NFCC National Fire Fighter PPE

Market Engagement Strategy

Following a meeting of the National Firefighters PPE project (NFFPPE) team, a format for the ongoing market engagement process has been developed.

We understand that many suppliers and manufacturers are keen to engage with the project to not only discuss new products and innovations, but also proudly show and demonstrate their production and supply facilities. In recent weeks we have been inundated with requests for meetings and facility visits.

NFFPPE project team need to ensure that we are being open, fair and transparent to all existing and new suppliers and that whilst we are not currently in a formal procurement process, we need to be conscious of the Public Procurement Regulations.

The commencement of the formal procurement process will be communicated by the publication of a ‘Planned Procurement Notice.’ It is envisaged that the procurement process will be undertaken using the new procedures detailed in the ‘Procurement Act 2023’ which is due to go live on 24th February 2025, more information and any updates can be found here.

The NFFPPE project team have therefore decided to adopt the following approach:

1. Formal Market Engagement Events

These events will be advertised seminars/webinars and intended to impart a consistent message from the project team to all suppliers. These events will also be an opportunity for suppliers and manufacturers to raise any questions or concerns. Any presentations and materials used during these events will be published and available even if you did not attend the event.

A list of placeholder dates was communicated during an update session given at this year’s

Emergency Services Show, these being:

• 12th November 2024
• 12th December 2024
• 21st January 2025
• 25th February 2025
• 20th March 2025
• 30th April 2025

As and when these events are fully developed and confirmed they will be notified using the

‘Prior Information Notice’ (PIN) via Kent Business Portal. As we move forward, and the new

Procurement Act comes into force these will be advertised via the central digital platform (CDP).

2. Research/Development and Innovation meetings

These meetings are for individual suppliers/manufactures to highlight their products and to ensure that the project team technical group have all the available information for consideration when defining the specification requirements for the new framework.

It is important to note that the new framework will be established as an output based specification with no product or supplier being named. As such the technical group are most interested in performance of product/service and how this meets the many challenges facing firefighters PPE. In addition, any new developments in the market place that the project should consider.

To ensure consistency of information these meetings will predominately be with the project technical group lead and the Chair of NFCC PPE, other technical team representatives may be involved but the numbers will be limited in case non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) need to be signed in advance.

The technical group lead and chair of NFCC PPE will ensure all relevant information is cascaded to the wider group, as is permitted by any signed NDAs.

Due to the high demand already received for these types of meetings it has been decided that suppliers/manufacturers will need to attend prearranged meetings and there will not be a facility for visits to suppliers/manufactures facilities, unless this is a non-related event that has been arranged by that supplier/manufacturer and available to a broader sector attendance.

Suppliers/manufacturers who have already contacted the team will be given priority of available attendance dates/times. Once these have been arranged the remaining available dates/times will be circulated. The arrangement for these meetings will be coordinated via

…@lincolnshire.gov.uk.

Every effort will be made to accommodate all requests, however the meetings maybe limited by the availability of suitable team members who have other duties to undertake in their day to day roles. It is expected that these meetings will need to cease at least 6 weeks prior to the commencement of the procurement process, which is scheduled for end May 2025.

3. Planned site/production facility visits

During the procurement phase of the project, it is planned that site/production visits will be a required stage of the award process. It is envisaged that at this stage these visits will occur towards the end of the process when the selection of participants has been through robust earlier phases.

This approach is to ensure the efficient use of time and target suppliers/manufactures that are engaged in the process, have met the proceeding process criteria and are more likely to be successful in an award.

These visits will follow a pre-described format, are likely to be scored and will be conducted by a variety of individuals/teams who represent both the commercial and technical groups of the project

FCC National Fire Fighters PPE Project update

As advised at the Emergency Services Show on 18th September 2024, several Supplier Engagement Sessions have been planned.

These are planned to take place on

Amended • 21st January 2025 - West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service

Now Thursday 6th February 2025 at 2pm at London Fire Brigade Head quarters 168 Union Street London SE1 0LL

Cancelled • 25th February 2025 - West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service

• 20th March 2025 - West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service
• 30th April 2025 - West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service

From 20th March 2025 the Supplier Engagement Sessions are due to be held at the Hub at West Midlands Fire SHQ, 99 Vauxhall Road Birmingham B7 4HW.

All meetings are intended to be hybrid and the Authority, would kindly request that attendance is limited per organisation to 1 attendee, and if another attendee from the same organisation is required that they maybe able to join via MS Teams or if additional spcaes open up then these will be allocated on a first come first serve basis.

Please complete the booking form on the attached link https://forms.office.com/e/ebG3wcWAcx

Please ensure that your responses or amendments to bookings are made at least 5 working days in advance of the session otherwise we will not be able to guarantee that the amendments will be able to be made.

If we are able to offer additional spaces for physical attendance of the secondary contact then we will offer out via the message service on the Kent Business Portal on a first come first served basis.

Previous PIN Notices published in relation to this procurement are

2023/S 000-033154

2024/S 000-026679

2024/S 000-033450