SS3/13/111 National Uniform Managed Service

Descriptions

A national contract for a fully managed service for uniform and equipment.Nationally consolidated, centrally managed services to supply force specific/identifiable uniform and equipment, which is open to Police Forces and organisations within the United Kingdom.The Authority is seeking potential bidders capable of managing the consistent, uninterrupted supply of a wide range of diverse uniform and equipment products. To give an example of potential scale, MOPAC currently manages approximately 345 product lines across 67 different roles for over 30 000 officers. The National scale is commensurate to up to circa 160 000 officers engaged by 43 forces in England and Wales.Uniform and equipment – a broad range of textiles based products including, but not limited to, shirts, blouses, trousers, pullovers and performance garments, for example thermal fleeces, water/windproof jackets and breathable, wicking shirts to be worn under tactical vests and footwear. Provision of ceremonial uniform hire, personal identification, accessories and accoutrements is also required.Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – a diverse range of operational equipment for specific policing requirements including, but not limited to Traffic, Mounted Officers and Divers.The Authority has identified potential synergies in a range of sub-categories and therefore reserves the right to define the constituent parts of each managed service. The Authority therefore challenges the market to propose dynamic solutions.The Authority would also like to encourage component (sub-category) providers to offer fresh proposals of their integration into an end-to-end uniform and equipment solution. The range of component categories will include but is not limited to:Design, Development and Testing.Production and Quality Assurance.Storage and Logistics.‘Kit Pack' service (incl. accuracy of sizing and ‘wardrobe' database management).Insignia, Badging and Unique Identification (bulk and ad-hoc).Alterations and Repair.Hire of Ceremonial Uniform.Secure Recycling, Upcycling and Disposal.Policing provides a 24/7/365 service to communities throughout the UK. It has to be flexible and responsive to change, often at very short notice. The Supplier(s) must have the ability to adjust to the subsequent impact on the nature and volume of the products it is expected to provide and offer the flexibility to continuously develop the range to reflect the various customer requirements.Therefore the potential Supplier(s) must possess the ability to establish end user feedback mechanisms that ensure ongoing improvements to customer service and the ‘fitness for purpose' of the products.The Authority requires the support of uniform and equipment specialists with direct control of their product specifications and experience in bringing fit for purpose ranges from inception (either stakeholder defined or driven by market improvement), through design (working with users), sampling and development to User Acceptance Testing and ‘contract seal' production and implementation stage. Customer support and after sales service is a key capability.To take advantage of economies of scale from bulk processing, to test the viability of a ‘Kit Pack' based managed service solution. An example of a ‘Kit Pack' based managed service solution is defined as the process whereby a basic range of uniform is issued to members of staff on appointment (an “Initial Kit Pack”), and thereafter periodically in “Replacement Kit Packs”. The range of garments in each “Kit Pack” is determined entirely according to the role to which each officer is assigned. A range of labelling, badging (a selection of garments require badging/labelling unique to the officers indentification) and accoutrements are issued with each Initial Kit Pack and thereafter ordered from stock as and when required.As such, irrespective of the viability of a ‘Kit Pack' based managed service solution, the Authority requires first line support to operational staff and therefore a strategic stock holding(s) for immediate response. Stock management fluctuates according to season, but also in preparation for planned events or reaction to unplanned events. The Authority is aware that each supplier's storage and logistics infrastructure is organised differently. The Authority is keen to implement an innovative and dynamic proposal, from a lean and cost efficient storage and distribution perspective. The Authority is keen to investigate innovative and dynamic proposals from a lean and cost efficient perspective. The authority may wish to utilise the chosen provider for the supply chain, storage and logistics capability for other items where it is cost effective to do so.It is also important that prospective suppliers are cognisant of the key inter-Lot dependencies for each of these alternative supply chain, storage and logistics solutions and the implications of certain models (eg. the impact of unique identification on ad-hoc order of key garments/equipment, including but not limited to lead-time of pick/pack and delivery, storage capacities and rates and delivery scheduling, capacity and rates).The Authority will also be looking to the market for information on the most effective and efficient method to ensure that officers