PS22407 - Research Collaboration Network Framework

Risk – risk tolerance, risk communications and management, risk assessment and prioritisation

The application of risk

The application of risk is a theme bringing together research into how risk can be applied in OPSS’ regulatory system. The main aims of this work include:

I. Define, standardise and measure the risk of products to support policy and enforcement strategies.

II. Review regulatory systems to understand when and where risk measurements should be incorporated.

III. Incorporate risk prioritisation and management methodologies to prioritise regulatory actions.

IV. Provide evidence to support communication campaigns.

Analytical - Impact analysis, market analysis and consumer/business behaviours and attitudes.

Technology, hardware and software – Literature reviews, SWOT analysis and research testing

** Please note this is not a call for competition. This is a PIN notice for a Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) requirement**

This OPSS Research Collaboration Network is being commissioned to support the delivery of the Office for Product Safety & Standards (OPSS) Strategic Research Programme (SRP). OPSS was established by BEIS in January 2018 in order to enhance protections for consumers and drive forward increased productivity, growth and business confidence. The OPSS SRP provides high quality, strategic, science-based research to strengthen the evidence base for OPSS policy development, delivery and enforcement activities.

As an evidence-led organisation, OPSS places great importance on research which gathers insights on a number of evidence bases and challenges the product safety system faces. We intend that by setting up a Research Collaboration Network OPSS will bring together suppliers and create a community of researchers dedicated to the OPSS objectives of keeping people safe and driving forward increased productivity, growth and business confidence. We propose that a joined-up approach for research commissioning will attract more suppliers and will create lists of subject matter experts we can call upon for peer review and technical advice.

The aim of the OPSS Research Framework is to identify and utilise contractors with skill and expertise in the following areas to support the aims of our Strategic Research Programme (SRP):

• Lot 1: Risk (communications, management, measurement, prioritisation and tolerance);
• Lot 2: Chemicals and Materials (Identification, measurement, characterisation techniques and exposure studies and toxicological limits);
• Lot 3: Economic (Impact analysis, market analysis and consumer/business behaviours and attitudes);
• Lot 4: Technology hardware and software. (Literature reviews, SWOT analysis and research testing, focusing on batteries, mechanical and software engineering challenges).

The purpose of the Research Collaboration Network is to make it easier and faster for both contractors and OPSS to apply for and commission research, with contractors only required to make one large bid at the beginning of the framework start which will onboard them into a ‘lot’ relevant to their expertise. Research requests from OPSS will be ad hoc and throughout the year but will relate to

these four lots. The research requests will then be distributed to suppliers through much shorter ‘mini competitions’ which require less paperwork (usual turn-around time is approx. one week).

We hope this Research Collaboration Network will also attract smaller research

businesses and academic institutions, who may struggle with the demands of bidding of individual research from contracts finder or other government procurement routes. It is worth nothing that this will not subsume other methods of procurement and in some cases other frameworks could be used for some research when appropriate. We are particularly interested in suppliers who have expertise in applying their research methods to non-medical and non-food consumer products.

This Prior Information Notice is being issued in order to undertake a market consultation exercise with regards to the current view of requirements detailed above.

The supplier engagement session is due to take place on Wednesday, 25th January 2023 10:00 – 12:00 via Microsoft Teams. The supplier engagement session will last approximately 2 hours, comprising of the following:

• Overview of the requirements for each lot
• Explanation of the bidding process
• Open floor Q&A

Note that the route to market will be via Find a Tender and Contracts Finder.

Chemical and Materials – Identification techniques, Characterisation techniques, exposure studies and toxicological limits.

The chemicals and materials in products theme brings together all research concerned with chemicals and materials within consumer products. It includes a number of policy and enforcement areas ranging from coatings and content of specific chemicals within materials, to developing methods to efficiently identify and measure chemicals for enforcement purposes. The aims of this research area include:

I. Review chemicals and materials and their extent of their usage in products

II. Develop characterisation techniques and measurement methodologies for these chemicals to support the identification and quantification of chemicals

III. Understand exposure and chemical limits for various chemicals to feed back into regulations

IV. Development of chemical risk assessments

** Please note this is not a call for competition. This is a PIN notice for a Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) requirement**

This OPSS Research Collaboration Network is being commissioned to support the delivery of the Office for Product Safety & Standards (OPSS) Strategic Research Programme (SRP). OPSS was established by BEIS in January 2018 in order to enhance protections for consumers and drive forward increased productivity, growth and business confidence.

The OPSS SRP provides high quality, strategic, science-based research to strengthen the evidence base for OPSS policy development, delivery and enforcement activities.

As an evidence-led organisation, OPSS places great importance on research which gathers insights on a number of evidence bases and challenges the product safety system faces. We intend that by setting up a Research Collaboration Network OPSS will bring together suppliers and create a community of researchers dedicated to the OPSS objectives of keeping people safe and driving forward increased productivity, growth and business confidence. We propose that a joined-up approach for research commissioning will attract more suppliers and will create lists of subject matter experts we can call upon for peer review and technical advice.

