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Selling to government: what it means for health tech start-ups
How do healthtech start-ups sell to the NHS?
Updated 6 November 2026 from public records. 11 items below.
At a glance
- 11 records from the last 120 days, 5 naming health tech directly
- No consultation on this open right now
- Latest record: 5 November 2026
Since February 2025 the Procurement Act 2023 has governed how most public bodies buy. It is meant to make bidding easier for small firms, and government has set targets for how much it spends with them. For a start-up selling to the public sector, the rules, the frameworks and the pipeline of contracts are all moving at once. The Act on legislation.gov.uk.
What it means for your start-up
NHS bodies buy products under the Procurement Act, often through national frameworks, and they expect suppliers to meet NHS standards on clinical safety, data and security. The rules are meant to help small firms in, but the evidence a buyer needs and the time a trust takes to decide remain the main hurdles.
What to do now
- Prepare the NHS assurance pack early: clinical safety, data protection and technical security.
- Find the frameworks your target trusts buy through, and get onto them.
- Use your regional Health Innovation Network, which helps match products to NHS demand.
Latest from government
- Innovative Defence Financing Taskforce – Terms of Reference
The new taskforce is charged with maximising the contribution of private and international finance to UK defence, and to further procurement reforms that support innovative financing. - SME/VCSE public procurement bid pack
Explains what to expect, how to prepare, where to find opportunities, how to decide whether to bid, and how to present your strengths. - Event Management Framework 1
Guidance for contracting authorities on how to access and use the Event Management Framework 1 (EMF1).
In Parliament
Marked: mentions health tech directly.
- Pursuant to the answer of 21 September 2026 to Question 28805, whether NHS England's Social Value Playbook will align with Procurement Policy Note 026…
Asked by Mike Wood (Con). NHS: Procurement — Yes on both counts, although – as previously explained to the Hon Member on 19 October in response to Question 34902 – the net zero requirements applied by this Government… - What discussions her Department had with (a) NHS England and (b) the Department of Health and Social Care before issuing Procurement Policy Note 026, on the…
Asked by Mike Wood (Con). Health Services: Procurement — The government has been clear that all departments should use public procurement to deliver jobs and skills opportunities.Procurement Policy Notes (PPNs) are… - Whether NHS England plans to take steps to align its approach to procurement with the Cabinet Office's Procurement Policy Note 026 published on 5 August 2026…
Asked by Alex Burghart (Con). NHS England: Procurement — This autumn, the Cabinet Office will publish technical guidance setting out how the revised Social Value Model will be implemented. This will apply to all… - With reference to the Answer of 24 June 2026 to Question HL942 on NHS: Procurement, the Cabinet Office's document entitled Procurement Policy Note 026…
Asked by Alex Burghart (Con). NHS: Procurement — This autumn, the Cabinet Office will publish technical guidance setting out how the revised Social Value Model will be implemented. This will apply to all in-scope… - Whether all (a) departments and (b) arm’s length bodies, including NHS England, are to act in line with the Government’s revised approach to prioritising…
Asked by Alex Burghart (Con). Government Departments: Procurement — The government has been clear that all departments should use public procurement to deliver jobs and skills opportunities. Procurement Policy Notes… - What discussions her Department has had with the Cabinet Office about buying British-manufactured goods in local government procurement.
Asked by Phil Brickell (Lab). Local Government: Procurement — Local authorities are responsible for their own procurement decisions, within the framework set by the Procurement Act 2023 and the National Procurement… - What estimate she has made of the cost of the A66 Northern Trans-Pennine dualling scheme; and in which financial year she expects the scheme to be completed.
Asked by Greg Smith (Con). A66: Construction — The estimated total cost of the A66 Northern Trans-Pennine project cannot be disclosed at this stage due to commercial sensitivities associated with future procurement… - What steps they are taking to increase the weighting of criteria connected with social value, local economic impact, and employment in public procurement…
Asked by Lord Weir of Ballyholme (DUP). Public Sector: Procurement — The government issued a new Procurement Policy Note (026) in August 2026 for use by central government departments, executive agencies and…
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Related guides
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- What are the data protection rules for UK healthtech?
- How can a dual-use start-up sell to the Ministry of Defence?
- How are medical devices regulated in the UK?
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0. General information, not legal advice.