Responding to A Tender for PPE – Our Insights

Read below to gain our insight on Tenders for PPEs

Until March 2020, a tender for PPE was an important aspect of healthcare procurement. With everything that’s happened since the stats don’t lie in saying that PPE is a feature of everyday procurement. In this blog, we’ll take you through the tendering process involved in winning a tender for PPE.

Tender for PPE can include procuring equipment such as:

  • Protective clothing
  • Helmets
  • Gloves
  • Face shields
  • Goggles

What does the procurement process look like for a tender for PPE?

SQ/PQQ

The selection questionnaire asks preliminary questions about the capabilities and competence of the supplier. Are you able to fully supply the contract? What is your evidence for supplying previous contracts similar to this tender for PPE? All these and more will be asked in the SQ.

ITT

An Invitation to Tender, this focuses on the suppliers who have piqued the buyer’s interest. One can generally assume that the lowest bid for the best product quality will be awarded here. This is also known as the MEAT(Most Economically Advantageous Tender). Each ITT is unique and may have different directions concerning response formats. Procurement timetables will be included, outlining:

  • Clarification questions
  • Deadline for responses
  • Contract award date
  • Contract commencement date
  • Conditions of contract
  • Service specification.

Bid response

Following the information above, you now need to create a winning bid response to this tender for PPE.

Presentations

You’ve completed your bid response and sent it off to the buyers. You’ve been successful and are therefore shortlisted for a presentation/interview. This determines your capabilities to the commission and helps give them a taste for the customer experience.

Contract Award

Generally, there are two outcomes here, and regardless of what happens, you can still get the most from the process.

If you win

Use this as a steppingstone for further success, putting the bid you’ve made into a collection of bids. This is also known as a bid library.

If you lose

Be proactive by asking the buyer for feedback! The closer you are to understanding what went wrong, the stronger your next bid will be.

Conclusion:

So, we’ve arrived at the end of this blog on tenders for PPE. You’re now caught up with the tendering process when it comes to writing PPE bids. You may be wondering how Hudson can help you…

Where can I find Tenders for PPE?

You may be wondering where you can find PPE tenders. You likely don’t have the time to trawl through thousands of websites, relying on inaccurate CPV codes. Searching for the right opportunity for your business can turn into quite the headache. Luckily for you, we have a solution.

Our Healthcare Tenders portal uploads all the relevant tenders in the healthcare industry across the UK. This helps to streamline the process, saving you time and resources.

What makes Healthcare Tenders different?

Healthcare Tenders is a time-saving tool. Our Opportunity Trackers manually search thousands of sites for the latest healthcare leads and opportunities. They upload a whole range of opportunities such as single-provider contracts, NHS frameworks and DPSs. Once they are uploaded to our portal, you can filter the results by budget, keyword, location and more.

A dedicated Account Manager is on-hand to answer any questions you may have about the tendering process. You’ll also receive a daily email bulletin straight to your inbox containing all the new healthcare tenders uploaded that day. This will save you even more time, allowing you to find the perfect PPE tenders for your business.

Below are previous medical tenders sourced on our portal:

WP199 PPE

SCS JV – London – Budget: £5,000,000

High Visibility, Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), Workwear & Uniforms

Bridgend County Borough Council – Wales – Budget: £440,000

Surgical Gloves 2536562

Procurement and Logistics Service – Northern Ireland – Budget: £5,250,000

Medical Examination Gloves & Surgical Gloves

Collaborative Procurement Partnership LLP (CPP LLP) Acting on Behalf of Supply Chain Coordination Lt – London –Budget: £6,000,000,000

The Supply of Face Coverings

Leidos Supply – South West – Budget: £2,000,000

We source healthcare tenders for the following sub-sectors:

Domiciliary Care Tenders

Medical PPE

Social Care Contracts

Medical Supplies & Consumables

Mental Health Tenders

Supported living Tenders

Medical Equipment Tenders

Book a free live demo today.

Want to save even more time?

