Donor and session programme (DASP): CRM procurement update – NHSBT x techUK event round-up

techUK hosted a focused member webinar with NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) to explore the organisation’s ambitious Donor and Session Programme (DASP) and its associated CRM procurement. The session provided valuable clarity on NHSBT’s digital transformation plans, the future donor technology landscape, and upcoming commercial opportunities for suppliers.

With over 1.5 million active blood donors and ambitions to better engage 35 million Organ Donor Register (ODR) registrants, NHSBT outlined how DASP will modernise the donor experience end to end – from booking and eligibility checks through to clinical workflows, collection, and post donation engagement. Speakers emphasised that this is not simply a technology upgrade, but a system wide transformation to create “safer, fairer, smarter donation” built on modern digital service capabilities.

Transforming donation: NHSBT’s cision for a modern, data driven donor journey

NHSBT opened the session by outlining the strategic case for change. Much of the current donor infrastructure relies on legacy systems, including Pulse, which limit interoperability, real time insight, and the level of personalisation the organisation aims to deliver.

Through DASP, NHSBT aims to deliver a fully digitised, flexible and data enabled donation pathway, including:

A modern platform for booking, managing, and tailoring donation appointments
Smarter scheduling and rostering informed by AI, simulation and real time demand
Digital clinical workflows, enabling paperless sessions and improved traceability
Better support for frontline staff and enhanced donor experience
A shift to a donor centric operating model with personalised communications, incentives, and guidance

Illustrative future-state examples included biometric or NHS login access, personalised product switching, self service check in and check out, remote clinical safety models, and digital consent.

Roadmap: from early digitisation to end to end service redesign

NHSBT shared a high-level DASP roadmap running from FY25/26 through FY29/30, showing phased delivery of digital capabilities and wider organisational change. Early waves will focus on:

Digitising donor sessions
Introducing digital health questionnaires
Delivering real-time operational insight
Establishing new business change methodologies

Subsequent phases will enable deeper transformation across planning, rostering, clinical data management, and donor engagement. Ultimately, NHSBT aims to complete a full digital and business transformation across all donor and session operations.

Digital strategy and CRM platform: building a unified donor platform

A significant portion of the session explored NHSBT’s future digital architecture and the role of a new CRM platform. Core “digital drivers” include:

Investing in modern digital service capabilities

End to end digitisation of blood collection
Personalised donor engagement and appointment journeys
Intelligent planning, scheduling and rostering
Foundations for automation and AI-driven optimisation

Re platforming donor technology for resilience and interoperability

The new Donor Platform will be fully integrated to ensure secure, traceable, end to end donation services, designed for interoperability with NHS systems, NHS Login, and national data platforms.

NHSBT also outlined key functional and non functional requirements for the CRM platform, covering donor account management, omnichannel communications, clinical interfaces, security, NHS standards compliance, scalability and accessibility.

Procurement approach: multi phase, transparent and market shaped

NHSBT provided detailed insights into the phased commercial strategy underpinning the procurement of:

A Digital Transformation Delivery Partner (DTDP)
A Technology Implementation Partner (TIP)
A Business Change Partner (BCP)
A CRM Platform, procured via a dedicated CRM Framework

CRM framework procurement

Suppliers will compete within “towers” aligned to CRM platform ecosystems. Successful suppliers meeting mandatory requirements will be ranked, with the highest ranked supplier in each tower awarded to the framework.

TIP and BCP procurements

Using a two stage Competitive Flexible Procedure, TIP bidders will propose delivery methodologies, architectures, and donor platform designs, before participating in demonstrations or negotiation rounds.

CRM call off

The CRM platform selected by the winning TIP will then be directly awarded an 8 year call off contract worth an estimated £4 million (no commitment basis). The framework will expire automatically once the call off is made.

Current timelines

Key milestones include:

Draft documentation issued: 15 April 2026
Supplier feedback deadline: 12 noon, 24 April 2026
Final broadcast session: 5 May (TBC)
ITT publication for CRM Framework: Early May
Subsequent evaluations, standstill periods and awards running through summer and autumn 2026

Suppliers were encouraged to review draft documentation carefully and to submit all feedback through Atamis (Project Reference C432298).

Industry feedback and NHSBT’s response

NHSBT summarised initial supplier feedback, noting broad support for the overall procurement structure. Respondents emphasised the need for:

Clarity on roles and responsibilities across the multi partner model
Further information on governance, risk sharing, and delivery sequencing
Additional detail on evaluation criteria, pricing mechanisms, and scenario based requirements

NHSBT confirmed that all insights will inform the next iteration of documentation, though no feedback will create commercial advantage or commitments.

What this means for suppliers

The session highlighted several key expectations for technology and delivery organisations:

Familiarity with NHS standards, SaaS requirements and interoperability expectations will be essential.
Suppliers should be prepared to demonstrate user journeys, configuration options, architecture patterns, and integration strategies in later procurement stages.
NHSBT is seeking partners capable of supporting large scale digital transformation, balancing innovation with patient safety, regulatory compliance and operational continuity.
The programme presents significant opportunities for CRM vendors, systems integrators, digital transformation partners and organisations specialising in donor engagement, clinical workflow digitisation, scheduling, AI and analytics.

Looking ahead

NHSBT’s Donor and Session Programme represents one of the most ambitious digital transformations underway within a national NHS organisation. The move to a unified Donor Platform, new CRM ecosystem, and modernised operational model promises substantial improvements for donors, clinicians, and the wider health system.

techUK will continue to support market engagement by:

Hosting further briefings and partner discussions in accordance with the timelines stated above
Providing updates as NHSBT refines its strategy

For members interested in participating in upcoming procurement phases or learning more about NHSBT’s plans, techUK will circulate future opportunities and resources as they become available. For more information please email [email protected].

Rachel Kennedy

Programme Manager Health and Social Care, techUK

Rachel joined techUK in December 2024, as a Programme Manager in the Health and Social Care team.

Prior to this, Rachel worked at a specialist health and social care public affairs agency, working with a range of organisations and trade bodies across the medical technology, pharmaceutical, digital health and social care sectors. As well as this, Rachel was part of the Secretariat for a number of health and care related All-Party Parliamentary Groups.

Rachel has a Masters in Global Governance and Diplomacy from the University of Leeds, as well as a first-class honours in Politics BA from Newcastle University.

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