The Department published the Commercial Operating Model “Necessity—not nicety” on 7 May 2009, which will meet future challenges by building procurement skills, organised through a clear and coherent system. The key elements of the commercial operating model include promoting the uptake of collaborative procurement strategies within the national health service and the Department. These include:
creating regional support units, which will bring together existing organisations and offer services to and be owned by the NHS locally;
seize savings benefits from pooling the NHS’s purchasing power through the NHS Supply Chain contract by making it work harder and smarter; and
creating a new departmental commercial centre to strengthen commercial and procurement support for the Department and to ensure alignment of the wider commercial landscape, including support for cross-government collaborative procurement strategies.
Copies of the Commercial Operating Model have already been placed in the Library.