Upgrading to Discover Elite can help optimise your tendering efforts even when you’re busy! Our two upgraded packages are particularly useful if your business runs across two sectors, such as Healthcare and Technology.

A dedicated Account Manager will carefully consider which medical tenders are most suitable for your business. This will help improve your competitor awareness and bid success rate.

The Ultimate Time-Saving Tool offers your business:

  • An annual subscription to a maximum of two Discover portals of your choice.
  • Up to five bid breakdowns per month to help you make your bid or no-bid
  • Weekly phone calls with your Account Manager to discuss viable PPE leads and tendering opportunities.
  • Award and pre-market engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
  • Public and private buyer portal management including registering, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid strategy.

Become a Pre-Bid Master package offers your business:

  • All of the above.
  • Up to seven tender breakdowns per month.
  • The development of a bid strategy delivered by a Senior Bid Manager with a minimum of 5 years of experience. It will also be managed by our Global Bid Director.

Contact us for more information.

Need help with writing your next Tender for PPE?

If you don’t have the resources or time inhouse to write a winning medical tender, why not outsource it? Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, boasts an 87% success rate and have over 60 years of collective bidding experience. We offer four bid writing support packages that can get you on the path to success. Whether you’re new to tendering, or simply need someone to proof your written response before you submit – we can help.

Tender Ready

Our Tender Ready programme is designed for those who have never tendered before. This four-week programme works with you to ensure you have everything in place to tender successfully. It includes a 12-month subscription to Healthcare Tenders.

Tender Improvement

Tender Improvement can help if you’re already tendering but aren’t seeing success from your current efforts. Our Bid Writers will assess your previous submissions and supporting documents. They’ll give you feedback and guidance on how to improve, helping you to secure your next PPE tenders.

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written a PPE tender response and need someone to proofread it – Tender Mentor is for you. A Bid Writer will double-check it’s in line with the specification and free of any grammar or spelling mistakes.

Tender Writing

If you’ve found the perfect PPE tender but don’t know where to start – we can help. Send the specification over to us and our Bid Team will do the rest. They’ll let you know what they need from you and provide you with a full Tender Writing breakdown. They’ll even submit it on your behalf, leaving you more time to focus on your business.

Get in touch to find out more information.

Medical Tenders: The Fundamentals

Medical tenders and where to find them

Medical tenders could be used to procure a wide range of medical goods or services. They can range from the provision and installation of medical equipment to medical services and medical insurance.

Within the UK, the largest procurer of medical services is the NHS. The responsibility of the procurement of medical tenders is split between several organisations. These are:

  • The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)
  • NHS England
  • Public Health England.

Medical tenders for the NHS are commissioned by:

  • Local Clinical Commissioning Groups
  • The Crown Commercial Service
  • The NHS Supply Chain and NHS Procurement Hubs.

Before starting your tendering response for any medical tenders, you should ask yourself the following questions:

  • Do I have the time and resources to fulfil the contract?
  • Does my business meet the economic and financial thresholds required?
  • Do I have enough experience?
  • Can I produce a high-quality submission?

If the answer to any of the above questions is no, then it’s probably not right for you. Tendering for work takes a lot of time and resources. It can be a lucrative line of business to go down however, particularly in Healthcare.

This is because healthcare and medical tenders are often comprised of framework agreements and Dynamic Purchasing Systems (DPS). These can run for years at a time and, when working in the public sector, can guarantee income for your business. 

Need help with writing your next medical tenders?

If you don’t have the resources or time inhouse to write a winning medical tender, why not outsource it? Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, boast an 87% success rate and have over 60 years of collective bidding experience. We offer four bid writing support packages that can get you on the path to success. Whether you’re new to tendering, or simply need someone to proof your written response before you submit – we can help.

Tender Ready

Our Tender Ready programme is designed for those who have never tendered before. This 4-week programme works with you to ensure you have everything in place to tender successfully. It includes a 12-month subscription to Healthcare Tenders.

