---
title: "Fresh Fruit, Vegetables and Related Products"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0559b9"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0559b9"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0559b9.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0559b9.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "THE EDUCATION AUTHORITY NI"
published: "2026-03-27"
---

# Fresh Fruit, Vegetables and Related Products

Buyer: THE EDUCATION AUTHORITY NI  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0559b9

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## Summary

The Education Authority NI has awarded a contract for the supply and delivery of fresh fruit, vegetables, and related products to school meal kitchens across Northern Ireland. The procurement process, initiated through the open procedure, concludes with Henderson Foodservice Ltd as the contracted supplier. Valued at approximately £16,800,000, the contract spans from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029, with an option to extend up to an additional 36 months. The contract is accessible to various educational bodies within Northern Ireland, reflecting the industry's public authority-central government classification, with regulations specific to Northern Ireland applicable.

This tender offers substantial opportunities for businesses specialised in agricultural produce, particularly those involved in supplying fruit and vegetables. It is ideally suited for businesses that can consistently meet quality and delivery KPIs. SMEs and larger firms can benefit from engaging with a stable client like the Education Authority NI, looking to fulfil a significant ongoing demand. Companies with experience in the food supply chain who are well-equipped to comply with the contractual obligations and demonstrate robust service delivery are positioned well to bid for this contract whenever opportunities to compete arise again.

## Notice

Supply and delivery of Fresh Fruit, Vegetables and Related Products to school meals kitchens within Northern Ireland. Contract period : 01 April 2026 - 31 March 2029 with options to extend for any additional period(s) of up to and including 36 months. The estimated value is PS16,800,000. This Contract is established by the Education Authority 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 nonparticipating institutions may already have in place. Department of Education - Schools Plus https://www.educationni.gov.uk/services/schoolsplus 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), Schoolmeals kitchens on-site at all of these schools, and Controlled Youth Centres. Further Education Colleges in NI : https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/contacts/further educationfecolleges NICIE - https://nicie.org/ Grant Controlled Integrated Education Schools in NI Independent Schools in NI https://www.isc.co.uk/schools/northern-ireland/ EA Teachers' and Educational Centres Council for the Curriculum, Examination and Assessment NI (CCEA) Armagh Observatory and Planetarium Middletown Centre for Autism Controlled Schools Support Council (CSSC) Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education (NICIE) Pre-Schools and Nurseries included within the EA Pre-School Education Programme (PSEP) N.B. Estimated values stated, both including and excluding VAT are the same as VAT is not applicable to the goods included under this procurement

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Options: Additional items may be added to the Contract throughout the Term with the agreement of both the Buyer and the Supplier. This may include any Unprepared or Pre Prepared Fruit and Vegetables options that may be required throughout the duration of the Contract.

Renewal: Options to extend for any additional period(s) of up to and including 36 months

### Planning Information

PRE-MARKET ENGAGEMENT QUESTIONNAIRE (PME) for Fresh Fruit and Vegetables for the Education Authority. Interested suppliers are asked to complete and return the questionniare.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/028707-2026 |
| 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 | Large |
| All stages | Planning, Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 27 Mar 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 22 Dec 2025 |
| Future notice date | 25 Jul 2025 |
| Award date | 23 Feb 2026 |
| Contract period | 31 Mar 2026 - 31 Mar 2029 |
| Recurrence | 2031-11-21 |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £16,800,000 |
| Lots value | £16,800,000 |
| Awards value | £16,800,000 |
| Contracts value | £16,800,000 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | THE EDUCATION AUTHORITY NI |
| Additional buyers | 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 | TLN Northern Ireland |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | HENDERSON FOODSERVICE |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 15 - Food, beverages, tobacco and related products

### Codes

- 15000000 - Food, beverages, tobacco and related products
- 15300000 - Fruit, vegetables and related products
- 15310000 - Potatoes and potato products
- 15312000 - Potato products
- 15313000 - Processed potatoes
- 15330000 - Processed fruit and vegetables
- 15331000 - Processed vegetables
- 15331100 - Fresh or frozen vegetables
- 15331110 - Processed root vegetables
- 15331120 - Processed tuber vegetables
- 15331130 - Beans, peas, peppers, tomatoes and other vegetables

## Release History

- 27 Mar 2026 at 16:06 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/028707-2026
- 23 Feb 2026 at 17:24 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/016258-2026
- 25 Nov 2025 at 14:14 - TenderUpdate - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/076894-2025
- 21 Nov 2025 at 16:10 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/076165-2025
- 7 Jul 2025 at 10:21 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/037689-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/028707-2026
  27th March 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/016258-2026
  23rd February 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/076894-2025
  25th November 2025 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/076165-2025
  21st November 2025 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/037689-2025
  7th July 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.sillisprepveg.ie
- http://www.syscoireland.com
- https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps
- https://nicie.org/
- https://www.educationni.gov.uk/services/schoolsplus
- https://www.henderson-foodservice.com/
- https://www.isc.co.uk/schools/northern-ireland/
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents
- https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/contacts/further

## 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-0559b9. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0559b9.json.