From brief to delivery: Inside HAIX’s blueprint for better fire PPE procurement
Iain Hoey
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Simon Ash, UK and Ireland Sales Manager at HAIX, gives his expert insight on how suppliers and procurement teams can make the tender process more efficient and successful for the UK fire sector and explores the relationship between them
The procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) through formal tender processes is a critical step for both buyers and suppliers in the UK fire industry.
The stakes are high: having the right PPE is pertinent for firefighter safety and operational effectiveness.
With the complex and ever-changing nature of safety standards, environments and worker requirements, the tender process for firefighter PPE is often lengthy, detailed and subject to intense scrutiny.
For this reason, it’s essential for procurement officers to be well-equipped, transparent and up-to-date with regulations and market trends.
Equally, suppliers must be realistic, in-touch with procurement needs and able to provide robust evidence to support their proposed products.
Defining product requirements with precision
A successful tender begins with a clear, evidence-based understanding of operational requirements.
Firefighting in the UK encompasses a wide spectrum of scenarios, from urban high-rise incidents to rural wildfires and hazardous material responses.
Each context brings its own set of risks and performance demands, so it is essential that procurement teams engage directly with end users – frontline firefighters and officers – to capture the nuances of daily challenges and understand workers’ day-to-day role.
This engagement can support procurement officers in understanding exactly what a PPE product, such as footwear, needs to offer the wearer in order for them to work safely and comfortably.
Structured feedback sessions, surveys and field trials can provide invaluable insights into what is genuinely required from the new PPE.
For example, the increasing prevalence of electric vehicle fires or the rise in wildfires across the country, may necessitate features that were not prioritised in previous tenders.
By doing this, procurement teams can avoid both over-specification (which drives up costs and complexity) and under-specification (which can reduce comfort and longevity).
Equally, suppliers can also ensure their products are suitable for the fire industry, before the procurement process even begins.
For example, HAIX works closely with the Fire Service College and leads wear trails to learn valuable insight on what firefighters like and dislike about the product, providing timely feedback from those who will ultimately be wearing the boots.
Market awareness and collaboration
A deep understanding of what like-minded industries, such as other emergency services fields, are doing can help the tender process be well-informed, timely and forward-thinking.
Once informed by the current market and the workers who will be impacted by the new tender, procurement officers should look to develop the objectives for what they need the product to achieve.
A key consideration is being realistic on what is possible and reasonable to ask for within one product.
While it is tempting to seek ‘all-in-one’ solutions, technical constraints must be acknowledged.
Conducting dialogues early in the process with suppliers can clarify what is achievable and where compromises may be necessary, ensuring that tenders are both ambitious and realistic.
For example, a specification that demands both maximum durability and minimal weight in a single boot may not be feasible with the preferred material choice.
In this instance, a boot which is made with innovative, light-weight material such as Extraguard, as with HAIX’s new Fire Eagle 2.0 EXG boot, will be more effective than traditional leather.
By working with forward-thinking and transparent suppliers, procurement officers can be confident that they are getting a product that works and ticks as many requirements as possible.
Overall, the tender process should be a two-way conversation once a shortlist has been determined.
Procurement officers can provide direct, evidence-based insights and business objectives and suppliers with deep experience in the UK fire market can offer valuable perspectives on regulatory changes, product lifecycle management and lessons learned from previous contracts.
Their input can help procurement teams anticipate future needs, such as the growing emphasis on firefighter health and wellbeing, or what technologies are currently being developed for future products.
Navigating standards and compliance
Compliance with UK and international safety standards is non-negotiable for any product-related tender.
A clear understanding of the relevant and up-to-date standards is essential for both procurement officers and suppliers to influence product design, structure and material.
Procurement and supplier teams must be well acquainted with the EN15090 standard, the overriding standard for firefighting boots.
This specifies the minimum requirements and test methods for the performance of three types of footwear for fire suppression, general-purpose rescue, fire rescue and hazardous materials emergencies.
In addition to specific fire boots standard, teams must be aware of the latest updates to general safety standards.
In particular, EN ISO 20345:2022, which includes new testing such as slip resistance on ceramic tiles with a soap solution as a basic requirement, ladder grip, puncture resistance and water penetration and absorption resistance.
Firefighter footwear which meets and exceeds these standards is crucial in keeping workers safe and comfortable.
Top tips for a streamlined tender process
To translate these principles into practice, the following strategies are recommended for procurement and supplier teams:
- Engage end users early as their insight is critical to defining meaningful requirements and identifying what can be improved to maximise safety and comfort
- Prioritise essential features and distinguish between mandatory and desirable criteria to ensure the balance between innovation and what is possible, is met
- Clearly define requirements which comply with relevant and current safety standards
- Ongoing communication between procurement officers and suppliers to ensure clarity at every stage of the tender process
- Ensure safety, quality and compliancy is prioritised throughout and valued above price point
The tender process for fire PPE footwear in the UK is a strategic undertaking with direct implications for firefighter safety and service effectiveness.
By adopting a collaborative approach between procurement officers and suppliers, a streamlined process can take place.
In addition, in a fast-paced and ever-changing sector such as the fire industry, a clear understanding from all parties of the current market landscape, updated safety standards and what workers require to perform efficiently, will allow for impactful and future-proofed PPE footwear.
About HAIX
HAIX, based in Mainburg, Bavaria, is a specialist in functional footwear and clothing with a worldwide reputation.
Wherever people need high-performance products that won’t let them down in challenging situations, HAIX is the first choice.
HAIX manufactures its high-quality products exclusively in Europe with production facilities in Germany, Croatia and Serbia.