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Provision of Best Start Foods

Social Security Scotland

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

11 Aug 2026 at 12:33

Award Notice
Award

18 May 2026 at 10:17

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Social Security Scotland, acting for the Scottish Ministers, procured the continued provision of Best Start Foods benefit payments through prepaid cards. The service supports delivery of the Best Start Foods benefit to eligible recipients, with the supplier providing the payment solution rather than a physical food supply. The procurement is a public-sector service requirement under the broad category of other services. Delivery is for Social Security Scotland’s benefits operation in Scotland. The requirement sits within the Crown Commercial Service Payment Solutions 2 framework, Lot 2 for prepaid cards. It is therefore relevant to suppliers providing prepaid card programmes, payment processing and associated services for public benefit or welfare payments, particularly where reliable continuation of payments to recipients is central to the service.

This procurement has been awarded to allpay Limited through a limited award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition. The contract was signed on 27 April 2026 and is an extension running from 4 June 2026 to 2 March 2027. The awarded contract value is £336,033.81, although actual spend may vary because it is not a fixed-price contract. The award followed a stated evaluation basis of 60% price and 40% technical quality, with one bid recorded. The tender is marked complete and the award and contract are active. The extension was made to maintain Best Start Foods payments while a replacement contract is put in place. The procurement used one lot, whose status is recorded as cancelled, although an active award is recorded against it.

This award indicates established public-sector demand for prepaid card services supporting benefit payments, with continuity and dependable recipient access important enough to justify an interim extension. A credible competitor for a future requirement would need a mature prepaid card and payment-processing platform, the operational capacity to support a benefits programme, and controls suitable for handling payments to a substantial recipient base. Relevant experience would include delivering card-based welfare, social security or other public-sector payment services, managing transaction processing and customer support, and maintaining service continuity during contract transition. Suppliers should also be able to demonstrate strong operational resilience, secure handling of payment data, accurate reconciliation and the ability to work within a public procurement framework. The requirement is most relevant to established payment solution providers rather than general card manufacturers.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Provision of Best Start Foods

Notice Description

This notice is to confirm that Scottish Ministers, acting through Social Security Scotland, has extended the current Provision of Best Start Foods contract from 04 June 2026 to 02 March 2027

Lot Information

Lot 1

This notice is to confirm that Scottish Ministers, acting through Social Security Scotland, has extended the current Provision of Best Start Foods contract from 03 June 2026 to 02 March 2027

Options: This is not a fixed price contract therefore actual spend may vary from the value stated above.

Procurement Information

The continued provision of services under the current contract is essential to ensure that Social Security Scotland can continue to provide Best Start Foods benefit payments until a replacement contract can be put in place. A competitive process is underway to identify and put such a replacement in place, by March 2027. The extension of the current term is considered to be proportionate in the circumstances based on previous experience, and taking into account the need for a contingency to account for potential delays.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-069abe
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/076197-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

98 - Other community, social and personal services

CPV Codes

98390000 - Other services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£336,033 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
11 Aug 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Cancelled
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Social Security Scotland
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
DUNDEE
Postcode
DD1 4BF
Postcode Area
Dundee
Country
Scotland
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLM Scotland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLM0 Eastern Scotland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLM03 Angus and Dundee City
Delivery Location
TLM Scotland
Local Authority
Dundee City
Electoral Ward
West End
Westminster Constituency
Dundee Central

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

allpay Limited

Further Information

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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