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National Contract Value Review

The national contract value review (NCVR) is a standardised, national approach to costing for commercial contract research. It is mandatory for commercial companies delivering clinical trials in NHS.

NCVR is used across all phases of clinical development, including early Phase (phase I and IIa) and Advanced Therapeutic Medicinal Products (ATMPs) studies.

Update

From 1 July 2026, a test and learn approach for a more streamlined National Contract Value Review (NCVR) process will ensure an accelerated national negotiation process for all commercial contract research studies. Co-developed by NHS England, DHSC, NIHR and HRA in partnership with Devolved Nations, and working closely with sites, this initiative supports the government’s commitment for reducing the set-up time for clinical trials to less than 150 days, ensuring that we can support a thriving research ecosystem for the benefit of patients and to help our workforce. Read more on the developments. 

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National contract value review is a UK wide programme

Since its introduction across the UK in 2023 it has helped speed up commercial research set up times, making the UK a more attractive place for commercial organisations to undertake research studies, ensuring UK patients have earlier access to new treatments.

The NCVR focuses on agreeing the resources and price needed to set up commercial research studies within the NHS. This work forms part of a broader common goal to ensure clinical research continues to thrive in Scotland, and across the UK, for the benefit of patients and the public.

There is reciprocal recognition of contract value reviews conducted by NHS organisations across the UK. In Scotland it is delivered by NHS Research Scotland (NRS) working closely with other nations and The Health Research Authority (HRA). For queries relating to Scotland, please contact Ewan Dougall, NRS Commercial Manager. For queries relating to the other UK nations, you should refer to the information provided for England, for Wales, and for Northern Ireland.

Early impact of the national contract value review

The NCVR process has contributed to a reduction in the time taken to set up commercial research studies by 36% (12 month analysis). In addition to faster set up, NCVR has freed up resource at sites to carry out other research activity. 

Sponsor requirements

  • To submit your study for the national contract value review you will need to access the interactive Costing Tool (iCT); the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) provides guidance on using the interactive Costing Tool, and how the tool calculates the cost of studies at sites
  • Include the appropriate new UK template agreement, with the new financial appendix, in your Integrated Research Applications System (IRAS) submission.
  • Copy the iCT finance schedule, when available, into the financial appendix of the agreement to share with sites
  • Complete the site iCT process, before sharing the locked-down site-level iCT with the site inside the Central Portfolio Management System (CPMS). This should be done at the same time as sharing the completed contract template with the site, to support site invoicing and internal disbursement

Supporting documents