---
title: "BHRUT/Contact Patient As a Service/DrDoctor"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06c9bc"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06c9bc"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06c9bc.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06c9bc.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "BARKING, HAVERING AND REDBRIDGE UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS TRUST"
published: "2026-07-13"
---

# BHRUT/Contact Patient As a Service/DrDoctor

Buyer: BARKING, HAVERING AND REDBRIDGE UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS TRUST  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06c9bc

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## Summary

The procurement process involving Barking, Havering, and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust as the buying organisation has been recently completed for the "BHRUT/Contact Patient As a Service/DrDoctor" project. This process falls under the services category within the healthcare communication industry and is located in Romford, United Kingdom. The procurement, executed through a direct award, emphasised the need for SMS messaging services as part of a patient engagement portal. The Trust awarded the contract to ICNH Ltd, trading as DrDoctor, on 13th July 2026, with a contract period extending from 1st August 2026 to 31st July 2027. The procurement decision was driven by the necessity to enhance patient care outcomes and experiences while reducing missed appointments, aligning with existing contractual obligations under the legal basis of UK Procurement Act, Schedule 5.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses focused on digital healthcare solutions, particularly those specialising in patient communication and engagement technologies. Companies that can offer interoperable and innovative digital communication services could find promising prospects in similar future tenders. Although the contract has been directly awarded to DrDoctor due to interoperability restrictions and intellectual property rights, it underscores the potential market for solutions that enhance patient interactions and streamline hospital operations. Enterprises looking to compete should possess capabilities in communication technology and integration with healthcare systems, as well as an understanding of intellectual property considerations and the regulatory framework underpinning NHS contracts. The outcome of this procurement also suggests a future re-procurement phase that might explore broader supplier options, offering further business growth avenues.

## Notice

Contact Patient As a Service Licence - SMS messaging for the DrDoctor Contract

### Procurement Information

The Contracting Authority justifies this direct award pursuant to Schedule 5, Paragraph 5(a) and 5(b) of the Procurement Act 2023 (PA23). The supplier was awarded a contract for the provision of a Patient Engagement Portal by the North East London Integrated Care Board (NEL ICB) following an open tender process in October 2023 and the contracting authority was a named party to this contract. The contract is due to expire in July 2027 with no provisions to extend. The Contracting Authority have been working with the Supplier and are now in a position to go-live with the Patient Engagement Portal that was originally procured by NEL ICB. To support patient care outcomes and patient experience, as well as to prevent cost incurrence from missed appointments, a requirement has been identified to purchase SMS messaging as a bolt on to the Patient Engagement Portal which will allow text message reminders to be sent to patients. To this end the Supplier has provided a proposal for a Contact a Patient As a Service (CPAS) which will co-term with the ICB's overarching contract for the portal. Due to interoperability restrictions applied by the incumbent supplier DrDoctor, this results in the requirement being restricted to the incumbent in line with PA23 and the grounds for intellectual property or exclusive rights apply, as all of the messaging passes through the incumbent supplier's portal and they do not allow the use of other service providers in order to protect their intellectual property. The CPAS also allows the Contracting Authority to access additional functionality which is not part of the NEL ICB contract but is required to increase digital communications with patients which will boost patient engagement, reduce DNAs (Did Not Attend) rates and give patients more control of their care. Due to the co-terminus nature of the proposed award to align with the wider NEL ICB contract expiry in July 2027, the Trust will be seeking either directly or in collaboration with NEL ICB partners, to reprocure a solution. During this reprocurement phase, the Trust will explore procurement options from the wider supplier market in line with its obligations aligned to PA 23. Accordingly, this direct award is lawful under Schedule 5, Paragraph 5 of the Procurement Act 2023. Cost = PS291,433 for 16 month term 1st August 2026 to 31st July 2027.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/065776-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 13 Jul 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 22 Jun 2026 |
| Contract period | 31 Jul 2026 - 31 Jul 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £291,433 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Pending |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | BARKING, HAVERING AND REDBRIDGE UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS TRUST |
| Locality | ROMFORD |
| Post town | Romford |
| Postcode | RM7 0AG |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLI London |
| ITL 2 | TLI5 Outer London - East and North East |
| ITL 3 | TLI52 Barking & Dagenham and Havering |
| Local authority | Havering |
| Electoral ward | Rush Green & Crowlands |
| Westminster constituency | Romford |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | ICNH LTD T/A DRDOCTOR |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 64 - Postal and telecommunications services

### Codes

- 64212100 - Short Message Service (SMS) services

## Release History

- 13 Jul 2026 at 15:24 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/065776-2026
- 13 Jul 2026 at 14:38 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/065719-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/065776-2026
  13th July 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/065719-2026
  13th July 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.drdoctor.co.uk
- https://www.bhrhospitals.nhs.uk
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06c9bc. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06c9bc.json.