--- title: "Women's Health Market Engagement" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0608ad" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0608ad" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0608ad.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0608ad.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE" published: "2026-01-19" --- # Women's Health Market Engagement Buyer: DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0608ad [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0608ad) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0608ad.json) ## Summary The Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) is currently in the planning stage of its procurement process for a market engagement focused on improving women's health outcomes in the UK. The initiative falls under the services category and primarily caters to voluntary, community, social enterprise (VCSE), and private sector organisations. A virtual Market Engagement and Q&A event is scheduled for 3rd February 2026, which requires interested parties to register by completing a questionnaire by 28th January 2026. The opportunity seeks collaboration in enhancing women's access to healthcare, addressing systemic barriers, and improving overall health experiences. The tender offers significant growth opportunities, particularly for businesses involved in health services, medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, and information systems. Organisations specialising in personal care products or with a focus on innovative, health-tech solutions stand to benefit. This process is well-suited for SMEs and VCSE entities that have a stake in medical services or are interested in contributing to public health strategies, presenting a platform to partner with a key government department to address critical health disparities among women in the UK. ## Notice In March 2026, to support the renewal of England's women's health strategy, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is exploring collaboration opportunities with stakeholders from: * the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) and * private sector organisations interested in supporting the improvement of women's health outcomes, to help overcome some of the barriers preventing women from accessing support, engaging with services and having a positive experience of healthcare. DHSC is interested in exploring how industry and government can better work together to achieve its strategic ambitions for women's health. The purpose of this market engagement is to announce that DHSC will also be hosting a virtual Market Engagement event with a Q&A on the 3rd February 2026 to facilitate a conversation around what organisations are doing, or interested in doing, to support the women's health agenda. To be eligible to attend this event you must be a VCSE or private sector organisation interested in improving health outcomes for women. DHSC also ask any party linked or interested in women's health to complete a short questionnaire asking them about what they feel are potential areas of opportunities for collaboration, as well as any work they are undertaking to improve women's health. This questionnaire is purely for information purposes and will not form part of the assessment of those organisations that DHSC may collaborate with for its Women's Health Strategy ### Planning Information In March 2026, to support the renewal of England’s women’s health strategy, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is exploring collaboration opportunities with stakeholders from: • the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) and • private sector organisations interested in supporting the improvement of women’s health outcomes, to help overcome some of the barriers preventing women from accessing support, engaging with services and having a positive experience of healthcare. DHSC is interested in exploring how industry and government can better work together to achieve its strategic ambitions for women’s health. The purpose of this market engagement is to announce that DHSC will also be hosting a virtual Market Engagement event with a Q&A on the 3rd February 2026 to facilitate a conversation around what organisations are doing, or interested in doing, to support the women’s health agenda. To be eligible to attend this event you must be a VCSE or private sector organisation interested in improving health outcomes for women. DHSC also ask any party linked or interested in women’s health to complete a short questionnaire asking them about what they feel are potential areas of opportunities for collaboration, as well as any work they are undertaking to improve women’s health. This questionnaire is purely for information purposes and will not form part of the assessment of those organisations that DHSC may collaborate with for its Women’s Health Strategy. In the event that that there are a significant number of organisations that meet the eligibility criteria for the event, DHSC reserve the right to run more than one virtual event dictated by organisation type/ interest area. Background Women in the UK live longer than men but spend more of their lives in poor health and disability. They face a range of challenges across their reproductive lifespan—from puberty to menopause—including conditions such as endometriosis, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), and severe menstrual pain. Many do not know when to seek medical help, and those who do often have their symptoms dismissed or normalised. As women age, menopause-related changes increase risks such as osteoporosis, frailty, and obesity related cancers. Women are also disproportionately affected by long-term sickness: around 1.5 million are out of the workforce, largely due to mental health, MSK, and cardiovascular conditions, which affect them differently or more severely than men. Broader health inequalities—linked to long-term conditions, nutrition, and lifestyle—further contribute to poorer outcomes. These issues are reinforced by systemic barriers: women often lack the knowledge and confidence to navigate their health needs, and their concerns are not always taken seriously. As a result, they face challenges accessing support, engaging with services, and experiencing positive care. DHSC is interested in collaborating with private sector and VCSE organisations to explore opportunities to address and overcome some of these issues impacting womens health. Market Engagement Opportunity The virtual Market Engagement and Q&A event will be held on the 3rd February 2026. To register your interest please follow this link to complete the questionnaire: https://forms.office.com/e/DTZrYcrhVe Joining instructions will be sent to eligible organisations who indicate via the questionnaire that they would like to attend. The deadline for responses is 12pm on Wednesday 28th January. Since this is neither a call for competition nor a procurement, for administrative and technical reasons, it's been assigned a nominal monetary value of £1. If you have any challenges in registering for the event or have specific questions around the market engagement, please contact womenshealthpartnerships@dhsc.gov.uk ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/004335-2026 | | Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Not Specified | | Procurement method details | Not specified | | Tender suitability | SME, VCSE | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 19 Jan 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 28 Jan 2026 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 20 Jan 2026 - 28 Jan 2026 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £1 | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Planning | | Lots status | Planning | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE | | Locality | LONDON | | Post town | South West London | | Postcode | SW1H 0EU | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLI London | | ITL 2 | TLI3 Inner London - West | | ITL 3 | TLI35 Westminster and City of London | | Local authority | Westminster | | Electoral ward | St James's | | Westminster constituency | Cities of London and Westminster | | Delivery location | Not specified | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 33 - Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products - 48 - Software package and information systems - 85 - Health and social work services - 92 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services ### Codes - 33000000 - Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products - 33771100 - Sanitary towels or tampons - 48000000 - Software package and information systems - 85100000 - Health services - 85140000 - Miscellaneous health services - 85149000 - Pharmacy services - 92600000 - Sporting services - 92622000 - Sports-event organisation services ## Release History - 19 Jan 2026 at 13:03 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/004335-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/004335-2026 19th January 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - https://forms.office.com/e/DTZrYcrhVe - https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-health-and-social-care - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents ## Provenance This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0608ad. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0608ad.json.