A Practical Guide to Outcome-Led Procurement in Line With the UK Procurement Act
Public sector procurement is evolving. With the UK Procurement Act now in effect, buyers have the opportunity to move beyond process-driven tendering toward a far more effective approach: outcome-led procurement.
Instead of focusing on tasks and inputs, outcome-led procurement defines success in terms of measurable results. Whether that means improved patient wellbeing, reduced reoffending, or faster digital service delivery, outcomes provide the benchmark for value.
But how can public bodies embed this approach in practice? How does it fit within the new Act? And what role do Bloom and tools like our NEPRO³ framework play in enabling faster, more innovative, and compliant delivery? This guide answers these questions, and more, by exploring how outcome-based commissioning is transforming procurement.
How Bloom Supports The 2023 Procurement Act
The challenge presented by the new procuring regime is a transition to greater efficiency, proportionality and risk awareness. We have summarised five key ways Bloom is aligned with the Procurement Act below.
- Simplifies public procurements into a single, efficient framework directly aligned with the National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) strategic priorities.
- Provides transparency, powered by our unique technology-driven real-time project tracking.
- Introduces competitive, flexible procedures that allow buyers to ask pre-approved suppliers to swiftly respond to opportunities.
- Reinforces a procurement strategy that reflects the importance of social value, local economic growth, sustainability, and community benefits.
- Tracks supplier performance and aids contract management post-award to hold suppliers accountable.
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Outcome-Based Commissioning in the NHS
Within the NHS, outcome-based commissioning has been a growing focus for several years, but the new Procurement Act provides renewed structure and flexibility to make it more mainstream.
Traditional NHS procurement often prioritises volume, with suppliers typically tasked with delivering prescribed products, services, hours, appointments, or transactions. Outcome-led models, in contrast, reward impact. Instead of contracting for 52 weekly physiotherapy sessions, for example, a commissioner may procure to achieve improved patient mobility scores within 12 months. Regular smoking cessation services, as another example, may be procured through a reference to cutting the prevalence of smokers in the targeted population.
Outcome-led commissioning means NHS bodies translate their outcome goals into compliant, practical tenders. As buyers define what success looks like, the result is increased agility, reduced administration, and improved patient-centred outcomes.
Outcome-Based Commissioning in Social Care
In adult social care, outcome-based commissioning offers a welcome way forward amid chronic, ongoing, and difficult-to-predict service user needs. For example, a local council might commission a supplier to deliver services that reduce isolation among elderly residents as measured by social indicators. The key to success is the fact that, under the UK Procurement Act, local authorities now enjoy greater flexibility to define contracts less prescriptively. Excitingly, this enables more room for innovation and collaboration, particularly with SMEs and voluntary sector organisations.
Bloom supports councils through this shift. Our marketplace gives access to thousands of pre-accredited, smaller, specialist professional service suppliers with proven experience. Using Bloom’s NEPRO³ Framework, buyers can move quickly and compliantly, with the reassurance that every supplier is vetted for quality, capability, and financial stability. This approach not only drives better results for citizens; it also makes funding go further by paying for success, rather than just activity.
Innovative Procurement Strategies for the UK Public Sector
Outcome-led procurement sits at the heart of a broader drive for innovation in public sector procurement. Alongside health and social care, central government, education, policing, and housing buyers are rethinking how they define and demand value from procurement exercises. Today, this transformation is supported by new thinking that simplifies procedures and reduces unnecessary bureaucracy, promotes flexible frameworks that reward innovation, and enables transparency and accountability. It is in this context that Innovative procurement strategies thrive, particularly those evolving alongside digitisation and AI.
Bloom helps turn these strategies into a practical reality. Our fully managed procurement service supports every stage of the process from needs analysis to supplier performance tracking. By embedding innovation into procurement workflows, we help public bodies make confident, outcome-driven decisions. The outcome is more than process reform. It’s a cultural change towards agility and creativity. Procuring with the mindset of a start-up is proven to achieve measurable public benefits.
Benefits of Outcome-Led Procurement
Public sector buyers are evidently being encouraged to focus on measurable outcomes rather than rigid processes. The goal is to deliver faster, more transparent, and results-driven procurement across the public sector. Outcome-led procurement delivers measurable impact, efficiency, and innovation across public sector projects.
Key benefits of outcome-led procurement include:
By combining outcome-led procurement principles with the flexibility and assurance of technology-led frameworks such as NEPRO³, public sector teams can accelerate transformation, strengthen accountability, and deliver the measurable results that the Procurement Act was designed to achieve.
Bloom’s NEPRO³ Framework
At the centre of Bloom’s offering is the NEPRO³ Framework, a procurement framework designed specifically for today’s public sector.
It allows buyers to:
Impact in The Real World
What makes NEPRO³ particularly powerful in the context of outcome-led procurement is its end-to-end contract management capability that focuses on deliverables.
To illustrate our impact, we have shared examples of where we have helped buyers find the professional services they need below. You can read more Bloom & Nepro3 case studies here.
In all our activities, Bloom acts as a skilled intermediary. We ensure that specifications, evaluation, and delivery remain aligned with outcomes, so buyers can focus on defining what success looks like.
Next Steps for Public Sector Buyers
Outcome-led procurement represents both a mindset shift and an operational opportunity. Embedding it successfully starts with clarity. Buyers should begin by defining clear, measurable outcomes. What does success truly look like for service users? When outcomes are specific and evidence-based, they create a shared sense of purpose between buyer and supplier; a win-win scenario all round.
Early engagement with suppliers is equally important. Inviting collaboration and co-design from the outset helps shape solutions that are both achievable and measurable. By working together, buyers can leverage supplier insight and innovation, improving both quality and efficiency throughout procurement and commissioning.
The right procurement framework can help deliver more effectively. Platforms such as Bloom’s NEPRO³ framework combine speed, compliance, and flexibility, removing unnecessary complexity. Once projects are live, continuous monitoring and evaluation ensure delivery stays aligned with intended outcomes and allows rapid adjustments if needs evolve.
Finally, sharing learning across departments and regions accelerates progress. When data and outcomes are openly exchanged, innovation scales faster and success is replicated.
There has never been a better time for buyers to embrace outcome-led commissioning — a practical, measurable way to deliver public value that turns ambition into tangible results.
Are You Ready to Deliver Better Outcomes?
Whether you’re commissioning social care, transforming NHS delivery, or leading digital reform, Bloom can help you move from old-school procurement to outcome-led commissioning and procurement.
Our managed service gives you access to pre-accredited suppliers through the NEPRO³ framework, enabling faster, compliant delivery of measurable results. From defining your outcomes to managing supplier performance, we handle the process end-to-end, so your team can focus on improving lives, not managing paperwork.
If you’re ready to explore how outcome-led procurement and the latest in Innovative procurement practices can support your organisation’s goals, you can read more Insights from Bloom on our website, and our team is always here to help.