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The Department for Education (DfE) is looking to provide free period products to schools and post-16 education providers across England through a procurement to appoint a national provider.
The Period Products Scheme ensures that period products are available and accessible, free of charge, to girls and women who need them in schools and colleges. The scheme aims to reduce periods as a barrier to education, promote dignity and equality in learning environments and tackle stigma associated with periods. The scheme was introduced after a 2018 Omnibus Survey suggested that 14% of female college students and 6% of female school pupils has been unable to access period products in the last 12-months due to affordability and 83% of secondary school leaders made free period products available in their school.
Tackling this problem remains a key priority and is part of DfE's strategy to support the Government's mission to break down the barriers to opportunity; one of the six missions which form the centrepiece of our plan for change. This mission-led approach drives coordination between different programmes and workstreams by setting ambitious shared goals.
The Department has published a competitive flexible tendering opportunity to find a single national supplier who can from September 2026:
We require a ‘demand-led’ service which must be available to approximately 21,000 organisations across England, with an accessible and easy to use means of interaction and product ordering.
The Department is also seeking to maximise the value of the scheme beyond the core offer through financial benefits, added value, and/or awareness activities and materials. In return, the Department proposes to offer a package of rights to the lead supplier and/or key sub-contractors/supply chain members.
For further information, please access the ITT documents via the Jaggaer e-Procurement platform (itt_3864).
The Department will be holding a Bidder Engagement Event on 12th February 2026, from 10:30am:
1. Potential suppliers are invited to participate in this bidder engagement session, which will be facilitated via Microsoft Teams.
2. The session will be led by representatives of the Department for Education and will focus on the programme’s requirements and the tendering process.
3. To register your interest in attending, please use the messaging facility in the Jaggaer Portal and include the email contact details of all attendees in your message.
4. Following registration, an invite will be sent to the email addresses of the attendees on 11th February 2026.
Attendance is not mandatory and slides and any Q&As from the session will be uploaded to Jaggaer following the event.
| Supplier | Identifier | Award Value | Lots Won | Cross-References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personnel Hygiene Services Limited trading as PHS Group plc | 00770813 | £10,586,364 | 1 lot Lot 1 | - |
Taken from this notice, not from Companies House. Check the original notice — details change and are not updated here.
This procurement was divided into 1 lots, each awarded separately. 5 bids were received in total.
| Lot | Value | Bids Received | Awarded To | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lot 1 Jun 2026 – Aug 2028 | £19,800,000 £10,586,364 initial term | 5 | active |
Notices published under the Procurement Act 2023 name every bidder, including unsuccessful ones.
| Bidder | Bid on | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Personnel Hygiene Services Limited trading as PHS Group plc | Lot 1 | Won |
| Bunzl UK T/A Arrow County Supplies | Lot 1 | Unsuccessful |
| Cheeky Baby Products Ltd | Lot 1 | Unsuccessful |
| Findel Education | Lot 1 | Unsuccessful |
| The Brush Bus Ltd | Lot 1 | Unsuccessful |
Weightings from the notice.
Government spending data: This supplier has received £251,362 in 176 payments (over £25k) from Nottinghamshire Police, Merseyside Police, Northamptonshire Police, Cheshire Constabulary, Surrey Police and 1 more public bodies (2016-09-06 to 2026-04-01). View full payment history →
Changes the buyer published to this notice after it first appeared.
The deadline for tender submissions has been extended to 12pm (midday) on 16th March 2026.
The deadline for tender submissions has been extended to 12pm (midday) on 16th March 2026.
The total available estimated value for the contract (including any extension) has been amended. Previously it was £19,800,000 including VAT. It is now £19,800,000 excluding VAT and £23,760,000 including VAT.