The aim of the OPSS Research Framework is to identify and utilise contractors with skill and expertise in the following areas to support the aims of our Strategic Research Programme (SRP):

• Lot 1: Risk (communications, management, measurement, prioritisation and tolerance);
• Lot 2: Chemicals and Materials (Identification, measurement, characterisation techniques and exposure studies and toxicological limits);
• Lot 3: Economic (Impact analysis, market analysis and consumer/business behaviours and attitudes);
• Lot 4: Technology hardware and software. (Literature reviews, SWOT analysis and research testing, focusing on batteries, mechanical and software engineering challenges).

The purpose of the Research Collaboration Network is to make it easier and faster for both contractors and OPSS to apply for and commission research, with contractors only required to make one large bid at the beginning of the framework start which will onboard them into a ‘lot’ relevant to their expertise. Research requests from OPSS will be ad hoc and throughout the year but will relate to these four lots. The research requests will then be distributed to suppliers through much shorter ‘mini competitions’ which require less paperwork (usual turn-around time is approx. one week). We hope this Research Collaboration Network will also attract smaller research businesses and academic institutions, who may struggle with the demands of bidding of individual research from contracts finder or other government procurement routes. It is worth nothing that this will not subsume other methods of procurement and in some cases other frameworks could be used for some research when appropriate. We are particularly interested in suppliers who have expertise in applying their research methods to non-medical and non-food consumer products.

This Prior Information Notice is being issued in order to undertake a market consultation exercise with regards to the current view of requirements detailed above.

The supplier engagement session is due to take place on Wednesday, 25th January 2023 10:00 – 12:00 via Microsoft Teams. The supplier engagement session will last approximately 2 hours, comprising of the following:

• Overview of the requirements for each lot
• Explanation of the bidding process
• Open floor Q&A

Note that the route to market will be via Find a Tender and Contracts Finder.

** Please note this is not a call for competition. This is a PIN notice for a Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) requirement**

This OPSS Research Collaboration Network is being commissioned to support the delivery of the Office for Product Safety & Standards (OPSS) Strategic Research Programme (SRP). OPSS was established by BEIS in January 2018 in order to enhance protections for consumers and drive forward increased productivity, growth and business confidence.

The OPSS SRP provides high quality, strategic, science-based research to strengthen the evidence base for OPSS policy development, delivery and enforcement activities.

As an evidence-led organisation, OPSS places great importance on research which gathers insights on a number of evidence bases and challenges the product safety system faces. We intend that by setting up a Research Collaboration Network OPSS will bring together suppliers and create a community of researchers dedicated to the OPSS objectives of keeping people safe and driving forward increased productivity, growth and business confidence. We propose that a joined-up approach for research commissioning will attract more suppliers and will create lists of subject matter experts we can call upon for peer review and technical advice.

The aim of the OPSS Research Framework is to identify and utilise contractors with skill and expertise in the following areas to support the aims of our Strategic Research Programme (SRP):

• Lot 1: Risk (communications, management, measurement, prioritisation and tolerance);
• Lot 2: Chemicals and Materials (Identification, measurement, characterisation techniques and exposure studies and toxicological limits);
• Lot 3: Economic (Impact analysis, market analysis and consumer/business behaviours and attitudes);
• Lot 4: Technology hardware and software. (Literature reviews, SWOT analysis and research testing, focusing on batteries, mechanical and software engineering challenges).

The purpose of the Research Collaboration Network is to make it easier and faster for both contractors and OPSS to apply for and commission research, with contractors only required to make one large bid at the beginning of the framework start which will onboard them into a ‘lot’ relevant to their expertise. Research requests from OPSS will be ad hoc and throughout the year but will relate to these four lots. The research requests will then be distributed to suppliers through much shorter ‘mini competitions’ which require less paperwork (usual turn-around time is approx. one week). We hope this Research Collaboration Network will also attract smaller research businesses and academic institutions, who may struggle with the demands of bidding of individual research from contracts finder or other government procurement routes. It is worth nothing that this will not subsume other methods of procurement and in some cases other frameworks could be used for some research when appropriate. We are particularly interested in suppliers who have expertise in applying their research methods to non-medical and non-food consumer products.

This Prior Information Notice is being issued in order to undertake a market consultation exercise with regards to the current view of requirements detailed above.

The supplier engagement session is due to take place on Wednesday, 25th January 2023 10:00 – 12:00 via Microsoft Teams. The supplier engagement session will last approximately 2 hours, comprising of the following:

• Overview of the requirements for each lot
• Explanation of the bidding process
• Open floor Q&A

Note that the route to market will be via Find a Tender and Contracts Finder.