Planning

***Pre-Market Engagement *** ICT-26-009 Catering Management Tool

EDUCATION AUTHORITY

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

08 May 2026 at 14:37

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Education Authority (EANI) of Northern Ireland is currently in the planning stage of a procurement process for a Catering Management Tool, as part of its strategic approach to advancing IT services within Northern Ireland schools. As the contracting authority, EANI intends to explore the latest technological advancements, particularly in the sphere of secure payment and special dietary needs management. This process is categorised within the IT services industry and is aimed to be conducted in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Key dates include a deadline for suppliers wishing to engage in the Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) exercise by 15:00 on Friday, 29th May 2026. The procurement follows Northern Irish devolved regulations and is currently not in the formal tender stage, focusing instead on market engagement and research.

This preliminary phase offers opportunities for businesses specialising in IT consulting, software development, and school catering services to provide insights into innovative solutions and financial systems software. Companies that thrive in integrating modern IT systems within educational settings are ideally suited to engage in this process. Participation in the PME can assist businesses in influencing future procurement strategies and showcasing their solutions’ feasibility. This exercise helps inform EANI on market capacities and potential approaches, creating potential for those businesses to further develop their offerings to meet public sector needs. Additionally, while the exercise itself does not guarantee a procurement process, it does set the stage for informed business planning, which could lead to substantial tenders in the future.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

***Pre-Market Engagement *** ICT-26-009 Catering Management Tool

Notice Description

**This is not a tender exercise*** The Education Authority Northern Ireland (EANI) would like to invite participation in a Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) exercise to seek the views of the market for the provision, in the first instance, of a Catering System within Northern Ireland schools, supporting modern, secure and efficient payment methods and managing risks associated with special diets within schools. The purpose of this PME exercise is for EANI to gain an understanding of the latest developments and innovative solutions available for school settings and will be used to assist EANI in gaining a better understanding of the feasibility of the requirements, the most appropriate procurement and operational approach, the capacity of the market to deliver the requirements and an opportunity for the market to highlight any possible risks or issues. This PME exercise also seeks to identify indicative costs to help inform the business case on the commercial aspects for the delivery and implementation of solution(s). For the avoidance of doubt, this is the scoping phase of the project and is not part of any formal procurement process and there is no commitment at this stage to carry out such a process. Any information gathered will not be considered in any future tender exercise. Please note that participation or non-participation in this PME exercise shall not prevent any supplier from participating in any future procurement process, nor is it intended that any information provided shall place any supplier at an advantage or disadvantage in any future procurement exercise. Further information including the questionnaire can be downloaded from the documents section of the CfT on eTendersNI. Suppliers who wish to participate in the PME exercise must return the completed questionnaire via the messaging function of the CfT on eTendersNI no later than 15:00 on Friday 29th May 2026. As part of the PME exercise, participants may be invited to attend a follow-up session with EANI to explore and discuss the information provided in their response, this will be at the discretion of EANI. For reference, the eTendersni reference number for this PME exercise is 6527440

Planning Information

Suppliers who wish to participate in the PME exercise must return the completed questionnaire via the messaging function of the CfT on eTendersNI no later than 15:00 on Friday 29th May 2026

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0694f6
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/042646-2026
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

48 - Software package and information systems

55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services

72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

CPV Codes

48000000 - Software package and information systems

48100000 - Industry specific software package

48442000 - Financial systems software package

48812000 - Financial information systems

55500000 - Canteen and catering services

55512000 - Canteen management services

55524000 - School catering services

72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

72212442 - Financial systems software development services

Notice Value(s)

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

Notice Dates

Publication Date
8 May 20266 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
31 Jul 20263 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Mar 2027 - 31 Mar 2032 Over 5 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
EDUCATION 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
BELFAST
Postcode
BT1 2NQ
Post Town
Northern Ireland
Country
Northern Ireland
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLN Northern Ireland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLN0 Northern Ireland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLN06 Belfast
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Belfast
Electoral Ward
Duncairn
Westminster Constituency
Belfast North

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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