Scope
Reference
CAT-25-012
Description
The Education Authority invites tenders for the supply and delivery of Pre-Prepared Meals (Individual and Bulk) to school meals kitchens within Northern Ireland for a period of 5 years with the option to extend for a further two 12 month extension periods.
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-educationfe-colleges
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)
Preliminary market engagement notice ocds-h6vhtk-04e889 was Published 28 February 2025, 10:25am
Total value (estimated)
- £335,000 excluding VAT
- £402,000 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 1 December 2025 to 30 November 2030
- Possible extension to 30 November 2032
- 7 years
Description of possible extension:
Two 12 month optional extensions
Options
The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid.
The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid.
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 individual or bulk pre-prepared meals options that may be required throughout the duration of the Contract. Any items added to the Contract during the Term must be in line with the Pricing submitted with similar items at tender.
Main procurement category
Goods
CPV classifications
- 15894200 - Prepared meals
- 15894210 - School meals
- 15894300 - Prepared dishes
Contract locations
- UKN - Northern Ireland
Participation
Technical ability conditions of participation
CoP 1 Technical ability to perform the contract - Previous Experience
Particular suitability
- Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
- Voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE)
Submission
Enquiry deadline
1 September 2025, 3:00pm
Tender submission deadline
8 September 2025, 3:00pm
Submission address and any special instructions
Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted electronically via
Tenders may be submitted electronically
Yes
Languages that may be used for submission
English
Award decision date (estimated)
10 November 2025
Recurring procurement
Publication date of next tender notice (estimated): 1 March 2032
Award criteria
| Name | Description | Type | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality of Samples - Product Characteristics | Full details can be found in the CfTdocuments section on eTenderNI https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps |
Quality | 60% |
| Proposed Methodology | Full details can be found in the CfTdocuments section on eTenderNI https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps |
Quality | 20% |
| Price | Full details can be found in the CfTdocuments section on eTenderNI https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps |
Price | 20% |
Other information
Payment terms
Full details can be found in the CfT documents section on eTenderN -
Description of risks to contract performance
The Buyer cannot guarantee any particular level of business (volumes/values) within the
Contract.
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Open procedure
Contracting authority
the Education Authority
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PPHJ-6982-JPXY
40 Academy Street
Belfast
BT12NQ
United Kingdom
Contact name: catering.procure@eani.org.uk
Email: catering.procure@eani.org.uk
Region: UKN06 - Belfast
Organisation type: Public authority - central government
Devolved regulations that apply: Northern Ireland