The landscape of medical protective equipment (PPE) procurement in the UK has undergone a profound transformation, evolving from the urgent, emergency-driven reactive buys of the pandemic era into a highly structured, strategic, and resilience-focused market. For businesses aiming to supply the public sector, particularly the NHS, understanding this shift is paramount.
Medical protective equipment (PPE) is specialised clothing or gear designed to protect healthcare workers and patients from infection and hazardous materials. The purpose of personal protective equipment is to reduce employee exposure to hazards when other controls are not feasible or effective. PPE is categorized by the area of the body it protects, and usage is determined by a risk assessment of potential exposure to infectious materials.
Today, personal protective equipment (PPE) is no longer just about volume; it is about clinical assurance, supply chain transparency, and alignment with the UK’s long-term healthcare sustainability goals. With the Procurement Act 2023 now fully implemented, the rules of engagement have become clearer, emphasising that PPE must comply with legal and safety requirements, as well as transparency and value for money, creating a wealth of opportunities for suppliers who are prepared to meet these rigorous standards.
Understanding the UK PPE Market Insights and Opportunities
Personal protective equipment (PPE) serves as the primary line of defence for healthcare workers, encompassing everything from single-use surgical masks and gloves to complex respiratory equipment and specialist garments. PPE plays an important role in protecting both healthcare workers and patients from hazards in the workplace, including physical, biological, and chemical risks. PPE is used on a regular basis in high-risk environments such as intensive care units and elderly care facilities to prevent or minimize exposure to infectious agents and other workplace hazards. The scale of the UK market is staggering; during the peak of the pandemic, approximately 19.8 billion PPE items were distributed, with daily usage rates reaching between 10 and 16 million items. While the immediate shortages have subsided, the demand remains consistently high across intensive care units, elderly care facilities, and ambulance services.
PPE is essential for protecting employees from being exposed to various hazards, and employers are responsible for ensuring the health and safety of their employees in the workplace. Risk assessment is used to determine the appropriate type of PPE needed for different hazards and exposures in the workplace, ensuring that both staff and patients are adequately protected. Healthcare workers use PPE to ensure safety during working hours, and different types of PPE are required depending on the specific hazards present in the workplace.
Crucially, the procurement pattern has shifted. The government’s free-PPE scheme for the NHS and social care ended in March 2024, meaning trusts and care providers must now procure through established framework agreements and normal commercial channels. This return to ‘business as usual’ is underpinned by a significant push for domestic resilience. The UK government has explicitly targeted a goal where UK manufacturers meet approximately 70% of PPE demand. For example, major domestic producers like Globus Group now manufacture a significant portion of their output within Britain, supplying billions of masks and respirators annually. This drive for local sourcing provides a distinct advantage to UK-based suppliers or those with robust domestic partnerships.
Navigate the competitive PPE market with confidence. HCI provides the expert market intelligence you need to identify emerging trends and win high-value PPE contracts.
The Essential Guide on How to Supply PPE to the Public Sector
Becoming a trusted supplier of medical protective equipment requires more than just a quality product; it requires an understanding of the public sector’s specific procurement hurdles. The first step for any aspiring supplier is ensuring your business is correctly registered on the relevant portals and possesses the necessary financial and technical standing to participate in large-scale healthcare tenders. Public buyers, particularly those within the NHS, look for evidence of stability and the ability to scale up production or delivery without compromising quality.
Quality assurance is the cornerstone of this sector. Suppliers must demonstrate that their products meet stringent safety specifications, such as the UK-designated standards that have replaced former EU harmonised standards. This involves not only the product itself but also the internal processes of the company, often evidenced through ISO certifications. Furthermore, the public sector is increasingly looking for “partners” rather than just “vendors”—companies that understand the clinical environment and can offer logistical reliability and technical support throughout the life of a contract.
Setting Up Effective Searches for PPE Tenders
To ensure you never miss a relevant contract, it is essential to master the use of Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV) codes. These are numerical codes used to categorise tenders across the UK and Europe. For PPE suppliers, key codes to monitor include:
- 18100000: Occupational clothing and special workwear.
- 33140000: Medical consumables (which often includes masks, gloves, and gowns).