Tender Improvement

Tender Improvement can help if you’re already tendering but aren’t seeing success from your current efforts. Our Bid Writers will assess your previous submissions and supporting documents. They’ll give you feedback and guidance on how to improve, helping you to secure your next medical tenders.

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written a medical tender response and need someone to proofread it – Tender Mentor is for you. A Bid Writer will double-check it’s in line with the specification and free of any grammar or spelling mistakes.

Tender Writing

If you’ve found the perfect medical tender but don’t know where to start – we can help. Send the specification over to us and our Bid Team will do the rest. They’ll let you know what they need from you and provide you with a full Tender Writing breakdown. They’ll even submit it on your behalf, leaving you more time to focus on your business.

Get in touch to find out more information.

Where can I find medical tenders?

You may be wondering where you can find medical tenders. You likely don’t have the time to trawl through thousands of websites, relying on inaccurate CPV codes. Searching for the right opportunity for your business can turn into quite the headache. Luckily for you, we have a solution.

Our Healthcare Tenders portal uploads all the relevant tenders in the healthcare industry across the UK. This helps to streamline the process,  saving you time and resources.

What makes Healthcare Tenders different?

Healthcare Tenders is a time-saving tool. Our Opportunity Trackers manually search thousands of sites for the latest healthcare leads and opportunities. They upload a whole range of opportunities such as single-provider contracts, NHS frameworks and DPSs. Once they are uploaded to our portal, you can filter the results by budget, keyword, location and more.

A dedicated Account Manager is on-hand to answer any questions you may have about the tendering process. You’ll also receive a daily email bulletin straight to your inbox containing all the new healthcare tenders uploaded that day. This will save you even more time, allowing you to find the perfect medical tenders for your business.

Below are previous medical tenders sourced on our portal:

Alternative Provider Medical Service — Windermere and Bowness Medical Practice

NHS England and NHS Improvement North West- North West- Budget: Undisclosed

16-12-2020

Devon CCG – Primary Medical Services in Sherford (ITT)

NHS SCW CSU- South West- Budget: £819,700

01-12-2020

Forensic Medical Services (Children’s and Archway)

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde- Scotland- Budget: Undisclosed

08-01-2021

General Medical Services (17J)

NHS Highland- Scotland- Budget: £300,000

01-12-2020

Provision of Primary Medical Services at HMP Kilmarnock

NHS Ayrshire & Arran- Scotland- Budget: Undisclosed

25-02-2021

We source healthcare tenders for the following sub-sectors:

Domiciliary Care Tenders

Medical PPE

Social Care Contracts

Medical Supplies & Consumables

Mental Health Tenders

Supported living Tenders

Medical Equipment Tenders

Book a free live demo today.

Want to save even more time?

Upgrading to Discover Elite can help optimise your tendering efforts even when you’re busy! Our two upgraded packages are particularly useful if your business runs across two sectors, such as Healthcare and Technology.

A dedicated Account Manager will carefully consider which medical tenders are most suitable for your business. This will help improve your competitor awareness and bid success rate.

The Ultimate Time-Saving Tool offers your business:

  • An annual subscription to a maximum of two Discover portals of your choice.
  • Up to five bid breakdowns per month to help you make your bid or no-bid
  • Weekly phone calls with your Account Manager to discuss viable medical leads and tendering opportunities.
  • Award and pre-market engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
  • Public and private buyer portal management including registering, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid strategy.

Become a Pre-Bid Master package offers your business:

  • All of the above.
  • Up to seven tender breakdowns per month.
  • The development of a bid strategy delivered by a Senior Bid Manager with a minimum of 5 years of experience. It will also be managed by our Global Bid Director.

Contact us for more information.

Medical PPE Contracts and Tendering

Medical PPE Contracts – Everything you Need to Know

Medical Personal Protective Equipment contracts (PPE) are essential to the functioning of our modern healthcare system. Without PPE, infections spread and care staff in a wide range of locations and establishments are put at risk. With this in mind, let’s look through the different aspects of PPE tenders, highlighting recent changes, alongside the tender process.

Where can I source PPE Tenders?

