Atamis
eProcurement platform used by NHS England and many other UK public sector bodies; particularly strong in NHS procurement.
Definition
Atamis is an eProcurement platform used by NHS England and many other UK public sector bodies. The platform hosts buyer-specific procurement portals supporting tender management, contract management, and supplier relationship management. Atamis is particularly strong in NHS procurement: NHS Supply Chain, many NHS trusts, and NHS-related arms-length bodies use Atamis as their procurement platform. The platform also serves central government departments, local authorities, and housing associations.
How it works in practice
Atamis platform capability covers: contract notice publication, tender document distribution, structured response and price submission, clarification management, post-award contract management, and supplier relationship management. The NHS deployment of Atamis is particularly substantial: the NHS Supply Chain procurement covering clinical consumables and many other categories flows through Atamis. For suppliers in the NHS market Atamis is the dominant platform to engage with; for non-NHS suppliers Atamis is one of several platforms in the mix. Registration is typically buyer-specific. The platform exports notice data via OCDS-compatible feeds the buyer publishes (typically through Contracts Finder cross-posting). User experience is reasonable but can be heavy for clinical buyers with complex evaluation requirements: the platform handles complex multi-attribute evaluations needed for clinical procurement at the cost of UI complexity. For routine procurement the platform performs adequately. KimonBids aggregates Atamis notice data alongside other platforms.
For suppliers active in NHS procurement Atamis is the dominant platform to engage with. Registration is typically buyer-specific even within the NHS network, so suppliers may need to register on multiple NHS trust Atamis instances depending on the target buyers. The wider Atamis customer base outside NHS provides cross-sector platform familiarity that reduces overall portal registration overhead.
Common questions
Is Atamis only for NHS procurement?
No, Atamis serves multiple sectors but is particularly strong in NHS. Central government departments, local authorities, and housing associations also use the platform. The NHS deployment is the most substantial individual user base.
How does Atamis differ from NHS SBS?
NHS SBS is a framework operator running NHS frameworks; Atamis is an eProcurement platform that hosts procurement portals. NHS SBS uses Atamis (and other platforms) to host its procurement; the platform is the technology layer underneath the commercial framework arrangement.
Does Atamis handle clinical procurement complexity well?
Reasonably. Clinical procurement often involves complex multi-attribute evaluation (clinical efficacy, safety, cost, supplier capability) that simpler platforms struggle with. Atamis handles this at the cost of UI complexity. For routine procurement the complexity is mostly invisible to suppliers.