Period Product provision to schools and post-16 education institutions

In March 2019, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the DfE will lead a scheme to provide access to free sanitary products in all schools and colleges in England. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/spring-statement-2019-what-you-need-to-know

On 16th April, Children and Families Minister Nadhim Zahawi confirmed access to free period products will also be fully-funded in Primary Schools. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/free-sanitary-products-in-all-primary-schools

The DfE's 2018 omnibus survey found that 83% of secondary school leaders reported making free products available to pupils, with 41% doing so because of a reason related to pupils' inability to afford period products. Of the secondary school leaders who reported making free products available, 78% said provision was funded from school budgets, 26% used charitable donations and 17% said teachers funded products themselves. No-one should be held back from reaching their potential, which is why we have announced a scheme to provide access to free period products in schools and colleges in England, and that this will be fully funded by the government.

The DfE is looking to procure goods and services from a single national supplier who can: - Source an appropriate range of period products - Design and implement user interfaces and support services - Plan and execute a national delivery service

We require a 'demand-led' service which must be available to approximately 22,000 institutions across England, with an accessible and easy to use means of interaction and product ordering.

The DfE reserves the right to extend this agreement by further periods of 12 and 8 months.

PLEASE NOTE: We have estimated the value of this opportunity to be in the region of £10-20m based on an anticipated level of take-up across the 1.7m eligible learners. The funding for this opportunity is contingent on user need, alongside the delivery and distribution methods used by any successful bidder

Additional information: This tender opportunity is published via the DfE's e-procurement system, Bravo. To register, please see the following link: https://education.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.shtml