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Countermeasures and Preparedness Products

UK Health Security Agency

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

31 Jul 2026 at 12:05

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The UK Health Security Agency, acting for the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, intends to establish a framework for countermeasures and preparedness products. The proposed scope covers pharmaceutical and associated medical products, including antivirals, antibiotics, antitoxins, antivenoms, antidotes, vaccines, immunoglobulins, intravenous fluids, intensive care medicines, radiation treatments, medical consumables used to administer medicines, and combined needles and syringes. The framework is expected to provide pre-approved suppliers and products for use by UKHSA and potentially other eligible public sector organisations, including the Ministry of Defence. Delivery will be across the United Kingdom. The final product scope and lotting structure will be developed through market engagement and confirmed in the later tender.

This procurement is at the planning stage and is currently a preliminary market engagement exercise, not an invitation to tender. UKHSA expects to use a framework agreement, potentially including an open framework, with a proposed term of up to eight years. The current indicative contract period is 1 April 2028 to 1 April 2032, with a possible maximum extent to 1 April 2036. The buyer expects to publish the next tender notice by 1 April 2027. Interested suppliers are asked to request the market engagement documents and return the questionnaire by 12:00 on 30 September 2026; engagement sessions are anticipated from October 2026. The stated value is £1 gross, which is a nominal planning figure rather than a reliable estimate of future spend. Final award criteria are expected to cover quality standards, value for money, sustainability and social value.

This will suit manufacturers, wholesalers and specialist suppliers able to provide regulated medicines, vaccines, biological products, critical care products, radiation treatments or related medical consumables at public-sector scale. Suppliers should be prepared to demonstrate that their products meet the required quality standards and that they can deliver dependable supply across the United Kingdom. Businesses currently without UK licences are explicitly invited to engage, so licensing status should be considered alongside the relevant product and regulatory route. The framework is intended to create access to pre-approved suppliers and products, making it particularly relevant to organisations with established portfolios, robust quality assurance, supply-chain resilience and the capacity to support emergency preparedness. Suppliers should also be ready to evidence value for money and contribute to sustainability and social value objectives.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Countermeasures and Preparedness Products

Notice Description

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) intends to establish a Framework Agreement for the provision of Countermeasures and Preparedness products (the "Framework Agreement"). The Framework Agreement will be available for use by UKHSA and potentially other eligible public sector organisations such as the Ministry of Defence (MOD). The Framework Agreement will provide access to a range of pre-approved suppliers and their products. At this stage, it is intended that the Framework Agreement will comprise multiple lots including, but not limited to: - Antivirals - Antibiotics - Antitoxins - Antivenoms - Antidotes - Vaccines - Immunoglobulins - Intravenous Fluids (IV's) - ICU Medicines - Radiation Treatments - Medical Consumables (used in administering the medicines)* - Combined Needles and Syringes* *For the purposes of preliminary market engagement, we have included all products in scope of our portfolio. To confirm, recently awarded contracts will continue for their term. The proposed scope and lotting structure will be explored further during the preliminary market engagement, with the final lotting structure confirmed in the UK 4 Tender Notice for this procurement. Suppliers will be awarded places on the Framework Agreement based on their ability to meet quality standards and deliver value for money. UKHSA is committed to working with suppliers who support Sustainability and Social Value objectives, and these elements are expected to form part of the award criteria, details of which will be set out in the tender documentation.

Planning Information

To assist in the development of our procurement strategy and to ensure we consider all viable options, UKHSA welcomes engagement from existing and prospective suppliers capable of supplying products within the scope of the proposed Framework Agreement, including those currently without UK licences. Potential bidders should express their interest by emailing commercial.preparednessandcountermeasures@ukhsa.gov.uk to request a copy of the Preliminary Market Engagement (“PME”) Introduction document and Preliminary Market Engagement Questionnaire (“PMEQ”). Potential bidders should return the completed PMEQ by email before 1200 hours on 30th September 2026. Further information regarding the proposed framework can be found within these documents. The aim of this PME notice and the PMEQ is to notify and engage the market on UKHSA’s current proposals, and to gauge interest in this opportunity from suppliers capable of delivering products within the scope of the proposed Framework Agreement. As part of this PME, UKHSA will also be exploring the potential option of an Open Framework with a term of up to 8 years. The final procurement approach including whether an Open Framework will be established will be confirmed in the UK 4 Tender Notice for this procurement. UKHSA intends to hold preliminary market engagement sessions with industry experts and suppliers interested in potentially bidding for the proposed Framework Agreement. These sessions are currently anticipated to take place from October 2026, and further details will be communicated via email. Opportunities for one-to-one meetings are also expected to be available. UKHSA will use an eSourcing system for any procurement activity subsequent to this notice. The eSourcing system used by UKHSA is Atamis. UKHSA reserves the right to withdraw this notice at any time. UKHSA is not liable for any costs incurred as a result of bidders engaging with this process. This early market engagement exercise does not guarantee that a procurement will take place, and UKHSA reserves the right to defer from any procurement entirely. Bidders will still be required to bid to be awarded a place on the resulting Framework Agreement following the publication of the UK 4 Tender Notice. Submitting an expression of interest at this stage does not constitute a bid.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06d8ad
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/072662-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
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

33 - Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products

CPV Codes

33600000 - Pharmaceutical products

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£1
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
31 Jul 20262 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
1 Apr 20276 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Apr 2028 - 1 Apr 2032 4-5 years
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
UK Health Security Agency
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
E14 4PU
Postcode Area
East London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI4 Inner London - East
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI42 Tower Hamlets
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Tower Hamlets
Electoral Ward
Canary Wharf
Westminster Constituency
Poplar and Limehouse

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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