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Food Waste Contract

East London Waste Authority

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Tender

07 Apr 2026 at 11:57

UK4 - Tender Notice
Planning

18 Feb 2026 at 16:22

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

01 Sep 2025 at 14:35

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The East London Waste Authority (ELWA) is currently in the tender stage of procuring a significant contract titled "Food Waste Contract," with assistance from the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Council. The contract is focused on services related to non-hazardous refuse and waste treatment and disposal, specifically targeting food waste. The procurement process involves a competitive flexible procedure and seeks to ensure the recycling and beneficial use of food waste from households and commercial entities within regions UKI41, UKI52, and UKI53 in the United Kingdom. Key dates include an expression of interest deadline set for 6th May 2026, with the enquiry period concluding on 24th April 2026. ELWA aims to complete evaluations and potentially award the contract by February 2027, with services expected to commence in March 2027.

This procurement offers substantial opportunities for businesses specialising in waste management, particularly those capable of receiving, treating, and managing food waste. As the contract spans a potential 10-year term with an estimated value of £6,384,000 gross, it presents a lucrative opportunity for businesses positioned to handle significant volumes of waste and optimise recycling rates. The single contract for 100% exclusivity suggests that larger firms or consortia with robust logistics and processing capabilities may find this tender particularly suitable. Additionally, the emphasis on environmental compliance and social value further incentivises innovative approaches that align with sustainable and recycling goals, appealing to businesses that prioritise sustainability in their operations.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Food Waste Contract

Notice Description

ELWA is procuring a contract for the provision of the following services (without limitation): The scope of the Contract includes: - receiving, treating and managing onward movement of delivered Contract Waste, which is food waste collected from households and commercial customers by the Constituent Councils; - Contract Waste will be delivered to the successful Bidder's nominated delivery point (either a waste treatment facility or an intermediary facility provided by the successful Bidder) in bulk haulage vehicles by the RHRRC Contractor after the Contract Waste has been delivered by the Constituent Councils to one of the Authority WTS. The successful Bidder may also propose to receive direct deliveries of Contract Waste from the Constituent Councils to its facilities; - Provision of capacity to receive, treat and dispose of food waste; - Management and disposal of products, residues and rejected waste, including transport; - Maximising the recycling and beneficial use of products; and - Reporting and monitoring of environmental compliance. Please see "Competitive flexible procedure description" section of this tender notice and the procurement documents for full details of: 1 - the competitive flexible procedure that ELWA is conducting pursuant to s. 20 of the Procurement Act 2023; and 2 - ELWA's requirements for the Contract. (Defined terms used in the above list of services are detailed in the draft contract and procurement documents.) The Authority conducted initial preliminary market engagement in September and October 2025 (Notice identifier: 2025/S 000-052845). As part of the exercise, the Authority published a Market Operator Briefing Note in which it explained that the main objective of the contract is to maximise recycling of food waste. Four organisations participated in this exercise and provided feedback in respect of: The Authority's procurement strategy; Assumptions for evaluation; Contract interface as the Authority has separately procured a reception, haulage, reuse and recycling centre contract; Waste acceptance protocols and vehicles that can/cannot be accepted at facilities; Processes for identifying and recording contamination; Use of caddy liners in collection of food waste; Digestate markets; Payment mechanisms; Experiences of performance management frameworks; and Social value. In addition, the Authority conducted additional market engagement in February 2026 (Notice identifier: 2026/S 000-014949) to seek views in respect of proposals to divide the Contract into lots, or whether to procure a single contract for 100% exclusivity of all food waste material. Four organisations participated in this exercise and the majority provided feedback that they would prefer a single contract for 100% exclusivity. Consequently, ELWA is not dividing the contract into lots and is awarding a single contract for 100% exclusivity of all food waste material. In each of the preliminary market engagements, it was clearly specified that participation in the preliminary market engagement was/is not a requirement for participation in this procurement. The contract value is based on ELWA's estimate at the date of publication of the Tender Notice and the draft procurement documents and includes extension of the contract for five years following expiry of the initial 5-year and 3-month service delivery term. The estimated value also includes any services which may be required during the initial 5-year service delivery period. Therefore, the estimated value is not necessarily the final value of the Contract and ELWA reserves the right to vary this contract value (either higher or lower) in the event the scope of the contract varies throughout its term. It is intended as a guide to Bidders and the actual value is intended to cover delivery of ELWA's requirements over the full possible 10-year term.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Options: Details of the primary scope of services required for this contract are included in this notice, the procurement documents and draft contract. However, the scope of the procurement is also intended to cover ancillary services required to deliver the contract over its full possible term. This could include services related to those set out in the draft procurement documents and contract but not explicitly stated. In addition, the actual scope of services required could be narrower than set out above.

