North East and North Cumbria Secure Data Environment (NENC SDE) - Workflow Automation

Following our Market Engagement Event on Wednesday 23rd July 2025, Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria are publishing this Prior Information Notice (PIN) to inform market operators of a potential future exercise to procure services supporting the digitisation of the NENC SDE project application workflow. The North East and North Cumbria Secure Data Environment (NENC SDE) Programme seeks to procure a digital solution to streamline the referral and early application intake process for projects and data access requests. This function represents the first phase of a wider digitisation roadmap. Currently, these early-stage workflows are highly manual; relying on emails, spreadsheets, and ad-hoc communications between stakeholders. This results in inconsistent approaches to referral capture, validation, triage, and handoff into governance channels such as the Data Access Committee (DAC) and Public Evaluation Group (PEG). The proposed solution will replace this with a consistent, auditable, and scalable digital workflow that enables transparent, efficient processing of external enquiries and early-stage research applications. The specification will outline the requirements for a system that functions as both a user-facing portal and internal case management platform. Key capabilities should include structured form intake, document upload, progress tracking for applicants, role-based access controls, automated workflows for triage and validation, audit logs, version control, and the ability to interface with governance pathways. This intake solution will underpin the NENC SDE's broader commitment to delivering a consistent, transparent, and user-friendly journey from enquiry through to access. The final system must align with NHS data governance and digital standards, supporting scalability across multiple stakeholder groups, including NHS organisations, researchers, and SDE programme teams.

Additional information: HI NENC would like to invite potential providers of digital solution services to apply to our Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) DN670401 as a supplier. You can do this by following this link: procontract.due-north.com/ProjectManagement/ProjectDashboard?projectId=c1881153-e6f3-ed11-8122-005056b64545 This opportunity will be developed as a further competition under Lot 5 of our DPS. You should therefore ensure you apply to Lot 5 to be able to bid to provide this service. You are also welcome to apply for any other Lots on our DPS that you feel are relevant to your organisation. We are expecting to put out the Invitation to Quote to our Lot 5 suppliers in October 2025. This timeline is subject to change. Interested suppliers are advised to apply to the DPS promptly to ensure they have been accepted to the framework and receive the competition notification. This notice is for information and engaging with the supply market only. It is not a binding statement of intent or call for competition. HI NENC reserves the right not to enter a formal process and not award a contract. The information contained in this notice, including information relating to the nature and scope of the requirements, the service classification of this requirement from the list of CPV codes, is only indicative of the HI NENC's current thinking and is neither exhaustive nor binding. HI NENC reserves the right at its absolute discretion to amend it at the time of issue of any further notices or at any other time. HI NENC will not be liable for any bid cost, expenditure, work or effort incurred by a potential supplier in acting on the basis of this PIN