NHS Notify Printed Communications and Related Services
Framework Description
NHS Notify Printed Communications and Related Services (RM6389) is a single-lot framework, closed to new applications, from the Government Commercial Agency (GCA, formerly Crown Commercial Service), let under the Procurement Act 2023 for one buyer: NHS England. It supplies printed letters and related services for the NHS Notify programme, which sends patient communications at national scale. The framework runs until 22 January 2030.
Context & Use Case
NHS England places and manages call-off contracts for itself and specified cluster members across NHS and health authorities. Letters cover vaccinations, cancer screening, appointment booking, secondary care bookings and invitations to clinical trials. Because there is one buyer, suppliers on the framework compete for a small number of high-volume, high-profile contracts rather than many local ones.
Scope of Services
Printing and posting of standard letters Accessible formats: braille, audio CD, large print and easy read Letters in other languages Print aggregation and supply chain management
Lots
Single lot
Who Can Apply
Membership of RM6389 is fixed until re-procurement, so print and mailing providers not already appointed cannot join before it ends on 22 January 2030. It suits high-volume print and mail houses with accessible format capability and the security standards needed for patient data.
Buyer Benefits
NHS England gets one route for patient letters at national scale, with print aggregation and supply chain management handled by the supplier. Accessible formats such as braille, audio and easy read, plus letters in other languages, help it reach every patient invited to screening, vaccination or trials.
Next Steps
Appointed suppliers should prepare for NHS England's call-off process with evidence on volume capacity, accessible formats, data security and delivery times. Other print and mailing providers should follow the GCA page (https://www.gca.gov.uk/agreements/RM6389) and NHS England announcements, and look for regional NHS print opportunities while this framework runs.
How Athena Can Help
With a single buyer and large contracts, every RM6389 call-off counts. Athena's high-value bid management plans each response, builds win themes on patient data security and accessible formats, and stress-tests your pricing.
For print and mailing firms outside the framework, our help finding NHS print frameworks identifies other routes that are open or due, and our NHS tender support prepares bids for trust and regional print contracts. Each draft gets a compliance check against NHS England's evaluation criteria.
