Tech firms asked to shoulder more risk in NHS contracts

The Department of Health and Social Care wants tech suppliers to take on more financial risk by agreeing to new contract models aimed at improving value, HSJ understands.

Tech industry figures have told HSJ that government officials have started asking suppliers on NHS contracts to take part of their payment once productivity gains have materialised.

This would see a company paid some or all of its fee once the trust had realised some of the efficiency savings that were promised in the business case. Some consultancies are paid in this way, but it is not common with tech procurements.

One senior industry figure said: “I understand the logic, if technology is being funded on the basis of productivity, suppliers are asked to share some of the delivery risk.”

However, they added this would be “difficult” for suppliers, as “technology is only one part of whether benefits are realised”.

They told HSJ: “The bigger issue is usually transformation: workflow redesign, adoption, training, leadership, benefits tracking, and whether the organisation actually changes how it works. Those factors largely sit with the customer, not the supplier.

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Source: HSJ, 16 June 2026