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175_27 Catering Disposables

Leicestershire County Council

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Tender

10 Aug 2026 at 15:07

UK4 - Tender Notice
Planning

28 May 2026 at 10:04

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

07 May 2026 at 14:13

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Leicestershire County Council, trading as ESPO, is establishing a two-lot catalogue framework for catering disposables. ESPO will buy products for stock and resale through its catalogue, serving education and wider public-sector customers. Lot 1 covers disposable catering products such as paper and plastic cups, plates, cake cases, bags, cling film, serviettes, napkins, tableware, foil containers, trays, dishes and rolls, plus other catering disposables. Lot 2 covers biodegradable products including cups, cup carriers, containers, bowls, paper straws, food trays, wooden cutlery and bagasse products. Products under both lots are to be delivered to ESPO’s distribution centre in Leicester. The opportunity is for goods and is relevant to manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors of catering consumables, including sustainable alternatives.

The procurement has reached tender: ESPO has invited offers through an open procedure. The framework is divided into two lots, and suppliers may find the requirements and participation conditions in the tender documents. Questions must be submitted by 17:00 on 4 September 2026, and tenders by 12:00 on 11 September 2026. ESPO expects to finalise the award by 30 October 2026. Each lot is planned to run from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2029, with an option to extend by up to 24 months, to 31 March 2031. The total estimated value is £1,000,000 gross (£833,333 excluding tax): £600,000 gross for Lot 1 and £400,000 gross for Lot 2. Each lot is evaluated 80% on price and 20% on non-price quality. A 2% framework fee based on awarded turnover applies to suppliers.

This opportunity suits SMEs as well as larger suppliers with established ranges of catering consumables. Lot 1 favours businesses able to supply a broad catalogue covering conventional paper and plastic disposables, food bags, cling film, napkins, tableware and foil products. Lot 2 is aimed at suppliers with reliable biodegradable ranges, including bagasse products, wooden cutlery, paper straws and compostable or otherwise sustainable food-service containers. Suppliers should be able to maintain product availability for ESPO stock, provide consistent quality and pricing, and deliver orders to the Leicester distribution centre. The framework may place orders directly with appointed suppliers or run further competitions between capable appointed suppliers, so businesses need responsive order fulfilment, competitive pricing and the operational capacity to support catalogue resale. Economic and technical participation conditions apply.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

175_27 Catering Disposables

Notice Description

ESPO is a trading department of Leicestershire County Council. It is a non-profit making body owned and operated jointly by six local authorities. We provide a catalogue range, providing our customers with access to over 28,000 products that cover all key areas of education and wider public sector requirements. We are establishing a catalogue framework for the supply of catering disposables, including paper and plastic cups, napkins and serviettes, food and freezer bags, wooden cutlery, cling film, foil and festive products. All products are for ESPO stock for resale via the ESPO Catalogue. The Framework is divided into 2 lots. Please refer to the tender documents for any further details (including further details on each of the lots) - the closing date for submission of Tenders is 12:00 (12 noon / 12pm) on 11 September 2026. To tender (please proceed to step (e) if an expression of interest has already been completed): (a) Go to https://www.eastmidstenders.org/ (b) Register (if not already registered on ProContract); (c) Search for tender opportunity 175_27 (via "View Opportunities" from the EastMidsTenders Portal); (d) Express an interest; (e) Download the tender documents (from the ProContract Activity summary screen). Any questions or clarifications relating to this tender opportunity should be submitted to ESPO as a message on the eProcurement Portal, once an Expression of interest has been completed.

Lot Information

Disposable Catering Products

The supply of disposable catering products including but not limited to: * Paper and plastic cups, plates, cake cases and bags * Plastic food bags and clingfilm * Serviettes, napkins, and tableware * Foil containers, trays, dishes and roll * Miscellaneous catering disposables All products are for delivery to ESPO's distribution centre, Leicester.

Options: ESPO reserves the right to add or remove products (i.e., those products listed within the Framework Pricing Schedule, 175_27) throughout the lifetime of the Framework, so long as they are in line with the Framework scope.

Renewal: Once the initial period of the contract has ended (i.e., 31 March 2029), there is an option to extend the framework by up to a further 24 months. This is dependent on ESPO, ESPO Customers, and market needs, as well as the performance of sales. Total estimated values captured in this notice include the option to extend the framework as noted above.

Biodegradable Catering Products

The supply of biodegradable catering products including but not limited to: * Cups * Cup Carriers * Containers * Bowls * Paper Straws * Food Trays * Wooden Cutlery * Bagasse Products All products are for delivery to ESPO's distribution centre, Leicester.

Options: ESPO reserves the right to add or remove products (i.e., those products listed within the Framework Pricing Schedule, 175_27) throughout the lifetime of the Framework, so long as they are in line with the Framework scope.

Renewal: Once the initial period of the contract has ended (i.e., 31 March 2029), there is an option to extend the framework by up to a further 24 months. This is dependent on ESPO, ESPO Customers, and market needs, as well as the performance of sales. Total estimated values captured in this notice include the option to extend the framework as noted above.

Planning Information

The purpose of the Pre-Market Engagement (PME) is to cover a range of topics designed to best explore our requirements in a possible future procurement. These topics may include: 1. Develop ESPO’s requirements and approach to the procurement. 2. Help better identify suitable suppliers in the market and to understand their supply chains. 3. Understand products/service offerings from suppliers and the marketplace in general. Engagement with suppliers is anticipated to be a mix of methods, including Requests for Information (RFI) hosted on the EastMidsTenders eProcurement Portal (www.eastmidstenders.org), and meetings (both virtual and in-person). Visits to supplier’s premises may also be used where deemed to be of particular use. Suppliers wishing to participate in the engagement process must first express an interest as follows: (a) Go to https://www.eastmidstenders.org/; (b) Register (if not already registered on ProContract); (c) Search for tender opportunity '175_27' (via "View Opportunities" from the EastMidsTenders Portal); d) Express an interest. Suppliers can then access the RFI questionnaire in the ‘Messages’ section via the ‘Activity’ dashboard once an expression of interest has been registered - the deadline for responding to the RFI is 17:00 (5pm) on 12 June 2026. Responses to the RFI as well as any questions or clarifications should be submitted to ESPO as a message on the eProcurement Portal. Notwithstanding the above process, as this procurement exercise is a renewal of an existing ESPO framework, ESPO reserves the right to engage with some, all or none of the incumbent suppliers appointed to the existing ESPO framework, alongside any additional suppliers identified following the above expressions of interests and/or a RFI exercise.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-069374
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/075817-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Planning, Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£833,333 £500K-£1M
Lots Value
£833,333 £500K-£1M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
10 Aug 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
11 Sep 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
4 Sep 2026Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Apr 2027 - 31 Mar 2029 2-3 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
Leicestershire 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
LEICESTER
Postcode
LE19 1ES
Postcode Area
Leicester
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLF East Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLF2 Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLF22 Leicestershire CC and Rutland
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Blaby
Electoral Ward
Enderby
Westminster Constituency
South Leicestershire

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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