SAP: Transforming Procurement for the Healthcare Sector

SAP will work to help Bristol & Weston NHS Purchasing Consortium (BWPC) through the implementation of SAP Ariba in close collaboration with HCLTech to modernise its procurement function, manage and standardise its supply chain spend and better support the delivery of patient care.

Transforming one of the UK's largest NHS consortiums

BWPC works in support of the Bristol NHS Group, which is one of the largest NHS consortiums in the UK. It represents 28,000 employees throughout the North Bristol NHS Trust and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust.

With each trust maintaining relationships with 4,000 suppliers and having access to 180,000 products, BWPC was in need of a modern, scalable platform which could give it visibility and control of its procurement network and support its mission to give its patients better care with efficient management of the supply chain.

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.

"SAP and HCLTech have been with us every step of the way, ensuring our data, people and processes can deliver benefits. 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 led by North Bristol NHS Trust Digital Programmes Team and BWPC, with support from implementation partner HCLTech, who provided technical and operational consultancy to ensure a successful go-live across two separate phases.

The journey began in March 2024, when BWPC transitioned to SAP Ariba Strategic Sourcing Suite. Next was when BWPC migrated its operational procurement and procure-to-pay modules via SAP Ariba Supplier Risk and Procure-to-Pay. The new platform replaces five standalone systems with one single end-to-end solution, providing a scalable, standardised foundation to meet the needs of both individual trusts.

Leila Romane, Managing Director of SAP UKI, adds: "Healthcare organisations are under growing pressure to do more with less.

"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 millions in cost savings

With this move to SAP Ariba, BWPC has streamlined sourcing, contractual compliance, supplier risk and procure-to-pay operations, addressing legacy technology deficits whilst gaining greater visibility and control over its procurement network.

The platform provides guided buying support, helping to create a user-friendly, compliant purchasing experience from requisition to order, whilst aggregating purchasing demand to support strategic engagement with suppliers.

By driving efficiencies across automation and invoice consolidation whilst strictly controlling access to purchasing systems, the platform is expected to deliver £16m (US$21.2m) in cost savings over the next five years.

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."