The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) as the national regulator for products has responsibility for protecting people and places from product related harm and ensuring consumers and businesses can buy and sell products with confidence. To support this aim OPSS provides public safety information materials, and this financial year has funding available to support partners in expanding this work.
OPSS is keen to fund targeted consumer focused activity which addresses risks and issues experienced by consumers in relation to product safety and legal metrology. Funding is available in the form of contracts of no more than £10,000 (inclusive of VAT), this means individuals proposals should be no more than £8,333.
Funding proposals could be for UK wide activity or be locality based and must seek to reach one or more vulnerable and hard to reach groups including but not restricted to those with protected characteristics, the digitally excluded and those particularly impacted by the cost-of-living crisis.
Bids will be considered for one or more of the activities below:
- Reports on your organisation’s current consumer awareness and education activity on product safety or legal metrology, mapping the reach and impact of this activity, including an assessment of any gaps and proposals on how these could be filled.
- Scoping proposals for future activity (post March 2023) where this meets the needs of one or more vulnerable or hard to reach groups, including an assessment of the product safety or metrology risks that are relevant to the group, and how the proposed activity will have impact and meet the specific needs of the target group.
- Conducting consumer awareness and education activity, including production of a short report detailing the outcomes and impacts of the activity.
To apply please complete the Proposal form. All completed proposals should be sent to OPSSEngagementandConsumerPolicy@beis.gov.uk no later than 5pm on Friday 27th January 2023.