Consultation on the draft 2025/26: Invitation to tender for industry

Overview

Pharmac | Te Pātaka Whaioranga is seeking feedback from pharmaceutical suppliers, distributors, wholesalers, and other interested parties on the draft 2025/26 Invitation to Tender.

We are seeking feedback on the draft 2025/26 Invitation to Tender. The list of medicines proposed for inclusion in the 2025/26 Invitation to Tender is still under development and may change before the final 2025/26 ITT is issued. In particular we are seeking:

• feedback on the draft tender list and draft tender agreement (contract)
• commercial proposals as an alternative to including a medicine in the 2025/26 Invitation to Tender.
• feedback on making a Medical Device Regulation (MDR) certification a mandatory requirement, rather than a preference for intra-uterine devices [non-hormonal] (IUDs).
• feedback on removing the option of Alternative Commercial Proposals (ACPs) in next tender cycle (2026/27 draft ITT) due to resource considerations and the low number of ACPs that ultimately progress.

We are also seeking feedback from health care professionals and people who take medicines.

• Health care professional consultation(external link)
• Consumer consultation(external link)

Suppliers’ guide to Pharmac’s annual tender process

Key points to note for the 2025/26 Invitation to Tender

• The contract terms are substantively similar to the 2024/25 Invitation to Tender.
• We have made changes to the bid withdrawal date and extended it to 11 September 2026. This is to accommodate the additional consultation step we’ve added to the tender process (see below).
• We have removed references to Section B and Section H of the Pharmaceutical Schedule, to better accommodate potential future changes to the structure of the Pharmaceutical Schedule.
• We have clarified that stock needs to be available for purchase by any wholesalers and other such distributors.
• We have removed references to sole supply contracts as none remain following the passage of time since the introduction of principal supply contracts.
• Additional clarity was inserted in the final 2024/25 Invitation to Tender relating to the disclosure of confidential information and the situations where Pharmac would either consult or inform a supplier of disclosure. The same provision has been included in the draft 2025/26 Invitation to Tender.

New round of consultation

For last year’s invitation to tender, Pharmac introduced an extra consultation step after the tender had closed, in addition to this consultation prior to the tender being issued. The additional consultation was for medicines where, after looking at the bids, we were considering a brand change. This is intended to help us better understand what a brand change could mean to people and how we could best support any change.

We did two consultations:

28 May 2025 | Consultation on possible brand changes through the annual tender

8 July 2025 | Second consultation on possible brand changes through the annual tender July 2025

This additional consultation step will be incorporated into the 2025/26 annual Invitation to Tender and for future tenders.

Additional Special Terms

We have included Additional Special Terms in the draft 2025/26 Invitation to Tender contract for intra-uterine devices [non-hormonal] (IUDs). This clause would require that potential suppliers offer education, training, and support resources to safely use the supplier’s IUD product. This could include a description of the inserter and IUD materials and insertion instructions.

Any feedback on these Additional Special Terms will help inform the final contract. 

Intra-uterine device (Non-hormonal)

You shall provide the following information when submitting a Tender Bid for the Pharmaceutical intra-uterine device [Non-hormonal] (IUD Tender Item):

• the size of the IUD Tender Item, including length and width measurements as well as the diameter of the inserter;
• a description of the material the inserter is made of;
• the duration of the therapeutic effect of the IUD Tender Item; and
• the metals which are contained in the IUD Tender Item.

You shall provide the following Resources at no cost for the IUD Tender Item, for the provision of education, training and support to healthcare professionals in respect of the use of the IUD Tender Item. 

For the purposes of this clause “Resources” shall include but not be limited to the:

• provision of training materials (DVDs, pamphlets, leaflets, brochures) to healthcare professionals;
• provision of an information sheet explaining the differences between the current brand of intra-uterine device and your IUD Tender Item; and
• provision of presentations and/or demonstrations on the use of your IUD Tender Item to patients and/or healthcare professionals.

New medicines

This year’s draft Invitation to Tender includes 61 tender items that have not previously been included in the tender and/or are not currently listed on the Pharmaceutical Schedule.

Information provided for each medicine

For each medicine (as defined by chemical name, form, and strength), we have provided where applicable:

• the current subsidy paid per unit (e.g. capsule, tablet, injection) as of 1 July 2025. These values are ex-manufacturer excluding GST
• the number of units funded in the community per year in the year ending 30 June 2025 These may be partially funded or full funded
• an estimate of the annual community-market value based on the current subsidy paid per unit. This is estimated by multiplying the volume of units used in the year ending 30 June 2025 by the current listed unit subsidy as of 1 July 2025
• comments specifically relating to the tender item and/or its current listing on the Pharmaceutical Schedule
• please note that these volumes and figures are approximate and indicative only. Pharmac makes no representation as to the accuracy of these volumes and figures or the level of sales or likely sales of any tender item

Explanation of terms, symbols, and abbreviations

“Tab” means tablet, “cap” means capsule, “liq” means liquid, “inj” means injection, “suppos” means suppository, “grans” mean granules and “OP” means original pack to be dispensed.

