---
title: "Water Coolers and Associated Items"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-04fdaa"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-04fdaa"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04fdaa.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04fdaa.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "THE EDUCATION AUTHORITY"
published: "2025-12-08"
---

# Water Coolers and Associated Items

Buyer: THE EDUCATION AUTHORITY  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-04fdaa

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## Summary

The Education Authority in the United Kingdom has completed a procurement process under the open procedure method for the supply of water coolers and associated items, as defined in procurement ID CAT-25-008. The contract, which was signed on 20th November 2025, is scheduled to commence on 1st January 2026 and conclude on 31st December 2029. The procurement is classified under goods, specifically covering mineral water, water coolers, and drinking water with a geographical focus on Northern Ireland. Culligan Water (Ireland) Limited and Irish Food and Beverages have been awarded the contracts for Lot 1 (Bottle Fed Water Coolers) and Lot 2 (Mains Fed Water Coolers), respectively. The estimated contract value without VAT amounts to a total of £330,000, with the possibility of adjustments based on specific terms outlined in the Procurement Act 2023.

This tender offers significant opportunities for businesses involved in the manufacture and supply of water dispensing systems and related items. Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are particularly well-suited to compete, as evidenced by the award to Culligan Water (Ireland) Limited and Irish Food and Beverages, both SMEs. With educational institutions and various Northern Ireland educational bodies involved, suppliers of water coolers can expand their market presence by providing reliable, cost-effective solutions that cater to educational entities. Furthermore, engaging in such contracts can enhance a company's portfolio and offer long-term business growth, leveraging the educational sector's continuous demand in the region.

## Notice

CAT-25-008 Water Coolers and Associated Items The Contract is divided into two Lots as follows: * Lot 1 Bottle Fed Water Coolers and Associated Items and; * Lot 2 Mains Fed Water Coolers and Associated Items. This Contract is established by the Education Authority ("EA") and is open to the EA, including NI educational bodies as follows, who at some point, during the life of the Contract may wish to utilise the agreement and should have access at any point, with the permission of EA. This Contract is not intended to replace any current agreements that participating or non-participating institutions may already have in place. Department of Education - Schools Plus Primary and Post Primary schools under the control of the EA, Catholic Maintained Schools, Independent Schools in NI, Irish Medium Schools in NI, both Controlled and Voluntary Grammar Schools, Nursery School for NI (both controlled, and Catholic Maintained), school meals kitchens on-site at all of these schools, and Controlled Youth Centres. NICIE - School Finder Grant Controlled Integrated Education Schools in NI Independent Schools in NI Independent School in NI EA Teachers' and Educational Centres Council for the Curriculum, Examination and Assessment NI (CCEA) Controlled Schools Support Council (CSSC) Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education (NICIE) Pre-Schools and Nurseries included in the Pre-School Education Programme (PSEP) Due to the independent nature of the Schools within Northern Ireland there is no obligation for all schools to become party to the Contract if a value for money solution can be achieved through another Contract or arrangement. The EA reserves the right to move value between Lots as required, however, the overarching value will not exceed PS330,000 (ex VAT) without modification in accordance with the requirements of the Procurement Act 2023. Furthermore, suppliers should note that, in accordance with Section 31 and /or Section 74 of the Procurement Act 2023, the Buyer reserves the right to modify the Contract without a new procurement process in certain circumstances. In particular, but without limiting the foregoing, Suppliers should note that the true value of the Contract may differ from the values outlined above for the following reasons: *Increase/decrease in the number of schools and number of pupils. *Increase/decrease in the demand to use the Contract *General increases/decreases in all costs such as equipment, insurances, labour rates etc. *Unforeseen/unplanned events (for e.g., new schools which are an amalgamation of existing schools that were previously identified by EA as being eligible to utilise thisContract). *Increase/decrease in EA funding.

### Lot Information

Lot 1 - Bottle Fed Water Coolers and Associated Items

Lot 1 is for the supply and delivery of Bottle Fed Water Coolers and Associated Items.

Lot 2 - Mains Fed Water Coolers and Associated Items

Lot 2 is for the supply and delivery of Mains Fed Water Coolers and Associated Items

### Planning Information

Interested participants should complete the questionnaire and upload by 3pm on 16 April 2025. Completed questionnaires must be returned via the eTendersNI Messaging function as an attachment or via email to catering.procure@eani.org.uk.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080502-2025 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Planning, Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 8 Dec 2025 |
| Submission deadline | 12 Sep 2025 |
| Future notice date | 16 Apr 2025 |
| Award date | 31 Oct 2025 |
| Contract period | 1 Jan 2026 - 31 Dec 2029 |
| Recurrence | 2029-06-01 |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £330,000 |
| Lots value | £330,000 |
| Awards value | £330,000 |
| Contracts value | £330,000 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | THE EDUCATION AUTHORITY |
| Locality | BELFAST |
| Post town | Northern Ireland |
| Postcode | BT1 2NQ |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| ITL 1 | TLN Northern Ireland |
| ITL 2 | TLN0 Northern Ireland |
| ITL 3 | TLN06 Belfast |
| Local authority | Belfast |
| Electoral ward | Duncairn |
| Westminster constituency | Belfast North |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 3 |
| Supplier names | CULLIGAN WATER (IRELAND; IRISH FOOD & BEVERAGES; IRISH FOOD AND BEVERAGES |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 15 - Food, beverages, tobacco and related products
- 31 - Electrical machinery, apparatus, equipment and consumables; lighting
- 41 - Collected and purified water

### Codes

- 15981000 - Mineral water
- 15981100 - Still mineral water
- 31141000 - Water coolers
- 41110000 - Drinking water

## Release History

- 8 Dec 2025 at 11:17 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080502-2025
- 6 Nov 2025 at 15:30 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/071730-2025
- 18 Aug 2025 at 10:58 - TenderUpdate - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/049435-2025
- 12 Aug 2025 at 15:49 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/048183-2025
- 4 Apr 2025 at 16:02 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/013229-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080502-2025
  8th December 2025 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/071730-2025
  6th November 2025 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/049435-2025
  18th August 2025 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/048183-2025
  12th August 2025 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/013229-2025
  4th April 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.rocwellwater.com
- https://etendersni.gov.uk/
- https://www.culligan.ie/
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-04fdaa. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04fdaa.json.