Wondering how you can easily source medical PPE contracts? Healthcare Tenders is a portal brought to you by Hudson Discover.

We don’t believe in CPV codes – we use real people, Opportunity Trackers, to find new contract opportunities every day. Our Opportunity Trackers scour multiple sources daily and collate a list of open contracts on our dedicated portal.

Clients use Healthcare Tenders as an essential time-saving tool. You can focus on what you do best, and we find opportunities to help expand your business.

As a Healthcare Tenders customer, you receive a daily bulletin directly to your inbox with contracts found that day.

Should I bid?

In the current climate, there has never been a greater need for PPE. If there is a framework or DPS seeking the provision of PPE, why not bid?

If you’re a PPE manufacturer/company with PPE providers, you could bid for Medical PPE Tenders right now.

An advantage of PPE tenders is that you do not have to be based locally to deliver the work. Fulfilling orders via post enables companies to be based anywhere and removes the problem of not being based locally.

Further Support

To enquire about Healthcare Tenders, click here. We can offer you a free demo to give you a taste of how the portal will help your business.

Below are previous medical PPE contracts sourced on our portal:

PQQ Single Party Framework for the Provision of PPE- Hand Sanitizer
Bus Eireann/Irish Bus- International- Budget: £1,600,000

Framework Agreement for the Supply of Disposable Gloves & Aprons

Supply Hertfordshire- Eastern- Budget: £20,000,000

Framework for the Supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Liverpool City Council- North West- Budget: £106,000,000

Framework for Supply of Medical Face Masks to Housing & Other Bodies in Wales

Linc Cymru Housing Association- Wales- Budget: Undisclosed

Framework for the Supply & Delivery of Personal Protective Equipment PPE

Northern Ireland Housing Executive- Northern Irelands- Budget: Undisclosed

The Healthcare Tenders Portal also sources opportunities for sub-sectors including: 

Recent Changes

Covid-19 has raised many questions about the quantities of PPE available to key workers.

This has highlighted a larger problem in the scope of Medical PPE tenders and further emphasised their importance for tendering.

As the UK has left the EU, we will no longer be required to comply with their stipulated standards. The Brexit Health Alliance is one of the many bodies which will support the NHS and other healthcare providers.

It will be a matter of time before we are truly certain of what the future holds for the UK. This uncertainty will undoubtedly affect Medical PPE contracts and many other medical tenders.

It’s likely that most purchasing bodies will adhere to the existing EU regulations for ease and for quality assurance purposes.

It’s common knowledge that the UK has a public healthcare system. But what you may not know is that this means all contracts must be put out to tender. This includes Medical PPE contracts. Other large organisations may procure PPE via tenders for logistical ease and quality assurance.

Here are the different organisations who may seek to procure PPE:

  • NHS and associated bodies
  • Councils
  • Private healthcare bodies/providers
  • Large third sector organisations (such as UNICEF or Oxfam).

Medical PPE contracts, in a normal year, may appear periodically. However, our healthcare systems are under unusual pressure.

This means PPE tenders will continue to be published even once we are out of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It will be worth keeping an eye out for the foreseeable future. Many bodies, both public and private, continue to rely on PPE as a result of the pandemic.

This has never been a more essential time for PPE suppliers to step up.

PPE tenders will likely appear in the format of a DPS (Dynamic Purchasing System) register, or a framework agreement. These are similar yet different.

Both contracts result in multiple suppliers being successful. Framework agreements have a set deadline like a single-supplier contract. DPS registers run for years at a time, adding suppliers continuously.

If you are unsuccessful, you can tweak your response and reapply for a DPS. These formats are incredibly beneficial for buyers to ensure that they can fulfil demand.

A framework agreement or a DPS may divide the required provision into ‘Lots’ to facilitate bidding.

These lots may be geographical – providing NHS bodies or similar in certain areas of the country with all items stipulated.

Alternatively, it may be split into product types; but on a national scale.

