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Food Waste Receipt and Treatment

Suffolk County Council

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

PlanningUpdate

16 Oct 2026 at 13:18

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

09 Oct 2026 at 11:15

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Suffolk County Council intends to appoint contractors to receive and process food waste collected across Suffolk on behalf of the county’s district and borough councils. The waste is expected to be delivered directly to treatment sites, where processing should produce biogas and digestate meeting PAS110 standards. The proposed service is divided across three areas: East (Ipswich), North (Lowestoft) and West (Bury St Edmunds). Expected collections total around 25,000–28,000 tonnes a year across the county, though this volume is not guaranteed. The council is seeking solutions that reduce overall cost and environmental impact, including consideration of the distance between collection areas and treatment facilities, haulage impacts and treatment costs.

The process is at pre-market engagement and planning stage; there is no invitation to tender yet. The council is seeking market input to shape the service specification and procurement, including insight on treatment technologies, operating models, capacity, decarbonisation, contractual options and efficiencies. It expects to publish a tender in quarter four of 2026/27. The planned contract is split into three geographical lots, with up to three contractors intended. Expected average monthly volumes are 933 tonnes for Ipswich, 367 tonnes for Lowestoft and 994 tonnes for Bury St Edmunds; each lot’s tonnage is not guaranteed, but the selected contractor is expected to have exclusivity for that lot’s tonnage. Estimated values, excluding VAT, are £1,791,360 for Ipswich, £704,640 for Lowestoft and £1,908,480 for Bury St Edmunds. The indicative contract period is 1 October 2028 to 30 September 2036; dates and term may change. The market questionnaire is requested by 6 November 2026.

This is most relevant to established and emerging food-waste treatment providers, including organisations able to demonstrate appropriate processing capacity and a credible route to producing biogas and PAS110-standard digestate. Suppliers with treatment facilities accessible from Ipswich, Lowestoft or Bury St Edmunds may be well placed, because the council expects transport distance and haulage impacts to inform evaluation alongside treatment costs and environmental impact. Providers able to offer lower-cost, lower-carbon operations, innovative processing technologies, resilient capacity, and efficient operational or contractual models are specifically invited to contribute to market shaping. The three-area structure may suit suppliers capable of serving one local area as well as operators able to compete across multiple areas. Small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community and social enterprises are identified as suitable participants.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Food Waste Receipt and Treatment

Notice Description

Suffolk County Council is looking to appoint up to three Contractors to receive and process Suffolk's Food Waste. The contract(s) will be directly between the successful Contractor(s) and Suffolk County Council, who are acting on behalf of Suffolk's District and Borough Councils. (Babergh District Council, East Suffolk Council, Ipswich Borough Council, Mid Suffolk District Council and West Suffolk Council) We anticipate that the Contract will be let in 3 geographical lots, these being based in the East (Ipswich), North (Lowestoft), and West (Bury St Edmunds) of the county. Based on actual collections since June 2026, we expect approximately 25,000-28,000 tonnes of food waste in total to be collected each year across the County. Whilst this tonnage is not guaranteed, the successful contractor(s) will be offered exclusivity of the tonnage within each lot. We are issuing this notice to inform the market of our intentions and invite all prospective service providers to participate in the pre-market engagement exercise to enable us to shape a suitable contract and procurement process. The waste is expected to be delivered directly to the processing sites. The Authority is interested in solutions which minimise the overall cost and environmental impact of the service. Consequently, the future procurement will consider the transport distance between collection areas and treatment facilities, together with associated haulage impacts and treatment costs, as part of the evaluation methodology. Processing should create Biogas and Digestate to PAS110 standards. Average monthly tonnages expected (but not guaranteed) are as follows: Lot 1 East - Ipswich 933 tonnes Lot 2 North - Lowestoft 367 tonnes. Lot 3 West - Bury St Edmunds 994 tonnes Estimated total value (Ex. VAT): Lot 1 East - Ipswich PS1,791,360 Lot 2 North - Lowestoft PS704,640 Lot 3 West - Bury St Edmunds PS1,908,480 Total: PS4,404,480 We intend to publish the tender notice for this opportunity in Qtr. 4 of 2026/27.

Planning Information

Suffolk County Council is seeking to engage with the market to inform the future procurement of food waste treatment. We are keen to hear from existing and emerging providers and organisations with relevant expertise to better understand current market capabilities, opportunities for innovation, and future developments within the sector. The Council is committed to delivering a resilient, efficient, and environmentally sustainable food waste service that supports statutory requirements while maximising value for residents and taxpayers. Through this engagement, we aim to gain insight into processing technologies, operational approaches, capacity availability, decarbonisation opportunities, contractual models, and potential efficiencies that may help shape the future service specification. We welcome constructive challenge and innovative solutions from the market. Input from interested providers will help gauge market interest to inform our ongoing procurement process and ensure the future tender reflects current market conditions and encourages broad participation from capable suppliers. Please complete the Market Engagement Questionnaire on this link: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/pvCuk4bp45 Please complete the questionnaire by the 6/11/2026. The contract term is indicative only. We intend to use the pre-market engagement exercise to determine a suitable initial contract term and any optional extension period. The actual contract dates may therefore differ from those stated in this notice.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-07847b
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/097952-2026
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, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services

CPV Codes

90514000 - Refuse recycling services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£4,404,480 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
16 Oct 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Oct 2028 - 30 Sep 2036 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
Suffolk 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
IPSWICH
Postcode
IP1 2BX
Postcode Area
Ipswich
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH6 Suffolk
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH62 Ipswich
Delivery Location
TLH14 Suffolk CC
Local Authority
Ipswich
Electoral Ward
Gipping
Westminster Constituency
Ipswich

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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