Maintenance of Manual Handling Equipment

NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership (NWSSP) Supply Chain, Logistics & Transport department sought to procure a long-term solution to their Manual Handling Equipment maintenance needs to ensure all equipment is regularly serviced and remains compliant with safety standards. This will reduce downtime, improve operator safety, extend asset lifespan, and provide cost certainty through planned maintenance rather than reactive repairs.The department were looking to establish a long-term maintenance arrangement through a contract with an initial term of 24 months, with the option to extend for a further 12 months, subject to the supplier delivering services that are satisfactory and fully compliant with contractual and regulatory requirements. The overall objective was to secure a reliable supplier capable of delivering consistent service quality, maintaining ongoing compliance, and supporting the department’s operational needs over the duration of the contract.Procurement Services and the department undertook a strategic review to mitigate potential risks to the contract, collaboratively developing a robust specification aligned with the department’s requirements, including realistic timeframes and clear service expectations. In addition, Procurement Services completed comprehensive market research to ensure that the tender process selected was both appropriate and fully compliant. From this it was established that the most appropriate route to Market was via an Open Tender.Procurement Services commenced the process by issuing a UK2 Preliminary Market Engagement Notice to obtain expression of interest and create awareness of the upcoming Tender. Following this the Open Tender was published on the 5th November 2025 with a closing date of the 2nd December 2025.