Textiles & Clothing Tenders

What counts as a Textiles & Clothing tender

Uniforms and corporate workwear, personal protective equipment, healthcare uniforms and scrubs, emergency services uniform, school clothing, bedding and linen for health and care settings, laundry services, and embroidery and garment personalisation.

CPV codes: CPV 18000 for clothing, footwear and accessories, 18100 for occupational clothing and workwear, 18140 for clothing accessories, 35113 for safety equipment, and 98310 for washing and dry-cleaning services.

Who buys textiles & clothing in the UK

NHS trusts for clinical uniforms and linen, councils for operational workwear, emergency services for specialist uniform, schools and academy trusts, and transport operators. Linen and laundry for healthcare is frequently a managed service rather than a product supply.

Right now the most active buyers publishing in this category on Daily Tenders are Katherine Warington School and YPO.

What you need to bid

Relevant EN standards for protective clothing — EN ISO 20471 for high visibility, EN ISO 11612 for heat and flame, EN 343 for weather protection — with UKCA or CE marking for PPE. Ethical supply chain evidence is now routinely scored: Modern Slavery Act statements, factory audits and membership of schemes such as the Ethical Trading Initiative.

How textiles & clothing contracts reach market

Mostly framework and catalogue-based with call-off ordering, often with online ordering portals and departmental budget controls as a scored requirement. Healthcare linen is typically a long-term managed service including rental, laundering and logistics.

Common questions

How much does ethical sourcing affect evaluation?

Materially, and increasingly so. Buyers ask for supply chain mapping, audit evidence and modern slavery due diligence. Weak or generic answers here lose real marks, and some buyers now treat it as pass/fail.

Do I need to hold stock?

Framework call-off contracts usually require committed stock holding and short lead times for core lines. Buyers will ask for stock levels and replenishment timescales, and will test them in service level terms.