Unveiling a unique service to help organisations of all types exit lockdown safely

Here at 2buy2, we are delighted to unveil a unique service to help churches, charities, schools, healthcare providers and businesses of all types in Wales and England secure personal protective equipment (PPE) and hygiene and cleaning products in preparation for the easing of lockdown.

We are working with a range of clients including churches, charities, schools, care homes and healthcare providers to ensure they can source the PPE supplies they need.

Care homes have been particularly hard hit by COVID-19 with high mortality rates among residents in many homes. But as they try to shield staff and vulnerable residents from the virus, they have struggled to secure adequate supplies of quality assured PPE at affordable prices.

Equally, many other healthcare businesses including dentists, opticians, physiotherapists, occupational health providers and firms that offer cosmetic procedures who are struggling to reopen post lockdown due to a shortage of affordable PPE supplies can also use this service.

Many charities and not-for-profit organisations have also been hard-hit by the COVID-19 crisis with many forms of fundraising impossible due to lockdown and social distancing. Many vulnerable individuals that rely on support from charities have also been left isolated as charities have struggled to secure adequate supplies of quality assured PPE at affordable prices.

There is no other company in Wales or the UK offering procurement services for PPE on this scale. Demand for our services that help businesses meet the challenges of COVID-19 has also meant we are now one of the biggest recruiters in Wales at present. Since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, we have hired 20 new employees increasing the size of our workforce by more than 30 percent.

We will source and purchase PPE for organisations that sign up (by Wednesday June 17). Our innovative service will negotiate preferential prices by buying on behalf of all members (aggregation buying). We will also ensure equipment is quality-assured, ethically sourced and all procurement procedures are correctly followed.

Our procurement services and specialist advisers support many businesses in the procurement and negotiation of complex contracts as well as coordinating their procurement activities to generate greater buying power across a range of contracts and supplies including energy.

The COVID-19 crisis prompted us to add PPE to our offering. We have partnered on the supply with Crown Agents, the well-respected UK-based international development company that helps governments around the world to increase prosperity, reduce poverty and improve health by providing consultancy, supply chain, financial services and training. Critically, this also means it can procure the PPE without impacting on the supply to the NHS.

We have a track record in this space having previously helped source PPE supplies for the UK Government as part of its role in the international response to the Ebola health crisis in West Africa in 2014-15. We also worked with Crown Agents on that project.

As part of our new scheme, we will be making a range of PPE equipment as well as cleaning and hygiene products available to members. But because we create buying groups to get the best deals, we must also work to firm deadlines on members signing up. The first deadline for this is 6pm on Wednesday June 17.

Rob Kissick, our CEO, said: “I am delighted that 2buy2 have been able to launch this response in order to help businesses and organisations of all types to support their collective needs for increased personal protective equipment (PPE) at this incredibly challenging time for everyone.

“Using our experience of running large procurement buying groups, and working in partnership with international procurement agents, Crown Agents, we are procuring supplies of PPE which support members without impacting on the supply to the NHS. Our buying group is available to churches, schools and colleges, charities, care homes, and the wider business sector as we seek to support the Welsh economy and cornerstones of society in preparing for re-opening in the coming weeks and months.

“2buy2 is supporting clients in the procurement of PPE by providing expertise in international sourcing and delivery of high quality, inspected goods.”