--- title: "***Pre-Market Engagement *** ICT-26-009 Catering Management Tool" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0694f6" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0694f6" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0694f6.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0694f6.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "EDUCATION AUTHORITY" published: "2026-05-27" --- # ***Pre-Market Engagement *** ICT-26-009 Catering Management Tool Buyer: EDUCATION AUTHORITY Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0694f6 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0694f6) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0694f6.json) ## Summary The Education Authority (EANI) of Northern Ireland is currently undertaking a Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) exercise for the ICT-26-009 Catering Management Tool. This is positioned within the services category and is focused on providing a modern and efficient Catering System for schools in Northern Ireland. The process aims to explore innovative solutions to support secure payment methods and manage risks associated with special diets. The engagement is a planning phase rather than a formal tender, and it seeks to comprehend recent developments in the field. The PME deadline is extended to 3rd June 2026, with the exercise being held in the Belfast area under the regulations applicable to Northern Ireland devolved governance. This PME presents significant opportunities for businesses, particularly those specialising in IT services, software development, and school catering solutions. Companies capable of delivering cutting-edge financial systems software packages, information systems, and industry-specific software are well-suited to compete. Smaller enterprises (SMEs) are encouraged to participate in this exercise, which could pave the way for future partnerships and contract awards valued up to £6,000,000 GBP. Interested suppliers have the opportunity to shape the procurement strategy by providing insights that could influence the formal procurement process, which is anticipated to commence following this engagement phase. ## Notice **This is not a tender exercise*** The Education Authority Northern Ireland (EANI) would like to invite participation in a Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) exercise to seek the views of the market for the provision, in the first instance, of a Catering System within Northern Ireland schools, supporting modern, secure and efficient payment methods and managing risks associated with special diets within schools. The purpose of this PME exercise is for EANI to gain an understanding of the latest developments and innovative solutions available for school settings and will be used to assist EANI in gaining a better understanding of the feasibility of the requirements, the most appropriate procurement and operational approach, the capacity of the market to deliver the requirements and an opportunity for the market to highlight any possible risks or issues. This PME exercise also seeks to identify indicative costs to help inform the business case on the commercial aspects for the delivery and implementation of solution(s). For the avoidance of doubt, this is the scoping phase of the project and is not part of any formal procurement process and there is no commitment at this stage to carry out such a process. Any information gathered will not be considered in any future tender exercise. Please note that participation or non-participation in this PME exercise shall not prevent any supplier from participating in any future procurement process, nor is it intended that any information provided shall place any supplier at an advantage or disadvantage in any future procurement exercise. Further information including the questionnaire can be downloaded from the documents section of the CfT on eTendersNI. Suppliers who wish to participate in the PME exercise must return the completed questionnaire via the messaging function of the CfT on eTendersNI no later than 15:00 on Friday 29th May 2026. As part of the PME exercise, participants may be invited to attend a follow-up session with EANI to explore and discuss the information provided in their response, this will be at the discretion of EANI. For reference, the eTendersni reference number for this PME exercise is 6527440 ### Planning Information Suppliers who wish to participate in the PME exercise must return the completed questionnaire via the messaging function of the CfT on eTendersNI no later than 15:00 on Friday 29th May 2026 ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/049474-2026 | | 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 | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 27 May 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 31 Jul 2026 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 31 Mar 2027 - 31 Mar 2032 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £5,000,000 | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Planning | | Lots status | Planning | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | 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 | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 48 - Software package and information systems - 55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services - 72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support ### Codes - 48000000 - Software package and information systems - 48100000 - Industry specific software package - 48442000 - Financial systems software package - 48812000 - Financial information systems - 55500000 - Canteen and catering services - 55512000 - Canteen management services - 55524000 - School catering services - 72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support - 72212442 - Financial systems software development services ## Release History - 27 May 2026 at 10:00 - PlanningUpdate - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/049474-2026 - 8 May 2026 at 14:37 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/042646-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/049474-2026 27th May 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/042646-2026 8th May 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - 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-0694f6. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0694f6.json.