The approval for Consultancy and Advisory Services for Health and Legal Services for Health was granted under NHS England's (NHSE) Framework Accreditation Scheme.

NHS SBS is one of just three accredited national routes to market within Management Consultancy and Legal Services.

Launched in 2024, the Framework Accreditation Scheme is a central part of NHSE's drive to improve quality, consistency and transparency across NHS procurement.

Prior to this endorsement, NHS SBS was one of just 18 Accredited Framework Hosts, responsible for ensuring frameworks agreements meet rigorous national standards for governance, management and delivery.

The NHS spends an estimated £30bn on third party goods and services each year, with over 80,000 suppliers. Of that, the value spent through framework agreements amounts to around £17bn.

Under the NHS Standard Contract, NHS organisations must now use framework agreements that are either fully endorsed or delivered by an Accredited Framework Host to buy goods or services, a shift designed to strengthen assurance and reduce procurement variation across the system.

Helen Spink, head of policy, Capability, Framework Accreditation and Programme Management at NHS SBS, said: ‘This accomplishment is a strong recognition of the quality, compliance and value our teams deliver every day for our NHS customers.'