Renewal: The contract is expected to be awarded in February 2027 , with service commencement expected to commence on 23 December 2027. In the event that ELWA does make a decision to award the contract following evaluation and moderation of Initial Tenders, the award date may be earlier. The initial term of the contract is from the service commencement date to March 2032, with an option to extend for up to five additional years from expiry of the initial term. The contract, and this procurement, is intended to cover any extension in the period between commencement and service commencement, so the total term of the contract may exceed this estimate.

Planning Information

In preparing for the launch of this procurement in April 2026, ELWA has ruled out the potential for splitting the contract into lots by reference to geographical boroughs and therefore seeks views from the market in respect of the following lotting/contract options: 1 - If ELWA does not divide the contract into lots, and seeks to procure a single contract for exclusivity of all food waste material, would your organisation participate in the procurement and be able to process 100% of the total estimated annual tonnage? 2 - If ELWA does divide the contract into lots, it has considered whether to divide the contract into lots based on exclusivity % of the total estimated annual tonnage. If ELWA adopts this approach, it seeks feedback from market operators as to: - their preferred exclusivity % of ELWA's annual tonnage, and which of the below options respondents would bid for; - two lots: one of 60% exclusivity of ELWA's annual tonnage and one for 40% exclusivity, with suppliers able to bid for and subsequently win either lot, resulting in either one or two suppliers being selected; and - three lots: one for 40% exclusivity of ELWA's annual tonnage, one for 35% and one for 25%, with suppliers able to bid for and subsequently win any lot, resulting in either: - one supplier winning all lots; - two suppliers if a supplier wins two lots and another supplier wins the third lot; or - three suppliers if there is one winner for each lot. 3 - As an alternative to lots, ELWA could structure the procurement so that bidders submit proposals on the assumption that an award for 33% exclusivity of ELWA's annual tonnage will be made. However, the highest-scoring bidder is able to confirm whether it wishes to have 33%, 66% or 100% exclusivity. In the event the highest-scoring bidder selects 66% or 33%, the second highest-scoring bidder is able to select what % exclusivity it wishes to deliver, and so on until 100% exclusivity has been awarded. This approach could result in 1 - 3 suppliers being awarded a % of exclusivity of ELWA's annual tonnage. Pricing for exclusivity % higher than 33% (e.g. 66% or 100%) will be calculated by multiplying the successful bidder's tendered pricing for 33% exclusivity by the % exclusivity it will actually deliver (e.g. 66% exclusivity = tendered pricing multiplied by 2). 4 - ELWA also welcomes feedback on a proposal to have a sifting stage where bidders confirm which lot they are interested in, prior to submitting the Procurement Specific Questionnaire/Conditions of Participation. ELWA would then confirm the lots based on maximising participation in the procurement (and to reduce the burden on bidders in the event lots are discontinued following the Conditions of Participation stage). ELWA would appreciate responses to these questions being submitted via to enquiries@eastlondonwaste.gov.uk by 17:00 on Friday 27 February 2026, with the subject heading "FWC Lotting PME". ELWA appreciates the time and effort of respondents in participating in this PME exercise. Market operators may submit any clarification questions, enquiries or further information regarding the conduct of the preliminary market engagement to ELWA to enquiries@eastlondonwaste.gov.uk. Though encouraged, engagement in this preliminary market engagement exercise is not a requirement for participation in the forthcoming procurement, which shall be formally commenced through publication of a Tender Notice.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05916e
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/031382-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Planning, Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services

CPV Codes

90513000 - Non-hazardous refuse and waste treatment and disposal services

90514000 - Refuse recycling services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£5,320,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£5,320,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
7 Apr 20266 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
7 Apr 2026Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Mar 2027 - 31 Mar 2032 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Active
Lots Status
Active
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
East London Waste Authority
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
E15 2ST
Postcode Area
East London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI4 Inner London - East
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI41 Hackney and Newham
Delivery Location
TLI41 Hackney and Newham, TLI52 Barking & Dagenham and Havering, TLI53 Redbridge and Waltham Forest
Local Authority
Newham
Electoral Ward
Stratford
Westminster Constituency
Stratford and Bow

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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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.

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