- 22320000: Instruments and appliances for medical use (relevant for complex respiratory PPE).
By setting up saved searches on the HCI Contracts platform with these specific codes and regional filters, your business can receive automated alerts, moving you from a position of reactive searching to one of proactive preparation. See the platform in action with a three day free trial.
Understanding Framework Agreements for PPE Suppliers
A significant portion of PPE procurement occurs through framework agreements. A framework is essentially a pre-approved list of suppliers who have already met specific quality and financial criteria. Once on a framework, public bodies can ‘call off’ contracts or run mini-competitions among the listed suppliers, bypassing the need for a full, open tender for every individual order.
Major frameworks currently shaping the market include the NHS Supply Chain Single-Use PPE & Medical Consumables (2022–2025) and the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) Building Materials & Equipment (RM6157) Lot 7, which covers general and specialist PPE. Getting a place on these frameworks is often a multi-year commitment that provides a steady stream of work. Suppliers should note that many of these agreements have specific expiry dates (such as RM6157 expiring in early 2026), making it vital to track the “pipeline” of upcoming framework renewals well in advance.
This is where HCI’s Frameworks module becomes essential for PPE suppliers. Rather than relying on ad-hoc monitoring or manual tracking, HCI provides structured visibility of NHS and public sector framework agreements in one place—covering live frameworks, upcoming renewals, and historical awards. Suppliers can see which organisations are buying PPE through which frameworks, when agreements are due to expire, and how buying patterns differ by region, Trust, or category.
By combining framework expiry data with pipeline intelligence, HCI enables suppliers to plan well ahead of re-procurements—aligning accreditation, pricing strategy, and bid resources long before opportunities go live. The result is earlier engagement, more focused bids, and a stronger position when frameworks reopen, helping PPE suppliers move from reactive bidding to proactive, insight-led growth across the NHS procurement landscape. See more about HCI Frameworks module here.
Key Requirements for Becoming a Trusted PPE Supplier
To be considered a credible contender for government PPE tenders, your products must adhere to strict regulatory markings and comply with all relevant safety standards and regulations. As of 1 January 2025, it is mandatory for PPE placed on the market in Great Britain to carry the UKCA (UK Conformity Assessed) mark. The previous CE marking is no longer accepted for new products in GB, but all new PPE must be CE marked to signify compliance with safety requirements in other markets. This transition requires suppliers to have a Technical Construction File and a UK Declaration of Conformity that references the Personal Protective Equipment Regulations 2018 (as amended).
The effectiveness of medical protective equipment is assessed through compliance with standards, regular quality checks, fit testing, and injury studies to ensure optimal protection and injury prevention. Employers should ensure that suitable replacement PPE is always readily available, and PPE should be maintained in good condition and replaced as necessary to ensure ongoing protection.
Beyond simple marking, the procurement process scrutinises the risk category of the PPE. Category III PPE, which covers complex risks like respiratory protection, requires annual surveillance audits by a UK-Approved Body. Buyers will also look for evidence of ethical sourcing. With the increased focus on modern slavery and social responsibility, suppliers must prove that their global supply chains are transparent and free from exploitation. Demonstrating this level of compliance is no longer “optional”—it is a pass/fail criterion in most high-value NHS tenders.
Ensure your business meets all the technical and ethical requirements. HCI helps you navigate the complexities of compliance to prepare a robust bid for government PPE tenders. Find out more here.
Crafting a Winning Bid: A Guide on How to Get PPE Tenders
A winning bid for medical protective equipment must go beyond stating the price and technical specifications. Effective PPE use is essential for the prevention of infection and occupational hazards, making it a critical factor in procurement decisions. In the modern procurement era, buyers are looking for resilience and value. This means your bid should clearly articulate how you will ensure a continuous supply even during global logistics disruptions.
Procurement procedures require suppliers to demonstrate their training programs and safe use protocols, ensuring that all staff are equipped to follow proper procedures for PPE usage. Risk assessment is a key part of bid preparation, ensuring that the proposed PPE meets the specific needs of the buyer and addresses potential hazards. Employers are required to assess the risks associated with PPE use and provide training to ensure proper usage. Training on the proper use of PPE is essential to ensure that workers understand when and how to use it effectively.
