RM6397 Explained: Preparing for the New CCS Clinical and Non-Clinical Staffing Framework

CCS has published early detail on RM6397 Clinical and Non Clinical Temporary and Permanent Staff, a new NHS Workforce Alliance framework that will enable public and third sector organisations to hire clinical and non-clinical workers through multiple engagement types, including permanent and fixed-term recruitment, temporary positions and contractors.

For staffing suppliers, RM6397 matters because it is intended to become a key route to market for NHS workforce resourcing. It will also be available to wider eligible public sector bodies, including central and local government, universities, charities and blue light services.

This update covers what we know so far about RM6397, with practical bid preparation steps you can start taking now.

RM6397: Key Facts

RM6397 is an upcoming closed framework under the Procurement Act 2023. It is expected to be awarded in early 2027 and last for 4 years. Part of the NHS Workforce Alliance, it will be delivered through CCS and NHS procurement partners.

Clinical and Non Clinical Temporary and Permanent Staff is designed to support hiring “on a regional and national basis across the UK” across a broad mix of role types, spanning clinical and non-clinical functions. It will be available to NHS contracting authorities as well as other public sector bodies, such as central and local government, universities, charities and emergency services.

What RM6397 Will Cover

RM6397 aims to help the NHS and other public sector bodies hire quality candidates for a variety of roles. Examples include:

• nursing and midwifery, medical and dental, allied health professionals, health science services, emergency services personnel, social care staffing
• administration/secretarial, finance/accounts/audit, IT roles, legal roles, environmental/scientific roles, coders/health records secretaries
• caterers, drivers, security, estates and maintenance including specialist labour

For suppliers, the practical implication is that RM6397 is likely to span multiple revenue types and delivery approaches, from high-volume transactional bookings through to longer-term recruitment projects. Buyers can use it for direct sourcing, or appoint a managed service provider who delivers directly or via a supply chain. It also includes “output-based delivery” where suppliers manage projects and deliver outcomes.

Expected Timeline

CCS has published a timeline for RM6397, though please note that dates are subject to change.

• Pre-market engagement: May 2025 to March 2026
• Procurement documentation drafting: April to June 2026
  
• Find a Tender notice publication: August 2026
  
• Framework award: February 2027
  

The new framework is expected to go live in March 2027.

Proposed Structure

A high-level lotting structure has been proposed for RM6397 by the Crown Commercial Service. This is set to include lots for clinical and non-clinical roles, as well as for managed services. That structure matters because it creates two distinct routes to market: transactional provision and managed service provision.

If you are a niche or specialist provider, the transactional route is likely to remain an important entry point, particularly where you can evidence hard-to-fill coverage, strong compliance and fast mobilisation. If you are targeting managed service lots, you should expect stronger emphasis on governance, supply chain controls, MI, mobilisation planning and financial resilience.

Why CCS Is Moving to a Combined Agreement

RM6397 is expected to replace two existing frameworks: RM6281 (National Framework for the Provision of Clinical and Healthcare Staffing) and RM6277 (Non-Clinical Staffing). The aim is to provide new opportunities for growth, more efficient processes and management, and a simpler customer experience.

The rationale for a combined agreement is straightforward from a buyer’s perspective: one commercial route can cover a wider spread of recruitment requirements, with aligned processes and tools. For suppliers, a combined agreement typically means two things at once:

• A bigger total addressable market, because the framework is built to cover more than one staffing segment
• A clearer expectation of consistency, particularly around compliance standards and core recruitment controls.

This raises the bar on how clearly you explain your scope, processes and evidence, especially when you are competing for the same buyer mindshare as larger, multi-disciplinary providers.

Potential Scope Expansion

One notable proposal is the inclusion of a permanent recruitment service line, intended to cover permanent and fixed-term recruitment across all role disciplines within scope.

For agencies with a strong temp model, this is a useful prompt to plan your position early. That might mean building a permanent offering, partnering with a specialist perm provider, or clearly defining where you will and will not compete. The key is to avoid being caught between messages when the tender lands: “we can do everything” rarely scores as well as “we can do these things exceptionally well, with evidence”.

How Will Buyers Use RM6397?

