P21.96 BMJ Read and Publish agreement

Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW) intends to award a contract directly to BMJ Group for the provision of a Read and Publish Agreement for NHS Wales from 1st January 2027 to 31st December 2028. The agreement enables eligible NHS Wales-affiliated authors to publish open access articles in participating BMJ journals without incurring individual Article Processing Charges (APCs), supported by publication administration and reporting services. The contract is being awarded without competition as BMJ Group is the sole provider of the BMJ Read and Publish Agreement and the associated open access publishing rights and services for BMJ-owned journals. No alternative supplier can provide these services due to BMJ's exclusive publishing rights.