National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR): Research Commissioning and Management Services (2027-2032)

Descriptions

NIHR’s mission is to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. Today, NIHR is the nation’s largest funder of health and care research and it invests over £1.5bn annually in domestic and international research. NIHR’s core workstreams, operating principles and areas of strategic focus are set out in the document Best Research for Best Health: The Next Chapter (2021).The day-to-day operations of the NIHR are carried out by coordinating centres - the NIHR Coordinating Centre (NIHRCC) and the NIHR Research Delivery Network Coordinating Centre (RDNCC). The NIHRCC is currently made up of the following five DHSC contracts, which went live on 1st April 2018:• NIHR Evaluations, Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre (NETSCC)• Central Commissioning Facility (CCF)• NIHR Office for Clinical Research Infrastructure (NOCRI)• NIHR Academy• NIHR Centre for Engagement and Dissemination (CED)These contracts will end on 31st March 2027 and through this procurement, the Authority will put in place contracts in May 2026, with Operational Services under those contracts due to commence on 1st April 2027, in order to ensure continuity of operational services for the NIHRCC.This procurement will however seek to reconfigure the services provided by the NETSCC, CCF, NOCRI and NIHR Academy contracts when they come to an end on 31st March 2027 into a new NIHRCC structure comprised of contracts procured across six Lots.The Services going forward are divided into the following lots:Lot 1 – Strategic Business Services and One NIHR hubLot 2 – Research Commissioning: Individual Level and Global Health ProgrammesLot 3 – Research Commissioning: Population and Policy Level ProgrammesLot 4 – Research Infrastructure Commissioning: Translational and DeliveryLot 5 – Research Infrastructure Commissioning: Applied, Public Health and Social CareLot 6 – Research Commissioning: Career Development and Capacity BuildingThe Authority is seeking to appoint a range of suppliers to ensure that it maximises resilience across NIHR and brings to NIHR the benefits of implementing ways of working and best practice from multiple organisations. Therefore, whilst there is no limitation on a single Tenderer submitting a bid for multiple Lots, the Authority is placing restrictions on the number of Lots any single Tenderer can win, and the Authority will only allow an entity to be involved in one bid submission per Lot. More information on this is set out in the procurement documents.