Sustainable Procurement Tools

Life Cycle impacts and early market engagement

The market for haemodialysis machines and consumables is dominated by global Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and distributors (for example, Fresenius Medical Care (UK) Limited, Baxter Healthcare Ltd, Nikkiso, B. Braun Medical Limited, Nipro Europe, Kimal plc, Medtronic Limited, Xtra Med Limited), who supply products and services to Healthcare Systems across the world.

The Sustainability Test, part of the suite of Scottish Government Sustainable Procurement Tools, was used to identify key sustainability criteria and relevant objectives through the life cycle of the machines and consumables.

The dialysis sector is known to be carbon intensive (Advanced haemodialysis equipment for more eco-friendly dialysis and Scottish Haemodialysis Centres Survey). This is due, for example, to the use of energy and water in dialysis, energy and resource intensity in the manufacture of machines and consumables (therefore high ‘embodied carbon’), waste generated from machines and the use of consumables and packaging. The transport and distribution of relevant supplies, such as dialyzer, needles, bloodlines, syringes and concentrates, also may generate emissions that can contribute to climate change and poor air quality.

As well as a Prior Information Notice (PIN), meetings with potential suppliers provided the opportunity to give them adequate warning of NHSS sustainability objectives and potential requirements. It also enabled in depth understanding of what new product and supply innovations there are in this product area and what potential suppliers’ net zero dates and plans are, to help inform the commodity strategy and shape the tender.

Feedback from this engagement confirmed:

• Suppliers providing detail of corporate action to reduce their organisational carbon footprint, with support from them for being more sustainable.
• An open door to develop improvement over the lifetime of the framework, including within manufacturing and efficient logistics.
• A major supplier wanting to offer a managed service for machines and consumables, given experience of providing this in NHS England. While this may have the potential to reduce overall carbon emissions, NHSS Boards see this as outsourcing the provision of renal dialysis to the supplier, which is contrary to NHSS strategy and values. This reinforces the need to balance the supply market and the end user need.

Market engagement feedback was taken to the Commodity Advisory Panel members (expert advisory group) to agree whether and how much of this knowledge and intelligence can be incorporated into the tender specification and evaluation criteria.

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