NCVR Update for NHS Organisations (and HSC in Northern Ireland)

NCVR Update for NHS Organisations (and HSC in Northern Ireland) – Action Required for  Submissions from 1 July 2026

To support faster study set-up, improved consistency, and delivery of  a single national negotiation for all commercial research studies,  the NCVR process has been streamlined  for iCTs submitted from 1 July 2026. This messaging was shared via National Contract Value Review (NCVR) process improvement – ukcrd.org and via a cross sector webinar on (24th June 2026).

This update sets out the operational requirements  for NHS/HSC organisations. Please share  with all registered Study Resource Reviewers (SRR), R&D Offices, R&D Directors and anyone else involved in commercial costing processes.

Overall timelines

The overall NCVR process is expected to be completed within 30 calendar days of submission.

  • NHS Study Resource Review: completed within 20 calendar days of submission.
  • Sponsor complete review and response: within 5 calendar days.
  • Final resolution (where required): up to a further 5 calendar days.

Following completion of NHS Study Resource Review, Sponsor representatives are expected to either:

  • Accept and finalise budget or
  • Provide any remaining queries for resolution within the following 5 calendar days
    • If additional queries are raised the NHS/HSC SRR has 5 further calendar days to consider these and finalise their review.

Actions for NHS/HSC Organisations who are study resource reviewers

  • Engage early with Sponsors and CROs during the pre-submission period. CI and second review organisations should proactively provide the appropriate contacts details for inclusion in Tab A of the NCVR Checklist and support Sponsors who may be unfamiliar with the process. Early engagement is encouraged to avoid delays after submission.
  • Confirm acceptance or decline iCT submissions within 1 working day.
  • Complete reviews within 20 calendar days of submission.
    • Organisations should plan capacity on the basis of calendar-day timelines, noting if it falls on a weekend the expectation is still to achieve this.
  • Continue to ensure sufficient reviewer capacity and business continuity arrangements are in place to manage annual leave, sickness and other absences.
  • Ensure metrics reflect your reality; this is intended to improve the system. During the test and learn phase of the process it is imperative that all operational aspects are monitored and recorded to continually assess the process and drive improvements. Genuine operational delays should be recorded transparently across all parties
  • Be aware of and apply the full NCVR framework, including the NCVR Standards, Checklist, tariffs, work instructions and template communications. All these resources are accessible via the NIHR Learn portal Course: NCVR training | NIHR Learn
  • Organisations should ensure staff involved in costing have the necessary expertise and have access to specialist expertise (such as pharmacy, pathology, labs, imaging, delivery teams) where required and continue to  operate suitable internal quality assurance processes to minimise omissions and errors and support accurate, high quality budgets,
  • Have  local processes to monitor submissions, deadlines and actions
  • Work collaboratively as Lead and Second SRRs to reach a single nationally agreed position within the review period. Reviews should operate in parallel wherever possible to avoid delays.

Actions for NHS/HSC organisations who are not study resource reviewers

  • Accept the nationally agreed budget. For studies submitted from 1 July 2026, escalations have been replaced with a quality assurance step via the second SSR.
    • Participating sites are expected to accept the nationally agreed budget. Sponsors and CROs have been asked to make this clear when issuing completed budgets. If there is uncertainty regarding whether a study was submitted before or after 1 July 2026, organisations should seek clarification from their RRDN Industry Manager or relevant national coordinating function before taking action.

Support available to NHS/HSC organisations

Support is available via:

  • NIHR Industry Hub (industry@nihr.ac.uk)
  • NHS Research Scotland – commercial@nrs.org.uk
  • Wales – research-fundingsupport@wales.nhs.uk
  • Northern Ireland – NCVR@hscni.net
  • the NCVR Communities of Practice – englandresearch@nhs.net,
  • accessing training and guidance through NIHR Learn – see above link,
  • providing feedback on the ICT including tariff values via this link.
  • sharing examples of good practice and identifying future training needs via the form found here.

Organisations, reviewers, support services, sponsors and CROs will all be adapting processes to operate within the streamlined NCVR model and this will take time therefore we are operating a test-and-learn phase for the first few months. Please   share examples of good practice and feedback on what works well and where improvements can be made to support continuous improvement. Contact the above e-mails for providing feedback.

The move to an accelerated, national negotiation is intended to remove duplication, improve consistency and support faster study set-up, streamlining and making the the process as straightforward as possible for all involved. i Our aim is to strengthen the UK’s competitiveness as a destination for commercial research – delivering faster access to new treatments and technologies for patients and driving improved outcomes for our populations. Achieving this requires collaborative working, and shared learning across NHS/HSC organisations, industry and national partners. Thank you for your continued support.

This website is for audiences interested in the cross-sector development and progression of the UK’s clinical research system. The site is managed by NIHR on behalf of all of the Programme partners.

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