The Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation (YPO) – the UK’s largest public sector purchasing consortium, has granted preferred supplier status to Survitec for its survival technology.

UK-headquartered Survitec, supplier of Survival Technology to the global maritime, defence, and government, energy and aerospace and maritime sectors, has been placed on the YPO’s Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for the provision of public sector emergency response and rescue equipment.

Ordering a YPO-approved product through the Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) avoids a lengthy tendering process, allowing procurement officials to streamline supply and benefit from cost and administrative efficiencies.

More than 100 different products from the Survitec portfolio have been approved for use by the country’s ambulance, fire, police, search and rescue, and environmental services teams.

The Survival Technology scope of supply includes protective clothing and footwear, lifejackets, liferafts and new innovative dry suits, inflatable lifeboats and fast rescue craft, ropes and safety harnesses and leading-edge protection, fire hoses and pumps, lighting systems alongside flares, pop-up shelters, rescue tools and cutting equipment.

Martin Whittaker, CEO of Survitec’s Aerospace & Defence business, said: “This is a significant development for Survitec. After a rigorous selection process, we are delighted YPO has approved our Survival Technology for use across the UK’s public sector services. We are immensely proud as a UK-based manufacturer we are able to support the country’s first responders using the national supply chain.”

He explained: “It is completely different from a traditional framework agreement in that the DPS is an electronic procurement process. It provides customers with an audit trail and simplifies contract management.”

Mandy Easter, Survitec’s UK Business Development Manager, said: “Communication from our emergency service customers reveal they have been waiting for the DPS to come through so they can commence placing orders for Survival Technology through the system.”

“We underwent a rigorous process to achieve approval as a DPS supplier. This process provides an independent endorsement of the quality of our products and services for purchasers.”