Provision of scientific and technical advice for product safety applications

Tender description

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), part of the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) requires high quality scientific advice on the latest developments in product safety. This contract should cover all product areas regulated by the Office (found here) with a particular focus on cosmetics, toys, childcare articles, textiles, fireworks and aerosols. Advice and support is required to identify and address risks (predominantly chemical) relating to consumer products. As well as drawing on your expert knowledge, we expect the supplier/s to have an excellent understanding of wider cross-cutting chemical regulations and relevant technical standards. This advice is crucial for OPSS to dispense our responsibilities to ensure regulation is based on the latest scientific evidence, in order to protect consumers and support business. It is proposed the contract will be of 1 year duration with an option to extend by 2 additional years in 1-year increments. Lot 1: The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) is seeking to secure expert advice and support on a variety of workstreams relating to chemical and mechanical aspects of consumer product safety legislation, technical standards and horizon scanning. The role of OPSS is to manage policy on non-food and non-medicinal consumer products to ensure it achieves the UK Government's aims on protecting the health and safety of consumers, without placing disproportionate burdens on UK business. This advice is crucial to ensure policy and enforcement decision-making is underpinned by robust scientific evidence. With the formal exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union on the 31st of January 2020, OPSS has taken on repatriated regulatory functions for consumer product safety. To ensure OPSS remains at the forefront of international developments and areas of emerging risk, advice will be required utilising a range of international sources to remain abreast of key global product safety developments, challenges, and opportunities. The programme of work will cover the following areas: • Advisory role on legislative requirements • Support for British (BSI) and European (CEN) Product Safety Standards • Ad hoc chemical advice in relation to product safety • International product safety updates and horizon scanning These workstreams can take the form of participation in meetings to discuss issues with interested stakeholders, preparation of papers on technical issues and preparation of information to facilitate decision making. Advice is required in the following areas: • Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011 • The Aerosol Dispensers Regulations 2009 • The UK Cosmetics Regulation • The General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (apply to products intended for or likely, under reasonably foreseeable conditions, to be used by consumers for which no other product specific regulations exist e.g. childcare articles) • REACH and CLP Regulation • The Pyrotechnic Articles (Safety) Regulations 2015 Additional information: In order to provide prospective suppliers with the opportunity to gain more detail on the project and identify potential partners, BEIS are holding a Supplier Day via MS Teams on 7th June 2021 from 11.00-12.00. Interested organisations please contact Alastair Hooley, procurement.opss@beis.gov.uk to reserve your place.