--- title: "External Finance Support" ocid: "ocds-kuma6s-161454" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-kuma6s-161454" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-kuma6s-161454.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-kuma6s-161454.json" source: "Sell2Wales" current_stage: "Award" buyer: "NHS WALES SHARED SERVICES PARTNERSHIP-PROCUREMENT SERVICES (HOSTED BY VELINDRE UNIVERSITY NHS TRUST)" published: "2026-02-11" --- # External Finance Support Buyer: NHS WALES SHARED SERVICES PARTNERSHIP-PROCUREMENT SERVICES (HOSTED BY VELINDRE UNIVERSITY NHS TRUST) Current stage: Award OCID: ocds-kuma6s-161454 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-kuma6s-161454) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-kuma6s-161454.json) ## Summary The NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership-Procurement Services, hosted by Velindre University NHS Trust, has awarded a contract titled "External Finance Support" under the health industry category. This initiative seeks external support for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board to address a significant financial deficit projected for the years 2025/26 and 2026/27. Located in Cardiff, this procurement process employs a selective, restricted procedure and has concluded with the awarding stage. The contract was signed with MCKINSEY & COMPANY INC UNITED KINGDOM on 10th February 2026, with substantive outputs expected by 31st March 2026. The tender aims to identify high-impact changes needed to improve the financial trajectory of the Health Board, thus presenting business growth opportunities, particularly for entities skilled in financial consulting and strategic change management within health services. Businesses specialising in providing comprehensive financial analysis and solution development, especially those familiar with health sector financial challenges, would be well-suited to compete in such procurement processes, providing independent assessments without unproven assumptions. This contract involves delivering granular operational terms and articulating financial impacts, making it an attractive opportunity for firms with expertise in detailed financial diagnostics and improvement strategies. ## Notice This contract commissions time-limited external support to assist Cardiff and Vale University Health Board in responding to a significant and worsening financial position while operating under Welsh Government oversight and escalation arrangements. The Health Board is forecasting a 56.2m GBP deficit in 2025/26, compared to a 27.7m GBP deficit outturn in 2024/25, and faces a material underlying financial gap in 2026/27 that cannot be addressed through business-as-usual savings alone. In the context of the 2026/27 planning round and the requirement to demonstrate a credible medium-term route to financial sustainability, the Board has agreed to commission independent support to identify the scale and nature of change required to alter the current financial trajectory. The purpose of the assignment is to develop a finite, decision-grade set of approximately five to seven high-impact options that explicitly set out what activity, services or sites would need to slow, stop, be consolidated, decommissioned or traded off in order to materially improve the financial position in 2026/27 and demonstrate a credible path to medium-term financial balance. The focus is on making the consequences of affordability explicit rather than developing narrative strategies, consensus or recommendations on preferred options. Each option must be articulated in granular operational terms, including affected services or sites, the nature of the change, workforce implications linked directly to service and activity change (including WTE impact), financial impact and phasing, delivery dependencies and constraints, and key risks and trade-offs including impacts on access, quality, safety and workforce. Options must clearly distinguish between what could realistically contribute in 2026/27 and what would deliver benefit in later years. The work will complement existing internal savings programmes, bring independent challenge and judgement, avoid optimism bias and untested productivity assumptions, and be delivered at pace within a tight timeframe. Outputs must be suitable for Board consideration and engagement with Welsh Government. The external support will provide analysis and option appraisal only, with all substantive outputs completed by no later than 31 March 2026. ### Lot Information Lot 1 This contract commissions time-limited external support to assist Cardiff and Vale University Health Board in responding to a significant and worsening financial position while operating under Welsh Government oversight and escalation arrangements. The Health Board is forecasting a 56.2m GBP deficit in 2025/26, compared to a 27.7m GBP deficit outturn in 2024/25, and faces a material underlying financial gap in 2026/27 that cannot be addressed through business-as-usual savings alone. In the context of the 2026/27 planning round and the requirement to demonstrate a credible medium-term route to financial sustainability, the Board has agreed to commission independent support to identify the scale and nature of change required to alter the current financial trajectory. The purpose of the assignment is to develop a finite, decision-grade set of approximately five to seven high-impact options that explicitly set out what activity, services or sites would need to slow, stop, be consolidated, decommissioned or traded off in order to materially improve the financial position in 2026/27 and demonstrate a credible path