Establishing an infant warming and phototherapy procurement framework

On 1st March 2005 the IWF was launched and the NHS PASA website now lists all current UK suppliers, details of their contracted products and the agreed prices for purchases by NHS organisations. The framework agreement speeds up the procurement process as NHS trusts do not need to conduct their own competitive tender exercise. The single source of information on companies supplying warming and phototherapy devices helps NHS staff easily locate new and smaller companies marketing these products. Two new manufacturers are now selling incubators in the UK. Extensive use of the comparative pricing information will enable market forces to stabilise prices.