NHS print tenders criticised as being 'poorly administered'

NHS print tenders have come under fire being labelled both "poorly administered" and "time wasting" by some in the print industry.

The process that has come in for most criticism is the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire, which poses questions concerning a company's turnover and previous contract details.

The sore point for printers has been the lack of questions concerning technical ability, kit and its social and environmental commitments.

There were also concerns that companies were being excluded as their turnover was too small, without any indication in the early stages that was a criteria for selection.

An employee for a London-based printer said: "We've spent the last few years putting in accreditations to make us more competitive for tenders so it's very frustrating when you come across these poorly run ones."

He added: "It's a shame that these are based on turnover figures and not the ability to complete the work."

Andrew Brown, director of corporate affairs at BPIF, said: "This isn't a new problem in print procurement by any means.

"Print these days is often bought by people that may have additional responsibilities to their print buying roles."

Brown added: "Put simply, if you are in the public sector and are paying taxpayers' money, there is likely to be an expectance that the price of print is looked at. This, in turn, can influence the public sector's choice in which companies win such tenders."

Tim Smith, contracts officer at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, refuted the concerns though, claiming preliminary questions such as annual turnover were necessary.

"With contracts such as this that are worth potentially £1m a year, we don't want to be such a significant part of a company's turnover."

He went on to say that if such a company were to run into difficulty, it would put the NHS in a "very tricky situation".

Smith said: "It may come across as a bit harsh if a printer was competing for a tender and felt it was fully-equipped to carry out the work, but we often receive so many applicants and have to choose correctly."

The BPIF's Brown added: "We're prepared to work with any organisation to give them a better understanding of print procurement."

This latest criticism comes in the wake of a backlash against the tendering process for postal votes during this year's local elections.

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