Award

Northern Ireland Sorting Services

BANK OF ENGLAND

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

01 Dec 2025 at 20:55

Summary of the contracting process

The Bank of England, a central public authority in the UK, is overseeing a procurement process titled "Northern Ireland Sorting Services" within the banking services industry. This tender involves the provision of banknote sorting services to ensure the authenticity and quality of Bank of England banknotes in Northern Ireland. The procurement method used is a direct award due to the specialist nature of the services required, and it is in the award stage. The services will be delivered in the region of Northern Ireland, with contracts commencing from 15 December 2025 and running until 14 December 2028, with potential extensions up to 2030. The procurement has been completed, with the award notice published on 1 December 2025.

This tender presents substantial opportunities for businesses involved in specialised banking services, particularly those with existing operations in Northern Ireland capable of meeting stringent infrastructure and security requirements. Organisations that can manage secure vault storage and sophisticated note sorting equipment, while adhering to robust security protocols, would be well-suited to compete in this market. Entities like AIB Group (UK) Plc, Bank of Ireland (UK) PLC, National Westminster Bank plc, and Northern Bank Limited have been identified as suppliers, indicating a preference towards large-scale and financially capable businesses. This type of procurement not only provides growth opportunities through long-term engagement but also the potential for extended contracts until 2030.

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Notice Title

Northern Ireland Sorting Services

Notice Description

Provision of banknote sorting services within Northern Ireland to sort Bank of England banknotes for authenticity and quality.

Procurement Information

Eligible suppliers must operate in Northern Ireland and possess highly specialised infrastructure, including secure vault storage, note sorting equipment, and robust security protocols; and have the financial capacity to hold large values of cash. A change in supplier could introduce incompatible infrastructure, processes, and security protocols, which could undermine the integrity of the Northern Ireland Sorting Services framework. Transitioning to a new supplier would require significant technical reconfiguration, including new security vetting and infrastructure audits. These changes would be disproportionate relative to the value and scope of the services and would risk operational disruption.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05ec66
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078681-2025
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK5 - Transparency Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

66 - Financial and insurance services


CPV Codes

66110000 - Banking services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£3,640,000 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
1 Dec 20252 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
1 Dec 20252 months ago
Contract Period
15 Dec 2025 - 14 Dec 2028 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Pending
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
BANK OF ENGLAND
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
askprocurement@bankofengland.co.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
EC2R 8AH
Post Town
Central London
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
City of London
Electoral Ward
Walbrook
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
4
Supplier Names

AIB GROUP (UK

BANK OF IRELAND (UK

NATIONAL WESTMINSTER BANK

NORTHERN BANK

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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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