An example of this option is as follows:

  • Medical and pharmaceutical masks (Lot 1)
  • Gloves (Lot 2)
  • Aprons, gowns and overshoes (Lot 3)
  • Eye protection and visors (Lot 4)
  • General Respiratory Protective Equipment (Lot 5).

You will usually be able to bid for any or all lots – whichever requirements you can fulfil.

The tender process

There will be no noticeable difference between tenders for PPE and the typical NHS tendering process

The process will, therefore, involve;

Selection Questionnaire This is the first barrier for prospective suppliers to tackle, and it covers the minimum requirements for winning PPE tenders. They may also use a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire in some circumstances. Alongside this, a pricing document would need to be provided.

ITT/RFP For the team writing the bid, this will be the heart of their process. An Invitation to Tender would include everything from timelines to requirements. Certain items of PPE will need to comply with specific legislation, for example. The exact requirements of each item will be outlined here and will need a scrutinous review from all potential suppliers. If the buyer is not looking for a good amount of detail, they may look into a Request For Proposal (RFP). This is more focused on providing the buyer with general information such as design considerations and budget.

Interview/presentation – Normally this stage in the process would be assigned to services, or products with services attached. However, PPE tenders may still facilitate the need for face-to-face presentations. In this case, you would need to prepare everything you’ve collated and present this to a Clinical Commissioning Board (CCG). Soon enough this board will be taken over by Integrated Health Systems, which performs the same role in health procurement.

Proposed products to fulfil criteria

You will need to thoroughly review the specification to ensure the products you are proposing meet the buyer’s criteria. For example, CE marking and relevant standards.

This may involve providing certificates/documents as proof. Buyers will be looking for you to explain how your products meet their needs.

If products are imported from outside of the European Union, then regulations take precedence. The manufacturer must have undergone a conformity assessment as per the PPE Regulations 2016. For example, for protective masks such as FFP2/FFP3, the conformity assessment requires the following:

  • An examination from a notified body – resulting in a certificate;
    • Production follows up from a notified body.

From this, CE marking can be awarded, along with the notified body’s registration number. The manufacturer (either yourself or your supply chain) must issue the following with the PPE item(s):

  • An EU Declaration of Conformity;
    • Instructions for use.
  • Quality assurance.

4 points to consider when it comes to PPE tenders

How do you ensure the quality of your products every time?

This will be a vital question to answer whether you are bidding as a manufacturer or a supplier.

If you are a manufacturer, how do you ensure that your products are fit for purpose and compliant every time? This may include describing internal method statements, staff training programmes, equipment maintenance and periodic testing.

If you are using a supply chain to provide the products, think about your supply chain management.

How do you check that your suppliers are compliant and execute best practice? Vetting, random audits and checking policies and procedures will be crucial here.

Delivery

Most likely, orders for PPE items on the contract will be fulfilled via couriers. Buyers may want to understand the methodology for delivery, minimum order information and delivery costs.

Also relevant here, could be the use of packaging. Most buyers are geared towards choosing suppliers who can demonstrate an environmentally conscious approach. Recyclable packaging, or even better, reusable that can be sent back to you, could win you points.

Invoicing

You may be asked to describe your invoicing processes. This may be a case of confirming your conformity to the buyer’s stipulated invoicing systems/procedure or describing your own. Efficiency, transparency, and consistency are key here. 

Pricing

This will usually be a separate document to the method statements. Demonstrating value for money is an incredibly important aspect of responding to any tender.

Prices should reflect the quality of the product and be sustainable for both your business and for the buyer.

Due to historic PPE shortages and current pressures, NHS bodies don’t have the funds to source expensive items. Prices should reflect the climate so that buyers can ensure the maximum number of suppliers to fulfil the ongoing shortage.

2 tips to help you win PPE tenders

Financial Threshold

Ensure that you’re choosing the right PPE tenders. For instance, if the contract value exceeds half of your annual revenue, it’s probably outside of your current capabilities. This advice is only given to avoid a failure to meet the contract should you win it. Too many suppliers overstretch and fall short of delivering the goods.