to medium-term financial balance. The focus is on making the consequences of affordability explicit rather than developing narrative strategies, consensus or recommendations on preferred options. Each option must be articulated in granular operational terms, including affected services or sites, the nature of the change, workforce implications linked directly to service and activity change (including WTE impact), financial impact and phasing, delivery dependencies and constraints, and key risks and trade-offs including impacts on access, quality, safety and workforce. Options must clearly distinguish between what could realistically contribute in 2026/27 and what would deliver benefit in later years. The work will complement existing internal savings programmes, bring independent challenge and judgement, avoid optimism bias and untested productivity assumptions, and be delivered at pace within a tight timeframe. Outputs must be suitable for Board consideration and engagement with Welsh Government. The external support will provide analysis and option appraisal only, with all substantive outputs completed by no later than 31 March 2026 ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Sell2Wales | | Latest notice | https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/search_switch.aspx?ID=161454 | | Notice type | OJEU - F3 - Contract Award Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Selective | | Procurement method details | Restricted procedure | | Tender suitability | Not specified | | Awardee scale | Large | | All stages | Award | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 11 Feb 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | 10 Feb 2026 | | Contract period | Not specified | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | Not specified | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | £600,000 | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Complete | | Lots status | Complete | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Active | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | NHS WALES SHARED SERVICES PARTNERSHIP-PROCUREMENT SERVICES (HOSTED BY VELINDRE UNIVERSITY NHS TRUST) | | Locality | CARDIFF | | Post town | Cardiff | | Postcode | CF14 3UB | | Country | Wales | | ITL 1 | TLL Wales | | ITL 2 | TLL5 South East Wales | | ITL 3 | TLL52 Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan | | Local authority | Cardiff | | Electoral ward | Gabalfa | | Westminster constituency | Cardiff North | | Delivery location | TLL22 Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan | ## Supplier | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Number of suppliers | 1 | | Supplier names | MCKINSEY & COMPANY INC UNITED KINGDOM | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security ### Codes - 79412000 - Financial management consultancy services ## Release History - 11 Feb 2026 at 00:00 - Award - OJEU - F3 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/search_switch.aspx?ID=161454 ## Documents - https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=FEB587050 External Finance Support - This contract commissions time-limited external support to assist Cardiff and Vale University Health Board in responding to a significant and worsening financial position while operating under Welsh Government oversight and escalation arrangements. The Health Board is forecasting a 56.2m GBP deficit in 2025/26, compared to a 27.7m GBP deficit outturn in 2024/25, and faces a material underlying financial gap in 2026/27 that cannot be addressed through business-as-usual savings alone. In the context of the 2026/27 planning round and the requirement to demonstrate a credible medium-term route to financial sustainability, the Board has agreed to commission independent support to identify the scale and nature of change required to alter the current financial trajectory. The purpose of the assignment is to develop a finite, decision-grade set of approximately five to seven high-impact options that explicitly set out what activity, services or sites would need to slow, stop, be consolidated, decommissioned or traded off in order to materially improve the financial position in 2026/27 and demonstrate a credible path to medium-term financial balance. The focus is on making the consequences of affordability explicit rather than developing narrative strategies, consensus or recommendations on preferred options. Each option must be articulated in granular operational terms, including affected services or sites, the nature of the change, workforce implications linked directly to service and activity change (including WTE impact), financial impact and phasing, delivery dependencies and constraints, and key risks and trade-offs including impacts on access, quality, safety and workforce. Options must clearly distinguish between what could realistically contribute in 2026/27 and what would deliver benefit in later years. The work will complement existing internal savings programmes, bring independent challenge and judgement, avoid optimism bias and untested productivity assumptions, and be delivered at pace within a tight timeframe. Outputs must be suitable for Board consideration and engagement with Welsh Government. The external support will provide analysis and option appraisal only, with all substantive outputs completed by no later than 31 March 2026. ## Notice URLs - http://nwssp.nhs.wales/ourservices/procurement-services/ - https://api.sell2wales.gov.wales/v1?lang=cy/Notice?id=ocds-kuma6s-161454 ## 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-kuma6s-161454. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-kuma6s-161454.json.