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PRE-MARKET ENGAGEMENT QUESTIONNAIRE (PME) for Ambient and Chilled Grocery Products for Education Authority NI

Education Authority NI

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

12 Oct 2026 at 10:52

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Education Authority Northern Ireland (EANI) is considering a contract to supply ambient and chilled grocery products and fresh muffins for the Authority and other Northern Irish educational bodies. The product range spans general foodstuffs, biscuits and cakes, sugar products, pasta, coffee and tea, condiments and seasonings. This is a goods supply requirement intended to establish a robust, value-for-money arrangement for educational catering. Suppliers should assess whether they can provide a broad grocery range and serve the Authority and participating educational bodies across Northern Ireland. The planned procurement is currently at the scoping stage: EANI is consulting the market to inform its internal planning and any later procurement.

This is pre-market engagement, not a formal tender or an invitation to bid. EANI is seeking supplier views through a questionnaire; it expects to use the responses for business planning, not to score suppliers in a future tender. Participation, or choosing not to participate, is stated not to affect eligibility or give a supplier an advantage or disadvantage in any later competition. The buyer’s expected date for a subsequent notice is 4 January 2027. The planned single-lot contract is valued at £67.5 million. Its expected term runs from 1 July 2027 to 30 June 2031, with a possible extension to 30 June 2033. The questionnaire’s stated return time is 3pm on 30 October 2026.

The requirement is marked as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises, so smaller grocery wholesalers and food suppliers may be relevant, as well as larger distributors able to cover the full range. Suppliers with sourcing, storage and distribution capability for ambient and chilled products, alongside fresh muffins, are likely to be well placed to respond to the market consultation and prepare for any later competition. The Authority says it is seeking a robust, value-for-money contract; suppliers can use the questionnaire to explain how their product range, service model and supply capacity could meet that aim. Responses are for market scoping only and will not be assessed as tender submissions. No particular accreditation or technical qualification is stated in the procurement information. The planned arrangement covers educational bodies in Northern Ireland, so suppliers should consider their ability to serve that customer base.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

PRE-MARKET ENGAGEMENT QUESTIONNAIRE (PME) for Ambient and Chilled Grocery Products for Education Authority NI

Notice Description

The Education Authority Northern Ireland (EANI) wishes to engage with the market to seek their views on establishing a robust, value for money contract for the provision of Ambient and Chilled Grocery Products and Fresh Muffins. Any information gathered through this market consultation exercise will inform internal business planning and any possible subsequent procurement process and will NOT be appraised in any future tender evaluation exercise. Please note that participation or non-participation in this preliminary market consultation exercise shall not prevent any supplier from participating in any potential procurement process, nor is it intended that any information supplied shall place any supplier at an advantage or disadvantage in any forthcoming procurement process. For the avoidance of doubt, this is the scoping phase of the project and is not part of a formal procurement process. Suppliers who wish to participate in the market engagement exercise should complete the pre-market engagement questionnaire. Further information including the questionnaire can be downloaded from CfT documents. The Questionnaire must be completed no later than 3pm on the closing date detailed in the PME Questionnaire document. There are no formal tender documents to be completed other than the questionnaire.

Planning Information

Pre-Market Engagement Questionnaire (PME) for the provision of Ambient and Chilled Grocery Products for the Education Authority and NI Educational Bodies. Interested Suppliers are asked to complete and return the questionnaire available via the eTendersNI messaging portal no later than 3pm on 30 October 2026.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-078560
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/095958-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

15 - Food, beverages, tobacco and related products

CPV Codes

15000000 - Food, beverages, tobacco and related products

15800000 - Miscellaneous food products

15820000 - Rusks and biscuits; preserved pastry goods and cakes

15830000 - Sugar and related products

15850000 - Pasta products

15860000 - Coffee, tea and related products

15870000 - Condiments and seasonings

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£67,500,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
12 Oct 2026Yesterday
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
4 Jan 20273 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Jul 2027 - 30 Jun 2031 4-5 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 NI
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
Postcode Area
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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