Planning

Surge Capacity for FFP3 Fit Testing

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

01 Jun 2026 at 10:19

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) has initiated a planning phase for a procurement process titled "Surge Capacity for FFP3 Fit Testing". It is aimed at the health and social work services industry within the United Kingdom, particularly focusing on expanding current fit-testing capacity during a pandemic scenario. This market engagement process is not a call for competition or procurement exercise but rather an information gathering stage. Key dates include the published notice date of 1st June 2026 and a survey deadline on 23rd June 2026. Situated in London, the DHSC is calling for participation to assist in preparing effective surge plans for pandemic preparedness, which is crucial for ensuring rapid fit testing availability for FFP3 respirators.

This tender provides significant opportunities for businesses involved in fit testing and the provision of related training services. Organisations specialising in health and occupational safety equipment, such as those manufacturing or supplying testing and measuring apparatus, would be well-suited to participate and provide essential feedback. The engagement targets businesses capable of scaling operations during surges, thereby supporting the DHSC in developing robust strategic responses to pandemics. Involvement in this planning phase could position suppliers to meet future demand peaks, thereby fostering business growth in the health and safety sector.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Surge Capacity for FFP3 Fit Testing

Notice Description

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is looking to understand current fit-testing capacity across the UK and how this could be increased quickly in a pandemic. This work will help DHSC to develop a fit-testing surge plan and put in place practical delivery models that can be used during a pandemic, as part of wider pandemic preparedness planning. Background To support HMG's Pandemic Preparedness Strategy [1] and reflect recommendations published in the COVID-19 Inquiry module 3 report [2], DHSC is conducting market engagement to better understand the capacity for fit testing. This will consider capacity during business as usual and a pandemic, recognising that during a pandemic demand for fit testing for filtering facepiece class 3 (FFP3) respirators across health and adult social care could increase rapidly. This would result in a significant volume of staff requiring fit testing quickly in the early stages of a pandemic. Without a surge plan, there's a risk of delays in enabling frontline staff to safely use FFP3s, which is a key risk to health and social care pandemic resilience. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pandemic-preparedness-strategy-building-our-capabilities [2] https://covid19.public-inquiry.uk/documents/module-3-full-report/ Who we want to hear from We are seeking input from: * fit testers and/or organisations providing fit testing * fit-testing trainers and/or organisations providing fit testing training DHSC recognises that organisations may not have previously surged fit testing during the COVID-19 pandemic. How to take part Please complete this Microsoft Forms survey: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=MIwnYaiRMUyMH-9N6Jc6HD5FeWMrqfNMlI-J0y-poM1UOTFJT0pEWlNEVDZPUlhWVDRORVM5MVdZOC4u The deadline is Tuesday 23rd June 2026, at 11:59pm, and the survey is likely to take less than 20 minutes if you have the information readily available.

Planning Information

Complete the survey here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=MIwnYaiRMUyMH-9N6Jc6HD5FeWMrqfNMlI-J0y-poM1UOTFJT0pEWlNEVDZPUlhWVDRORVM5MVdZOC4u The survey deadline is Tuesday 23rd June 2026. Individual responses will be kept confidential within DHSC and used only to understand and quantify fit testing capacity, and explore options for delivering fit testing at scale during a surge. Only aggregated and anonymised findings may be shared more widely. Within the survey, you can choose whether or not to provide contact details. During or shortly after the response window, DHSC may wish to contact respondents for a short 1-to-1 meeting to discuss the information in your survey response and the wider context of your operations. Participation in 1-to-1 meetings will be entirely voluntary, but your participation may help to improve surge planning in the UK. This engagement is separate to the recent “Fit-Testing Solutions – Early Market Engagement” (https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/009517-2026?origin=SearchResults&p=1), which focused on longer-term options to improve fit-testing capacity, including considering potential digital solutions. This engagement is neither a procurement exercise nor a call for competition. DHSC does not commit to any specific action at this stage. This engagement is for information gathering only. Further engagement may follow as required. For any questions about this engagement, please contact: fit-testing@dhsc.gov.uk

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06aa0b
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/051275-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
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

38 - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

18100000 - Occupational clothing, special workwear and accessories

38540000 - Machines and apparatus for testing and measuring

85000000 - Health and social work services

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
23 Jun 20263 weeks to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 May 2026 - 23 Jun 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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