NHS England sets November tender for three-lot GP IT framework open to new suppliers

NHS England has given formal notice that it plans to set up a new open framework for buying general practice IT, the Digital Primary Care Open Framework, with the tender due to be issued in November 2026 ¹. The planned procurement notice was published on 6 October 2026 under the Procurement Act 2023 and sets out the structure suppliers will compete for ¹.

What the notice sets out

The framework will be split into three indicative lots ¹:

• Lot 1, foundation electronic patient record solutions: appointments, consultation management, patient information, prescribing, referrals and resource management in GP practices ¹.

• Lot 2, clinical and operational support solutions, a long list of capabilities including clinical decision support, digital diagnostics, population health management, risk stratification, remote patient monitoring, video consultation and digital dictation ¹.

• Lot 3, research and development: a route for suppliers already on Lots 1 or 2 to help NHS England test new capabilities and standards, from discovery work through to public beta ¹.

Suppliers appointed to Lot 1 or Lot 2 will be enrolled on Lot 3 automatically unless they opt out ¹. Several suppliers can be appointed to each lot, the same supplier can win places on more than one, and the framework is expected to reopen at set points during its life rather than closing to newcomers once awarded ¹.

Integrated care boards and GP practices will place most of the call-off contracts, through direct award or competitive flexible procedures permitted by the 2023 Act ¹. NHS England ties the framework to its Digital Services for Integrated Care programme, the 10 Year Health Plan, the national digital strategy and the digital requirements in the GP contract ¹.

What it means for the market

General practice software in England is about to be re-tendered on new terms, and the notice shows where the buying power will sit. Because ICBs and practices will run most of the call-offs, suppliers will be selling to local commissioners once they are on the framework, not to a single national buyer ¹.

The split between lots matters for vendors. Lot 1 covers the core clinical record that every practice needs. Lot 2 is where most AI and data tools would compete: decision support, risk stratification, population health management and digital diagnostics are all named capabilities ¹. An open framework that reopens at intervals gives newer entrants more than one chance to qualify, and NHS England says it expects small and medium-sized enterprises to be able to take part, with consortia and subcontracting permitted subject to conditions ¹. Suppliers need to be registered on the government's Central Digital Platform to be ready to bid ¹.

The notice gives no contract value, and the detailed service models, delivery requirements and performance expectations will only appear in the tender documents ¹. Until then, vendors cannot judge pricing, assurance standards or how hard it will be to move practices between record systems.

Caveats

The notice is advance information only: it is not an invitation to tender, and NHS England says the dates are indicative and could change ¹. Issuing the tender in November also depends on final governance approvals that were still in progress when the notice was published ¹. Formal market engagement ran from May to June 2025, and NHS England says the material from that exercise will be released with the tender documents ¹. The framework is expected to go live in the third quarter of 2027 ¹.