Tips
The Provider Selection Regime (PSR) has undoubtedly brought greater flexibility to the way we arrange relevant healthcare services. But, if we’re being honest, it has also brought a few “which route do I use here?” moments for procurement professionals as we’ve all got to grips with a different way of working.
Frameworks can help make that journey a little easier, providing an established route to market while still giving contracting authorities flexibility around how they select a provider.
Having developed and worked through a number of PSR procurements and framework call-offs, I’ve pulled together some of my top tips for the NHS and Local Authorities to help take some of the uncertainty out of the process and approach your next framework call-off with confidence.
My biggest piece of advice? Keep it proportionate, keep a clear record of your thinking, and always start by checking what the framework actually allows you to do.
1. Start with the basics
Before doing anything else, make sure your organisation and the service you are commissioning are within scope of the PSR. Then check that the framework and relevant Lot cover what you need.
It sounds obvious, but getting this right at the start can save a lot of head-scratching later!
2. Check your call-off options
Don’t assume every framework works in the same way. Under Regulation 18, frameworks can allow contracts to be awarded without further competition or following a competitive process, depending on how the framework has been established.
Always check the framework’s call-off guidance first and follow the route available for your specific requirement.
3. Keep the five PSR key criteria in sight
Whatever your route, don’t lose sight of the PSR key criteria:
- Quality and innovation
- Value
- Integration, collaboration and service sustainability
- Improving access, reducing health inequalities and facilitating choice
- Social value
When developing your evaluation criteria, make sure there is a clear link back to the relevant PSR key criteria.
My simple sense-check is: “can I clearly explain what we’re assessing, why we’re assessing it and how it supports our decision?”
4. Direct award doesn’t mean “no process”
If the framework permits an award without further competition, make sure you still document your rationale clearly.
Record the Framework and Lot used, the applicable call-off route, how the relevant PSR criteria have been considered, the evidence supporting your decision and the appropriate approvals.
A good rule of thumb is to imagine somebody picking up your procurement file two years from now. Could they understand what you did and why? If the answer is yes, you’re probably on the right track.
We have developed a PSR direct award template to support you with this.
5. If you’re running a competition, keep it relevant
Don’t add questions just because they’ve appeared in previous tenders. Make your evaluation proportionate to the service you’re actually commissioning and ensure the questions, criteria and weightings support the decision you need to make.
Think:
Requirement > PSR key criteria > Evaluation > Evidence > Decision
Simple, transparent and much easier to defend.
6. Don’t forget the notices!
Transparency remains an important part of the PSR, including when frameworks are used. NHS England provides specific guidance and supporting resources for publishing PSR transparency notices.
And here’s one to keep you on your toes: PSR notices continue to use the old PCR 2015 notices rather than the new Procurement Act 2023 notices. As if we weren’t already confused enough! 😄
My tip is to think about your notice requirements at the beginning, not when you’re ready to award. Check which notices are required for your chosen call-off route and build them into your procurement timetable and audit trail from day one.
And finally… ask us!
You don’t have to navigate this alone. NOE CPC frameworks provide an established route to market, supported by framework documentation and call-off guidance to help you understand the options available.
The contracting authority remains responsible for its own PSR decisions, but our team is here to provide practical support, guidance, and reassurance around using our frameworks, helping you approach your call-off with greater confidence.
My final tip? Keep it proportionate, keep it transparent, document your thinking and don’t be afraid to ask for help. PSR doesn’t have to be scary!
NOE CPC PSR-Compliant Frameworks
Advocacy Services for Health & Social Care NOE.0627
Public Health Related Services NOE.0670
NHS Workforce Alliance Insourced Services to support the Provision of Healthcare Services (RM6276)
Supplementary Clinical & Healthcare Services NOE.0678 (coming soon)
Pharmaceutical Services 2 NOE.0656 (coming soon)
This guidance provides general information and does not replace the statutory obligations set out in the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 and accompanying Statutory Guidance.
