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Procurement

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Procurement publications from NHS Highland.

Our terms of business and policies for suppliers

All NHS Highland Purchase Orders (POs) are subject to our standard terms of business unless otherwise agreed in writing.

NHS Highland operates a No PO No Pay policy:

  • Goods and services must only be provided upon receipt of a valid NHSH purchase order.
  • All supplier invoices must be emailed to nss.pdfinvoicehighland@nhs.scot
  • All supplier invoices must quote a valid NHSH purchase order number.
  • Invoices without a valid NHSH purchase order number will be returned as invalid and payment may be delayed.
  • The period for payment shall only begin upon receipt of a correct and valid invoice.

IR35 off-payroll working rules

If you are not providing goods but your own time and labour (self-employed, personal company or limited company) then your HMRC employment status must be determined before any work commences.

NHS Highland supplier data is managed in accordance with our published privacy notice.

Conditions of contract

All NHS Highland Purchase Orders are subject to our Conditions of Contract for the purchase of goods and/or services unless otherwise agreed in writing.  

All NHS Highland suppliers must commit to compliance with the Sustain Supply Chain Code of Conduct.

Procurement Strategy

This strategy aims to put in place a comprehensive framework for dealing with NHS Highland’s Core Trade Spend of approximately £120,000,000 per annum and ensuring the obligations of the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 are adhered to by the Board in all of its procurement activity.

View the NHS Highland Procurement Strategy 2022-23 (pdf).

Annual Procurement reports

As part of the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014, NHS Highland is obliged to publish an annual Procurement Report of its regulated procurement activities from the previous financial year.

The report will also provide details of Community Benefits delivered, steps taken to facilitate the involvement of Supported Businesses in our business activity and a summary of regulated procurements NHS Highland expects to undertake in the next two financial years.

Trade Spend reports

NHS Highland is committed to transparency in terms of its external trade spend, therefore below are details of our spend above £1,000 with all suppliers for previous financial years.

Contract Register

A further requirement of the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 is that NHS Highland is required to make publicly available, a contracts register containing details of all contracts entered into as a result of regulated procurement exercises.

The register must contain details of the date of contract award, the winning contractor’s details, the subject matter of the contract, the expected contract value, the start and end dates of the contract and any time extensions permissible under the contract.

View the NHS Highland Contract Register at Public Contracts Scotland.

Procurement Commercial Improvement Programme (PCIP)

From 2009-14, all Scottish public sector organisations were subject to the Procurement Capability Assessment (PCA) programme. This was an annual assessment of the procurement competence and capability of the organisation. In its final PCA assessment in 2014, NHS Highland achieved a ‘Superior’ performance rating, the highest rating possible.

In 2015, the PCA was replaced by the Procurement and Commercial Improvement Programme (PCIP) assessment. The new assessment reflects changes taking place in procurement in Scotland and aims to drive up procurement performance and to help organisations meet the requirements of the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 and changes to EU legislation. In its first PCIP assessment in November 2015, NHS Highland was awarded an A+ rating, the top level of attainment possible under the regime.

About NHS Highland

Last updated: 14 January 2025

Next review date: 10 November 2025

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