An Independent Procurement Review for Kent and Medway ICB

NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board is responsible for commissioning and overseeing health services for approximately two million people, managing an annual budget of around £4.8bn and contractual commitments of around £2.5bn.

When concerns began to emerge about inconsistencies in documentation, delays in approvals, and fragmentation across teams, the ICB took the decision to commission an independent, evidence-based review.

The concerns pointed to systemic issues across the contracting and procurement lifecycle: inconsistent documentation and weak audit trails; delays and inefficiencies in approvals; limited contractual levers to manage provider performance; gaps in workforce capability; and fragmented working across commissioning, procurement, contracting, and finance.

EcoVate delivered the review using a structured, three-phase methodology. The first phase focused on stakeholder engagement with structured interviews across executive and non-executive leaders, commissioners, and procurement teams. The second phase was a detailed review of approximately 100 documents. The third phase brought the two earlier stages together through deep-dive thematic analysis.

EcoVate delivered a comprehensive, structured set of outputs: an independent review report covering governance, operating model, capability, and assurance; triangulated findings; a governance and assurance gap analysis; and a structured set of recommendations with a phased roadmap for improvement.