Planning

Life Saving Appliances

HOME OFFICE

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

06 Jan 2026 at 21:42

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Home Office, located in London, is in the planning stage of a procurement process titled "Life Saving Appliances," aimed at providing goods for the central government's rescue operations. The procurement focuses on the supply of life-saving devices for water rescue missions in the English Channel, specifically assisting in migrant rescue operations. The industry category falls under "goods," with specific focus on life jackets. Interested suppliers are invited to engage in this market exploration by submitting necessary details by 12 January 2026. The procurement is valued at £60,000, and the potential contract period is expected to start on 1 April 2026 and end on 31 July 2026. The process is currently classified under a preliminary market engagement with the next communication date projected on 31 March 2026.

This tender offers substantial growth opportunities for businesses specialising in maritime rescue equipment, particularly those adept at producing or supplying life-saving appliances and related gear. Companies with the capability to produce ergonomic, deployable, and durable automatic-inflate SAR rescue devices would find this tender particularly advantageous. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) focused on agile manufacturing and distribution of safety equipment tailored for rapid deployment in emergencies are well-positioned to compete in this procurement process. The ability to provide comprehensive servicing and re-use of the equipment, along with training offerings, would add significant value to the business proposition.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Life Saving Appliances

Notice Description

To engage an organisation to provide Life Saving appliances for in water and mass casualty rescue of migrants crossing the Dover straits in small boats. The Home Office (HO) is responsible for securing UK borders and ensuring that all migrants attempting to enter the UK by small boats are safely and swiftly intercepted. The Home Office currently operates a fleet of dedicated charter rescue vessels in the English Channel, working in cooperation with HM Coastguard to undertake SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) rescue operations. The rescue vessels carry a variety of additional lifesaving appliances dedicated to the rescue mission that can be rapidly deployed to aid those in the water. The Home Office wants to understand what/which suppliers can provide the appliances listed below. 1-PERSON (SINGLE) AUTO-INFLATE HORSESHOE SAR RESCUE APPLIANCE The appliance should be specifically designed for use in search and rescue (SAR) situations at sea or in any waterway, allowing increased accuracy by an under or over arm throw. The SAR horseshoe should offer a more ergonomic and streamline design for improved deployment to provide buoyancy to a Man Over Board (MOB) casualty and must include as a minimum: * Automatic inflation * Retro-reflective tape * Compact to store in a soft case, * Quick & easy to deploy * Lightweight * Oral tube for top up * Automatic light 20+ PERSON AUTO-INFLATE SAR RESCUE COLLARS ("DONUT SHAPED") * Specifically designed for mass casualty in-water events * Automatic inflation * Retro-reflective tape * Quick and easy to deploy * Automatic light * Stored in a soft case EMERGENCY WATER-ACTIVATED STROBE LIGHTING * Lighting units specifically designed to be added to horseshoe rescue appliances and rescue collars (including spare units for servicing). * Manual and automatic water activation by integral sensor points * Ultra bright powerful white flashing LED dome light (minimum 2.5cd and duration of 40hours light) * Fixing clip for easy attachment * Tamper proof GRAB BAG DRYBAGS (50L) FOR ONBOARD STORAGE * Provision of various size dry bags to store additional life saving appliances for easy deployment during incidents. The collar and horseshoe appliances should have the ability to be re-used following their deployment, once serviced and re-packed by a trained shore-based technician. Contract dates stated below are entered are solely for example and to enable completion of notice.

Planning Information

This Preliminary Market Engagement Notice is being issued to identify suppliers that may be able to supply the goods, services or works required (PA2023 Section 16). It does not guarantee that any procurement activity will go ahead. The Home Office is seeking responses from suppliers who can provide the equipment above, to the minimum specifications identified. If you can provide the specified equipment then please email BFMaritimeProcurementTeam@homeoffice.gov.uk, with the following information: 1. Company name and location/address 2. Name of individual to be contacted in case of any further information being required (name, email address, telephone number) 3. The name of the appliances meeting the minimum specification listed above, with supporting evidence. 4. Item cost, product availability e.g. available to order immediately, lead in times, any restrictions on the number of products that can be ordered at one time and number 5. Confirmation of whether the product can or cannot be re-used, serviced and re-packed by Home Office. If no: who can carry out these tasks. If yes: is training required, are replacement consumables Original Equipment Manufacturer only or can other compatible products be used Response must be submitted by 15:00hrs 12 January 2026 to BFProcurementTeam@homeoffice.gov.uk. Please make sure that the subject heading states ‘Project_19968 Life Saving Appliances’

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06007f
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/000863-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

39 - Furniture (incl. office furniture), furnishings, domestic appliances (excl. lighting) and cleaning products

CPV Codes

39525300 - Life jackets

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£50,000 Under £100K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
6 Jan 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
31 Mar 20262 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Mar 2026 - 31 Jul 2026 1-6 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
HOME OFFICE
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
bfprocurementmaritimeteam@homeoffice.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1P 4DF
Post Town
South West London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

Download

The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts. 

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