BMC has replaced incumbent FT Solutions after winning a formal tender process that Care UK group procurement director Christoph Marr said was very tightly contested.

"With the bar set so high nowadays in terms of the general range and sophistication of outsourced managed services, we had the luxury of being able to give a good deal of weight to service quality and cultural fit, alongside the more formal hard measures," he said.

"BMC emerged as the outstanding candidate on all key criteria as well as demonstrating excellent knowledge of the healthcare market and a genuine understanding of our organisational needs."

He added: "I especially like the fact that [BMC] are always brimming with new ideas and alternative solutions and are never afraid to challenge existing processes or established ways of thinking."

BMC managing director Catherine Burke added that intangible factors such as culture had become increasingly important as the print management sector has matured.

"The top 10 providers in the industry in the UK all have a very credible offering, very capable technology and very well-developed solutions from creative through to document management and production," said Burke.

"As a result it's the intangibles - the people, the attitude and the mentality - that are increasingly proving the difference."

The Care UK contract covers print and document management, storage and distribution and digital asset management. The largest print element is operational products, such as patient forms, although the contract also covers marketing collateral and patient letters, via a hybrid mail solution BMC has started to trail in partnership with Danwood.

Two full-time BMC account managers will work on-site at Care UK's Colchester and Reading offices to deliver the service, which will be supported via an online self-serve order portal.