Symbols used in the draft tender list:

Key dates

Consultation on the 2025/26 Invitation to Tender

30 July 2025 – Consultation begins

3 September 2025 – Any alternative commercial proposals (ACPs) due

10 September 2025 – Consultation closes

September 2025 – Estimated negotiations for any ACPs being progressed

September 2025 –Tender Clinical Advisory Committee meets

September 2025 – ‘Practice’ Invitation to Tender issued

September/October 2025 – Estimated consultation on any ACPs being progressed

Release of the 2025/26 Invitation to Tender

Late October/Early November 2025 – Final Invitation to Tender issued

December 2025 – Invitation to Tender closes

February 2026 – Tender Clinical Advisory Committee meets

Unresolved tender bids from previous Invitations to Tender

We intend to resolve any unresolved tenders from the 2023/24 and 2024/25 Invitations to Tender prior to issuing the final 2025/26 Invitation to Tender. This may result in some of the currently unresolved tendered items being included in the final 2025/26 Invitation to tender.

Other potential changes to the Pharmaceutical Schedule

The tender can result in substantial price reductions, and we can use the savings to fund new medicines. We also use the savings to fund changes to the tendered medicines. For example:

• If the medicine is currently partially funded, it could become fully funded if the tender was awarded.
• The medicine could be added to the all-at-once (‘stat’) dispensing list, which would mean that people could collect prescriptions all at once, rather than monthly.
• We might change or remove funding restrictions so more people can use it (for example, a Special Authority restriction, endorsement, or prescriber-type restriction). We might consult on this separately before making a decision.
• Some medicines or formulations may become funded for the first time through the tender.

We are interested in your feedback on potential changes for the medicines we are tendering. You can see the Pharmaceutical Schedule for all dispensing and funding restrictions: https://pharmac.govt.nz/pharmaceutical-schedule(external link)

Alternative commercial proposals

Currently Pharmac provides suppliers with an opportunity to put forward proposals for pharmaceuticals included in the draft tender list, as an alternative to Pharmac tendering those pharmaceuticals in the final tender (called an alternative commercial proposal, or ACP). We are including this option in the current tender cycle; however, we are considering removing it in the next tender cycle due to resource considerations and the low number of ACPs that ultimately progress. As part of the consultation on the draft 2025/26 Invitation to Tender, we are seeking feedback on this potential change to ACPs.

We currently provide an ACP submission form and guidance document which outlines what to include (and what not to include) in an ACP. Please review the guidance document in full before submitting an ACP.

ACPs are due by 4 pm (New Zealand Time), 3 September 2025. Pharmac may not consider any ACPs that are submitted after this date.

Usage data for ‘PCT only’ medicines

The table below contains ‘PCT only’ funded usage data for the year ended 30 June 2025 for tender items included in the 2025/26 Invitation to Tender. These volumes are approximate and indicative only. Pharmac makes no representation as to the accuracy of these figures or the level of sales or likely sales of any tender item.  

Electronic tender (eTender) system

The 2025/26 Invitation to Tender will be distributed via Pharmac’s electronic tendering portal (In-Tend).

The portal requires companies to register for a user account. Details of how to register will be distributed before we release the final 2025/26 Invitation to Tender. A ‘practice’ tender will be released in September/October 2025 for users who wish to familiarise themselves with the portal.

Please let us know if the contact details for the person responsible for submitting tender bids have changed for your company by emailing tender@pharmac.govt.nz

To provide feedback

Feedback should be provided to Pharmac’s tender analysts via our online form or by emailing tenderconsult@pharmac.govt.nz

All feedback received before the closing date will be considered by Pharmac’s Board or its delegate prior to finalising the 2025/26 Invitation to Tender.

Your feedback may be shared

When you give feedback on a consultation, your feedback becomes official information that Pharmac holds. Pharmac has legal responsibilities for how we manage this official information, under laws such as the Official Information Act and Privacy Act.

Pharmac may receive a request from people for official information, which could include your feedback. Legally, Pharmac must consider whether your feedback should be released.

We will consider your views when assessing whether the feedback has to be released. Tell us if there is anything about your feedback that you would prefer wasn’t released.

If your feedback is proposed for release, then Pharmac will contact you, unless there is a legal reason that we can't.

Note that Pharmac collects and holds your information in line with our Privacy Statement.