Time management

Always ensure that you’re keeping on top of PPE tenders. Your submission won’t be evaluated if it arrives after the deadline, no matter the quality. Produce some internal deadlines for yourself and the team. Organise progress meetings so that everyone is kept up to date. The more your bid is managed, the better the final product will be.

In summary

So, we’ve finished this blog on PPE tenders! Now you’re up to date with everything you need to know about winning PPE contracts.

We covered quite a bit in this blog, so you may be wondering if you could have a recap… Healthcare Tenders has you covered.

Where can I source PPE Tenders?

Healthcare Tenders sources a wide range of PPE tenders from across the UK. Our manual tracking system helps you save time by ensuring relevancy in your search. Book a free live demo.

Recent Changes

The impact of COVID-19 and Brexit on the supply and demand of PPE tenders. Where this leaves the healthcare procurement of further PPE. A clear outline of the organisations that procure PPE.

The tender process

Selection Questionnaire

The initial step in some PPE tenders. Looking into the minimum requirements for the buyers.

ITT/RFP

Either the Request for Proposal (RFP) and the Invitation to Tender (ITT) will be the heart of the tender process. Aspects such as budget, adherence to legislation, and design considerations would be considered.

Presentations/Interviews – 

The last stage of the PPE tender process. The commissioning board needs to know exactly who they’re working with.

Proposed products to fulfil criteria –

Exploring the regulations for products procured outside of the E.U.

4 points to consider when it comes to PPE tenders –

  1. How do you ensure the quality of your products every time? – Considering internal method statements, staff training programmes, equipment maintenance and periodic testing as a manufacturer. If you’re a supplier, looking into vetting, random audits, and checking policies and procedures.
  2. Delivery – Buyers may want to understand the methodology for delivery, minimum order information and delivery costs. Alongside this, they’ll want reassurances that you’re providing green, sustainable supply chains.
  3. Invoicing – Ensuring that you conform to the buyer’s invoicing process. Outlining your own.
  4. Pricing – Demonstrating value for money. Generally formed into a distinct document.

2 tips to steer your PPE tenders straight

  1. Financial threshold – Ensuring that your chosen contract doesn’t exceed half of your annual revenue.
  2. Bid management – Organising a crack team to focus on each aspect of the tender. Ensuring that your team has internal deadlines for both yourself and the larger team. Setting progress meetings.  

Need help writing your next tender?

If you don’t have the resources or time to write a winning bid, why not outsource it? Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, boasts an 87% success rate and have over 60 years of collective bidding experience. They offer four bid writing support packages to help you on the path to success. Whether you’re new to tendering, or simply need someone to proof your written response before you submit – we can help.

Tender Ready

Our Tender Ready programme is designed for those who have never tendered before. This 4-week programme works with you to ensure you have everything in place to tender successfully.

Tender Improvement

Tender Improvement can help if you’re already tendering but aren’t seeing success from your current efforts. Our Bid Writers will assess your previous submissions and supporting documents. They’ll give you feedback and guidance on how to improve, helping you to secure your next PPE tender.

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written a tender and need someone to proofread it – Tender Mentor is for you. A Bid Writer will double-check it’s in line with the specification and free of any grammar or spelling mistakes.

Tender Writing

If you’ve found the perfect tender but don’t know where to start – we can help. Send the specification over to us and our Bid Team will do the rest. They’ll let you know what they need from you and provide you with a full breakdown. They’ll even submit it on your behalf, leaving you more time to focus on your business.

Contact us for more information regarding our bid management consultancy services. 

Want to save even more time?

Upgrading to Discover Elite will ensure you never miss a tendering opportunity even when you’re busy!

The Ultimate Time-Saving Tool offers your business:

  • An annual subscription to a maximum of two Discover portals of your choice.
  • Up to five bid breakdowns per month to help you make your bid or no-bid decision
  • Weekly phone calls with your Account Manager to discuss viable leads and tendering opportunities.
  • Award and pre-market engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
  • Public and private buyer portal management including registering, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid strategy.

Contact us for more information.