How is SAP Aiding NHS Procurement with BWPC?

SAP is collaborating with the Bristol & Weston NHS Purchasing Consortium (BWPC) to update its procurement function using the SAP Ariba solution.

The implementation, managed with HCLTech, aims to standardise the consortium's supply chain spend and enhance its support for patient care delivery.

BWPC supports the Bristol NHS Group, one of the UK’s largest NHS consortiums, which represents 28,000 staff across the North Bristol NHS Trust and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust.

The consortium needed a modern, scalable platform to provide visibility and control over its procurement network, as each trust works with 4,000 suppliers and has access to 180,000 products. The objective is to manage the supply chain efficiently to improve patient care.

Phil Lewis, Director of Procurement at BWPC, says: "This isn't just a system change, it's an enabler of better care for our patients through smarter, more transparent procurement. By moving to SAP Ariba, we're unlocking significant cost savings and laying the crucial groundwork for long-term financial stability."

Phil explains that the collaboration with SAP and HCLTech has been a close-knit affair.

"SAP and HCLTech have been with us every step of the way, ensuring our data, people and processes can deliver benefits," he says.

"Working with SAP has strengthened our ability to support our 'Healthier Together' network across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, leading to greater value across all areas of spend."

A two-phase implementation strategy

The programme was managed by the North Bristol NHS Trust Digital Programmes Team and BWPC, with HCLTech providing technical and operational consultancy.

The implementation occurred in two phases to ensure a successful transition.

The first phase began in March 2024 when BWPC moved to the SAP Ariba Strategic Sourcing Suite.

The second phase involved migrating its operational procurement and procure-to-pay modules through SAP Ariba Supplier Risk and Procure-to-Pay.

This new platform consolidates five separate systems into a single end-to-end solution. This provides a standardised foundation designed to meet the requirements of both trusts.

"Healthcare organisations are under growing pressure to do more with less," says Leila Romane, Managing Director of SAP for the UK & Ireland.

"The move to the cloud modernises BWPC's procurement across its trusts, unlocking new levels of agility, insight and resilience.

"By enabling smarter, more strategic spend management, this transformation helps ensure BWPC can continue delivering high-quality patient care while navigating ever-tightening cost pressures."

Delivering cost savings and procurement control

The transition to SAP Ariba has enabled BWPC to streamline its sourcing, contractual compliance, supplier risk and procure-to-pay operations.

This addresses issues with legacy technology while providing greater visibility and control over its procurement network.

The platform offers guided buying support, which helps to create a compliant purchasing process from requisition to order and also aggregates purchasing demand to facilitate strategic engagement with suppliers.

By improving efficiencies through automation and invoice consolidation and controlling access to purchasing systems, the platform is projected to deliver £16m in cost savings over the next five years.

This could contribute to the financial stability of the consortium and allow for reinvestment in patient-facing services.

A unified procurement platform

The collaboration between the organisations has resulted in a single unified system for procurement.

Praveen Bhat, Executive Vice President, Global Head of SAP HCLTech, says: "By leading the design and implementation of a unified SAP Ariba platform, we replaced disparate legacy systems with a single, streamlined solution."

This strategic migration, delivered in two phases, has provided BWPC with enhanced visibility and control over its entire procurement network.

Our focus was on delivering a robust, scalable foundation that empowers BWPC to make smarter, data-driven decisions and continue evolving its digital procurement strategy," Bhat adds.

The new system provides a foundation for BWPC to adapt its procurement strategy as its needs evolve.