Planning

PPE Manufacturing And Pandemic Preparedness

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

01 Jun 2026 at 10:09

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) in the UK is currently in the planning stage of a procurement process titled "PPE Manufacturing And Pandemic Preparedness." This initiative is aimed at reinforcing the nation's response capabilities for pandemics through market engagement to assess domestic and international manufacturing capacities for personal protective equipment (PPE). The engagement exercise is set in London with key deadlines, including a response submission by 30th June 2026 at 23:59. The industry falls under the category of medical equipment and personal care products, focusing on goods procurement. This planning phase seeks to inform future policy and procurement strategies but does not yet signify the commencement of the competitive tendering process.

This market engagement exercise presents a vital opportunity for businesses within the medical supplies and safety equipment sectors, particularly those capable of rapidly scaling up PPE production in pandemic situations. Enterprises not currently engaged in PPE manufacturing but with potential capabilities to shift are also encouraged to participate. The exercise aims to gather insights into existing manufacturing capacities, identify constraints, and explore the ability to adapt processes swiftly in times of emergency. Companies willing to pivot existing operations to PPE production or that have done so successfully in the past may find this exercise especially beneficial, positioning them advantageously for potential future procurements by the DHSC. It is not meant for innovation or technology development efforts, which are directed towards alternative initiatives like the Biosecurity Frontiers competition.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

PPE Manufacturing And Pandemic Preparedness

Notice Description

Background Personal protective equipment and hygiene consumables (PPE) is a critical component of the health and social care system's ability to respond effectively to pandemics and other public health emergencies. During the COVID 19 pandemic, unprecedented global demand for PPE placed significant pressure on international supply chains, highlighted vulnerabilities in availability and production capacity, and emphasised the importance of resilience, flexibility and rapid scale up capability. To support HMG's Pandemic Preparedness Strategy, and incorporate lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) is conducting this market engagement to better understand the capacity for domestic and international PPE manufacturing, and impacts on this production in a future pandemic. Engagement Objective Through this market engagement, DHSC wants to build a clearer picture of: * Your current PPE manufacturing capability and capacity (products, volumes, lead times, and constraints). * If you are not a PPE supplier today, whether (and how) your organisation could pivot to PPE manufacture (capability, requirements, and timescales). * How capacity could change during a pandemic surge, including key challenges, dependencies, and opportunities to increase output. * Were you an organisation that attempted to pivot or previously supplied PPE that no longer currently does. All respondents will be asked to complete a questionnaire covering these topics. This can be found in the following link: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=MIwnYaiRMUyMH-9N6Jc6HAKxbC1k63lNsNWq5Fxa0I5UMVVHQ1BCRlJDWUJXQ1cwN0NIN0w4VVhGRy4u DHSC may contact respondents to clarify information in their response. This may take the form of a follow-up one-to-one meeting during or after the engagement, or a small roundtable discussion. This notice relates to a market engagement exercise for information gathering purposes only. It is not a call for competition and does not constitute the start of a procurement process. The information gathered may be used to inform future policy development and, where appropriate, the design of any potential future procurement activity. The deadline for responses is 30/06/2026 at 23:59. If you have any questions, please contact PandemicPrepPPE@dhsc.gov.uk. Additional information This engagement is focused on organisations with the capability to scale or pivot PPE production rapidly in response to a pandemic scenario, using established or near operational manufacturing processes. Innovation focused activity, including the development of novel technologies or concepts at lower technology readiness levels (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/defence-and-security-accelerator-terms-and-conditions-and-contract-guidance#what-dasa-funds), is better supported through alternative mechanisms such as the Biosecurity Frontiers competition (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/biosecurity-frontiers/biosecurity-frontiers-competition-document), which is designed to fund and test emerging solutions for future biosecurity challenges.

Planning Information

Background Personal protective equipment and hygiene consumables (PPE) is a critical component of the health and social care system’s ability to respond effectively to pandemics and other public health emergencies. During the COVID 19 pandemic, unprecedented global demand for PPE placed significant pressure on international supply chains, highlighted vulnerabilities in availability and production capacity, and emphasised the importance of resilience, flexibility and rapid scale up capability. To support HMG’s Pandemic Preparedness Strategy, and incorporate lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) is conducting this market engagement to better understand the capacity for domestic and international PPE manufacturing, and impacts on this production in a future pandemic. Engagement Objective Through this market engagement, DHSC wants to build a clearer picture of: • Your current PPE manufacturing capability and capacity (products, volumes, lead times, and constraints). • If you are not a PPE supplier today, whether (and how) your organisation could pivot to PPE manufacture (capability, requirements, and timescales). • How capacity could change during a pandemic surge, including key challenges, dependencies, and opportunities to increase output. • Were you an organisation that attempted to pivot or previously supplied PPE that no longer currently does. All respondents will be asked to complete a questionnaire covering these topics. This can be found in the following link: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=MIwnYaiRMUyMH-9N6Jc6HAKxbC1k63lNsNWq5Fxa0I5UMVVHQ1BCRlJDWUJXQ1cwN0NIN0w4VVhGRy4u DHSC may contact respondents to clarify information in their response. This may take the form of a follow-up one-to-one meeting during or after the engagement, or a small roundtable discussion. This notice relates to a market engagement exercise for information gathering purposes only. It is not a call for competition and does not constitute the start of a procurement process. The information gathered may be used to inform future policy development and, where appropriate, the design of any potential future procurement activity. The deadline for responses is 30/06/2026 at 23:59. If you have any questions, please contact PandemicPrepPPE@dhsc.gov.uk. Additional information This engagement is focused on organisations with the capability to scale or pivot PPE production rapidly in response to a pandemic scenario, using established or near operational manufacturing processes. Innovation focused activity, including the development of novel technologies or concepts at lower technology readiness levels (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/defence-and-security-accelerator-terms-and-conditions-and-contract-guidance#what-dasa-funds), is better supported through alternative mechanisms such as the Biosecurity Frontiers competition (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/biosecurity-frontiers/biosecurity-frontiers-competition-document), which is designed to fund and test emerging solutions for future biosecurity challenges.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06aa05
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/051268-2026
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
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

18 - Clothing, footwear, luggage articles and accessories

19 - Leather and textile fabrics, plastic and rubber materials

33 - Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products

35 - Security, fire-fighting, police and defence equipment

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

CPV Codes

18130000 - Special workwear

18142000 - Safety visors

18143000 - Protective gear

19000000 - Leather and textile fabrics, plastic and rubber materials

33000000 - Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products

33100000 - Medical equipments

33140000 - Medical consumables

33199000 - Medical clothing

33735100 - Protective goggles

35113000 - Safety equipment

35113400 - Protective and safety clothing

35113410 - Garments for biological or chemical protection

39500000 - Textile articles

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
1 Jun 20263 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
30 Jun 20264 weeks to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
29 Jun 2026 - 1 Jul 2026 30 days
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
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1H 0EU
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

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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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