The Annex B VBP Procurement Checklist: Your Sluice Room Readiness Guide  

 Is Your Macerator Estate Ready for Annex B and Value-Based Procurement? 

The national Value-Based Procurement (VBP) guidance is reshaping how NHS organisations purchase medical technology. Procurement decisions are no longer judged solely on upfront cost, but on the long-term value they deliver across clinical, operational and financial outcomes.

For Directors of Estates, Heads of Procurement and Capital Projects Managers, this presents a new challenge. How do you develop tender specifications that are aligned with the guidance, supported by evidence and capable of standing up to scrutiny?

Annex B provides a practical framework. Use this VBP procurement checklist before going to market to ensure your sluice room project is built around value, not simply capital expenditure.

1. Have you established your baseline?

Before writing your specification, understand your current position.

Consider:

• Existing equipment performance and reliability
• Water and energy consumption
• Maintenance and servicing costs
• Downtime and operational impact
• Infection prevention performance

A clear baseline allows suppliers to demonstrate measurable improvements and provides a consistent basis for evaluation.

2. Have the right stakeholders shaped the specification?

The NHS guidance recommends involving the appropriate stakeholders early in the procurement process.

This should include Estates, Procurement, Clinical teams, Infection Prevention and Control, Finance and Facilities Management.

Bringing these teams together ensures procurement objectives reflect organisational priorities, not just technical requirements.

3. Does your specification measure value?

Annex B encourages organisations to define how value will be assessed before the tender is published.

For a sluice room project, consider including criteria such as:

• Operational efficiency
• Whole-life cost
• Sustainability
• Staff and patient safety
• Equipment reliability

Clear evaluation criteria help suppliers provide meaningful evidence and support a fair procurement process.

4. Are you evaluating total cost of ownership?

One of the biggest changes introduced by the guidance is the shift from capital expenditure to Whole Life Cost (WLC).

When assessing sluice room equipment, look beyond the purchase price and consider:

• Installation costs
• Utilities consumption
• Planned servicing
• Product lifespan
• Equipment uptime
• Long-term operational costs

A lower purchase price does not always represent the best value over the lifetime of the asset.

5. Is your procurement process audit-ready?

A well-documented procurement process supports transparency and consistency.

Before issuing your tender, ensure:

• Evaluation criteria are clearly defined.
• Evidence requirements are proportionate and consistent.
• Decision-making is documented.
• Stakeholders understand how submissions will be assessed.

This helps reduce procurement risk while providing a stronger audit trail.

Build Procurement Around Long-Term Value

Annex B is more than a compliance checklist. It provides a structured approach to developing procurement specifications that support better investment decisions.

By following this VBP procurement checklist, NHS organisations can move beyond capital expenditure and focus on total cost of ownership, helping ensure sluice room investments deliver lasting operational, financial and clinical value.

Preparing for your next sluice room project?

DDC's Free Sluice Room Cost & Risk Review helps estates and procurement teams establish baseline data, assess existing equipment and build stronger business cases for future investment.