Original Tender Description
NHS England intends to procure a delivery partner to support the provision of outsourced professional services for the Centre for Advancing Practice (CfAP) ePortfolio (Supported) Route. This route is a critical mechanism for recognising advanced clinical practice equivalence across the NHS workforce. The ePortfolio (Supported) Route relies on specialist outsourced academic, clinical, technical, and operational expertise to support end to end delivery. These services include, but are not limited to: • Processing and reviewing practitioner portfolios • Convening and administering quality assurance panels • Maintaining and developing the digital ePortfolio platform • Developing and supporting digital credentialing functionality These components are essential to sustaining the existing route and enabling future developments, including area specific capabilities and consultant level pathways. Market Engagement Event NHS England is hosting a Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) event for prospective providers interested in delivering process outsourcing services for the Centre for Advancing Practice ePortfolio (Supported) Route. The event will provide: • An overview of the proposed service model • NHS England’s requirements and desired outcomes • An outline of the anticipated procurement approach and timescales • An opportunity for participants to provide feedback on NHS England’s assumptions and intended outcomes. Event Details • Date: Thursday 23 April 2026 • Time: 10:00am – 11:00am • Format: Virtual (Microsoft Teams) Registration and Participation This is a free and open event available to all prospective service providers. Organisations wishing to attend must register via the following https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/52720a23-d190-4d2a-8125-6e83dd69c23f@37c354b2-85b0-47f5-b222-07b48d774ee3 . Full joining details will be issued to registered attendees only. • Registration deadline: Wednesday 22 April 2026 Each organisation may nominate up to two attendees. When registering, please include: • Names and job titles of attendees • A brief summary of your organisation’s technical capability • Relevant experience in delivering analogous outsourced services (e.g. professional education services, portfolio assessment, digital platforms, quality assurance, or credentialing services) Request for Information (RFI) As part of this market engagement, interested suppliers are also required to complete the attached Request for Information (RFI) and submit it via the portal by: • Friday 24 April 2026 The proposed contract duration is three years (an initial two‑year term with the option to extend for one year). The contract value is up to £900,000 (exclusive of VAT) over the full term. Anticipated service commencement: July 2026. This market engagement is conducted solely to inform NHS England’s decision making process and does not commit NHS England to proceeding with a procurement. Should NHS England decide to proceed, a separate Contract Notice will be published. Participation in this PME is not mandatory to participate in any future procurement, and organisations that do not engage at this stage will not be disadvantaged.