Planning

Ask AI about this notice

Summarise, research or assess it with AI

View Markdown

Share this notice

Send this contract to a colleague

Food Waste Treatment Services contract

Essex County Council

This public procurement record has 4 releases in its history.

PlanningUpdate

20 Jul 2026 at 11:36

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
PlanningUpdate

20 Jul 2026 at 08:01

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
PlanningUpdate

05 Feb 2026 at 18:39

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

02 Jul 2025 at 13:46

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Essex County Council is planning to procure food waste treatment and disposal services using anaerobic digestion. The service will handle separately collected household food waste from the Essex area, supporting the Council’s waste management responsibilities. The Council manages approximately 40,000 tonnes of this food waste each year. The contracting authority may also be one or more successor bodies that take on the Council’s functions following local government reform, including a local authority, combined authority or other successor organisation. The service is classified as waste-related services (CPV 90500000). Delivery is associated with Essex and the wider UK market. The requirement is for treatment capacity and operational arrangements able to receive and process household food waste at this scale.

This procurement is at the planning stage: Essex County Council intends to issue a tender as early as 2026, but this process is not an invitation to tender. The estimated value is £7,000,000 excluding VAT, or £8,400,000 including VAT, and includes the extension period. Treatment services are required from 1 April 2028. The planned initial contract period is 1 April 2028 to 31 March 2031, with renewal or extension options potentially continuing to 31 March 2035. The Council is considering how to divide the requirement into lots and is seeking market feedback on its proposed approach. Potential bidders can request a questionnaire by 30 July 2026, with engagement intended to inform the future tender documents and commercial structure.

The requirement is likely to suit anaerobic digestion operators, food waste treatment businesses and waste management contractors with suitable facilities, transport or transfer arrangements, and the capacity to process substantial volumes of separately collected household food waste. The Council is considering lotting to make the future procurement accessible to suppliers with smaller amounts of available capacity as well as larger operators able to offer volume-related efficiencies. The procurement is identified as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises. Businesses can help shape the future tender by requesting and completing the market engagement questionnaire, and by taking part in the Council’s planned one-to-one online sessions, which will explore market appetite, capability and commercial options.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Food Waste Treatment Services contract

Notice Description

Essex County Council (ECC) is planning to issue a tender as early as 2026 for a contract(s) relating to the anaerobic digestion treatment and disposal of food waste collected from households in the Essex area. The required treatment services must start on 1 April 2028. ECC manages approximately 40,000 tonnes per annum of separately collected household food waste. The contracting authority is Essex County Council and any Successor Body meaning one or more entities which assumes any of the Council's functions (as applicable) as a result of Local Government Reform (LGR). Such successor body or bodies may be, without limitation, a local authority, a combined authority, a combined county authority, a strategic authority or any other status determined pursuant to the Devolution and LGR Legislation. The estimated value provided includes the extension period.

Planning Information

As part of the drafting of tender documents ECC is considering the best way to divide its food waste treatment requirements so that it obtains the best value solution(s) from the market. ECC is considering the division of the treatment requirement into lots to make the offering as attractive as possible to both bidders with small amounts of capacity and those with larger capacity that can offer discount for volume. To this end, please read the Proposed Lotting Approach description below along with the worked examples and give us your feedback and comments in the questions at the end of the document. Thank you. Potential Bidders are invited to request a copy of the questionnaire from: Waste.Procurement@essex.gov.uk

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-055798
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/068145-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services

CPV Codes

90500000 - Refuse and waste related services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£7,000,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
20 Jul 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Apr 2028 - 31 Mar 2031 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Essex County Council
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
CHELMSFORD
Postcode
CM1 1QH
Postcode Area
Chelmsford
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH3 Essex
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH36 Heart of Essex
Delivery Location
TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLE Yorkshire and The Humber, TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLI London, TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England)
Local Authority
Chelmsford
Electoral Ward
Moulsham and Central
Westminster Constituency
Chelmsford

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

Loading OCDS record...