Even at this stage, you can see some of the commercial mechanics that will influence supplier strategy:

• Maximum agreed supplier rates intended to demonstrate compliance with NHS England agency price caps.
  
• Built-in discounts, for example based on placement length, nominated worker, or volume hires.
• Transparency around PAYE and limited company temporary worker costs, including fixed-term appointments.
• Support for award without competition, positioned as a way to speed up access to workers.
• Buyer tools like a rate card, award support tool, and region/skills matrix.

If you want to add value to your eventual bid, these are the areas to start pressure-testing now. Think about questions such as:

• How will you evidence compliance with rate structures while still demonstrating value and service quality?
• How will discounts be applied consistently and transparently?
• What does “transparent cost” look like in your pricing narrative and calculation method?
  

Assurance and Compliance

RM6397 is being positioned with a continuing emphasis on assurance. Suppliers can expect ongoing audit scrutiny against NHS Employers Check Standards, with a clear link between findings, remediation, and potential consequences. CCS also flags quality assurance audits for NHS roles against NHS Employers Check Standards.

From a practical “getting bid-ready” standpoint, it is worth building a single evidence pack that is easy for evaluators to navigate and easy for auditors to test. The check areas called out include identity, professional registration and qualification, employment history and references, worker health assessment, criminal records, and right to work.

A strong supplier submission will be:

• Specific: names exact checks, control points, and escalation routes
• Measurable: includes KPIs, audit cadence, and exception handling
• Operational: shows how the process works at volume, not just in theory

Policy Requirements

There are several published procurement policy expectations that are worth including when building your tender library. These include:

• A requirement to maintain a Carbon Reduction Plan where contract value is expected to exceed £5 million, noted as likely to apply to managed service lots only.
• A proposed social value approach where transactional lots may require a commitment statement, while managed service lots may require a narrative response evaluated at 10% of award.
• Prompt payment expectations: paying invoices within an average of 45 days.
• Financial stability checks, including a Financial Viability Risk Assessment for managed service lots (and in some cases for other lots where thresholds are not met).

Even if you ultimately target transactional lots, it is worth having these components ready. They often appear as pass/fail gates or scored narratives that can be improved quickly if you prepare the core content now.

Opportunities for SMEs

The current market data being used in engagement highlights a high proportion of SMEs across the existing agreements and a strong SME spend mix: 41% SME spend mix against a 33% target, and 78% of 551 suppliers described as SMEs. There is also an intention to understand the difficulties SMEs encounter and design the agreement to alleviate those challenges.

This does not reduce the need for clarity. For SMEs, it's smart to:

• choose the right lots (and be disciplined about scope)
• present audit-ready compliance evidence
• show a credible resourcing model for peaks and out-of-hours
• demonstrate how your specialism improves fill and continuity

What to Have Ready

With the Find a Tender notice expected to be published in August 2026, now is the time to get prepared. Start getting bid-ready and creating your plan today.

1. Decide your route to market early
   Map your offer to transactional lots vs managed service provision, including how you will cover regions, out-of-hours, and escalation processes.
2. Build an audit-ready compliance evidence pack
   Create a single, controlled set of evidence that aligns directly to NHS Employers Check Standards and the inspection themes highlighted (identity, registration, employment history, health assessment, DBS, right to work).
3. Pressure-test your commercial model
   Prepare to explain pricing structures, how you will comply with capped rates, and how discounts will be applied in practice across engagement types.
4. Prepare your policy responses
   If you are targeting managed service lots, make sure your Carbon Reduction Plan is current and credible, and that your social value approach is ready for a scored narrative.
5. Take part in market engagement
   The slides list engagement routes such as webinars, round tables and supplier surveys, covering topics including pricing, transfer fees, structure and service lines.

How Thornton & Lowe Can Help You to Bid

If RM6397 is in your pipeline, then don't leave it until the last minute. Thornton & Lowe helps suppliers to get framework-ready through by offering support with your strategy, as well as with our bid writing service. We also offer bid reviews, evidence library creation, social value and carbon reduction plan support, and mobilisation planning, so you can respond quickly and confidently when RM6397 goes live.