When writing your proposal, address the buyer’s specific pain points. For an NHS trust, this might involve demonstrating how your packaging reduces clinical waste or how your delivery schedule integrates with their existing internal inventory systems. Use evidence of past performance—case studies where you successfully managed high-volume orders or handled urgent requests are invaluable. Remember, the evaluation often weights quality and clinical safety as high as, if not higher than, the price point.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid When Bidding on PPE Contracts
Many suppliers fail not because of their product quality, but because of administrative or strategic errors during the bidding process. Common mistakes include submitting incomplete documentation, failing to provide specific UKCA certification, or offering pricing that is unrealistic in the face of fluctuating raw material costs. Furthermore, many bids are rejected because they fail to address the specific “Social Value” requirements that now account for at least 10% of the score in most public contracts.
Proving Your Supply Chain is Robust and Reliable
Following the supply chain shocks of recent years, procurement officers are hyper-vigilant about logistics. In your tender response, you must provide a detailed map of your supply chain. This includes the origin of raw materials, the location of manufacturing facilities, and the redundancy plans you have in place. If your manufacturing is based overseas, how do you mitigate shipping delays? If you are a UK manufacturer, how do you secure your component parts? Evidence of stockpiling capabilities or “buffer stock” held within the UK is often a key differentiator.
The Growing Importance of Sustainability and Social Value
The NHS has committed to reaching Net Zero by 2045, and PPE is a significant contributor to its carbon footprint. Suppliers who can demonstrate innovations in sustainability will have a competitive edge. This includes moving away from single-use plastics towards biodegradable materials or providing “circular” PPE solutions. Highlighting your commitment to the NHS “Design for Life” roadmap—which encourages low-carbon, reusable designs—can significantly boost your social value score.
How HCI Gives You the Edge in the PPE Market
In a sector as fast-moving as medical supplies, information is your most valuable asset. HCI provides a dedicated healthcare-centric intelligence solution that goes beyond simple tender alerts. Our platform aggregates data from thousands of sources, including exclusive NHS procurement hubs and local authority portals, ensuring that you have a comprehensive view of the entire market landscape.
By using HCI’s advanced analytics, you can perform spend analysis to see which trusts are buying which types of PPE and at what price points. This allows you to tailor your commercial strategy and identify gaps in the market where existing suppliers might be underperforming. Our intelligence helps you move from being a reactive bidder to a proactive strategic partner, allowing you to engage with buyers early in the procurement cycle and influence the requirements of future tenders.
The Future of the PPE Market: What Suppliers Need to Know
Looking ahead, the PPE market is moving towards “Circular PPE” and sustainable innovation. The NHS-led “UK Make” initiative is actively seeking “made-for-reusable” PPE, such as washable surgical gowns and recyclable masks. For instance, trials of reusable surgical textiles have shown that items can be reused up to 70 times, drastically reducing waste and costs over the long term.
Innovation is also appearing in logistics and manufacturing, with 3D printing for face shields and automated sewing techniques becoming more prevalent. Future PPE may also include other items such as sensors, electronics, or additional components to enhance safety and monitoring. Powered air purifying respirators are an emerging technology in PPE, providing advanced respiratory protection for healthcare workers. Adequate ventilation is an important engineering control that may complement PPE in reducing airborne hazards. Suppliers who invest in these technologies now will be better positioned for the future. Additionally, as the UK continues to strengthen its domestic manufacturing base, being able to provide “Made in Britain” credentials will remain a powerful tool for winning public sector favour.
Your Next Steps to Securing Your First PPE Tender
Securing a contract for medical protective equipment is a journey that requires meticulous preparation, a deep understanding of regulatory compliance, and a strategic approach to market intelligence. The opportunities within the NHS and the wider public sector are vast, but the competition is professional and well-prepared.
To begin your journey, ensure your business is compliant with the latest UKCA regulations, refine your supply chain transparency, and begin monitoring the pipeline of upcoming framework agreements. By leveraging expert guidance and the comprehensive data provided by HCI Contracts, you can navigate the complexities of healthcare procurement and position your business for long-term success.
Ready to secure your place in the UK PPE market? Contact HCI today to book a demonstration of our platform and discover how our market intelligence can transform your tendering strategy.