and staff are ordering the correct size products and equipment and understand the best fit to maximise operational performance.It is imperative that the Supplier(s) consistently deliver products manufactured in accordance with the agreed specification and size chart. The Authority is keen to examine all new and novel methods of size collection practices.The collection, collation and management of this accurate sizing and order data is critical to understand officer/force purchasing trends and behaviours which improves the management of demand. The Authority is looking for a supplier who can not only capture the data, but to also harvest the management information to support the Authority's drive on rationalisation of the overall range, efficiencies in production and stockholding and therefore generate cost reduction strategies without compromising the quality of the product.Potential suppliers must be capable of managing robust control processes that govern the sourcing, selection and on-going management of ethical and socially responsible supply chains.Bidders shall ensure that each product meets the minimum mandatory product (eg. BS/EN/ISO/PPE/CE etc.), ethical (eg. ETI/SA800/WRAP etc.) and environmental (eg. REACH, Oekotex, ISO14000 etc.) standards that govern the supply of that product or equevilants.Additionally, all Supplier(s) shall manage a sustainability plan to consistently minimise the adverse impacts their business has on the environment.A key feature of the solution is the ‘full life cycle' management of the uniform products and equipment including the adoption of an efficient and effective repair, maintenance, refurbishment and recycling regime to minimise the impact on the global environment. Any such solution(s) shall include robust security controls to protect the integrity of the Authority's uniform.The Contracting Authority intends to conclude a contract for goods on behalf of itself and other UK public sector bodies (and their statutory successors and organisations created as a result of re-organisation or organisational changes). These will include: the Mayors Office for Policing and Crime established in January 2012; a police authority established under section 3 of the Police Act 1996; a police authority established under section 2 of the Police (Scotland)Act 1967; the Northern Ireland Policing Board, the Greater London Authority or a functional body within the meaning of the Greater London Authority Act 1999; a fire authority constituted by a combination scheme under the Fire Services Act 1947; a fire and rescue authority within the meaning of section 1 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 or constituted by a scheme under section 2 or 4 of that Act.The contract will also be open to be accessed by the following contracting authorities.Central Government Departments and their Agencies (a list of Executive Agencies can be found at: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/ministerial_responsibilities/executive_agencies.aspx),Non Departmental Public Bodies (NDPB's)(a list of NDPB's can be found at Annex A to the Public Bodies Directory 2007 published by the cabinet office which can be found at: http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/documents/pdf/public_bodies_2007.pdf); NHS Bodies (i.e. Acute Trusts, Ambulance Trusts, Primary Care Trusts, Care Trusts, NHS Hospital Trusts, Strategic Health Authorities, Mental Health Trusts, Special Health Authorities, Community Health Councils, Local Health Boards, NHS Trusts, NHS Scotland and its organisations and Special NHS Boards in Scotland (lists of such Authorities and Trusts can be found at: http://www.nhs.uk/servicedirectories/Pages/PrimaryCareTrustListing.aspx, http://www.wales.nhs.uk/catorgs.cfm#1, http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/organsations/index.html and http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/organisations/special_hbs.html)) and Local Authorities (i.e. a local authority as defined in Regulation 3(2) to (5) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2006 (the regulations) a list of such authorities can be found at: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DI1/Directories/Localcouncils/AToZOfLocalCouncils/DG_A-Z_LG),Avon and Somerset Constabulary, Bedfordshire Police, British Transport Police, Cambridgeshire Constabulary, Cheshire Constabulary, City of London Police, Civil Nuclear Constabulary, Cleveland Police, Cumbria Constabulary, Derbyshire Constabulary, Devon and Cornwall Police, Dorset Police, Durham Constabulary, Dyfed-Powys Police, Essex Police, Gloucestershire Constabulary, Greater Manchester Police, Hampshire Constabulary, Hertfordshire Constabulary, Humberside Police, Kent Police, Lancashire Constabulary, Leicestershire Police, Lincolnshire Police, Merseyside Police, Ministry of Defence Police, Norfolk Constabulary, North Wales Police, Northamptonshire Police, Northumbria Police, North Yorkshire Police, Nottinghamshire Police, Police Service of Scotland, Scotland Police, Service of Northern Ireland, South Wales Police, South Yorkshire Police, Staffordshire Police, Suffolk Constabulary, Surrey Police, Sussex Police, Thames Valley Police, Warwickshire Police, West Mercia Police, West Midlands Police, West Yorkshire Police and Wiltshire Police. UK Border Agency.