Find a TenderOpen for tender Tender notice
Published 23 Sept 2026, 08:45 BST

Official UK procurement notice

CS2686 - Food Provision for FUEL Winter 2026 and Spring 2027

Authority: Wiltshire Council (Local council)

GoodsBelow threshold - open competitionBelow thresholdSME suitable
Published estimate£78,000£93,600 inc. VAT
Submission deadline 14 Oct 202612:00 BST · 20d 14h left
Clarification cut-off 2 Oct 202612:00 BST · questions to the authority
Contract term 6 mostarts 1 Nov 2026
Bids per lot · this authority 4all categories · n=54 · competition analysis ↓

What is being bought

Published requirement description

HAF aims to tackle the triple inequalities of holiday hunger, physical inactivity, and social isolation. It provides free of charge activities and food for children and young people who are entitled to benefits- related Free School Meals and school age up to the end of Year 11. The programme is funded by the Department for Education. It is intended that participants in the HAF programme will: ? Eat more healthily over the school holidays. ? Be more active during the school holidays. ? Be safe and less socially isolated. ? Engage in enriching activities which support personal development and wellbeing. ? Have greater understanding of health and nutrition. ? Be more engaged with school and other local services. There are around11,000 children in Wiltshire who are eligible for benefit related Free School Meals. Wiltshire Council are seeking a range of large and small organisations to support the delivery of the programme across Wiltshire.

CPV: Meal delivery service · Meal-cooking services · Prepared meals · School meals

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1Lot 1 6 moSMEPublished value£78,000
Contract period: 1 Nov 2026 — 15 May 2027 (6 mo)Eligibility: SME eligibleDelivery: South WestTurnover guideline: ~£156,000/yr≈ 2× annual value
Value
£78,000 exc. VAT · £93,600 inc. VAT
15894200 Prepared meals15894210 School meals55322000 Meal-cooking services55521200 Meal delivery service

Who is likely to bid for this lot ↓

What it takes to win
i

How this buyer will score bids.

The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).

Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published — the tender pack may add more
How bids are scored
Quality: 60%Price: 40%
Published award criteria (2)
  • Quality60% Quality
  • PricePrice 40%
Conditions of participation1
  • Condition of participation
    Pass/Fail Criteria - Must be registered food business with at least one year of trading experience Food hygiene rating 3 and above Public Liability Insurance (£5million minimum) Product Liability Insurance (£5million minimum) Employer Liability Insurance (£5million minimum)

Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid

How Wiltshire Council buys Miscellaneous food products and dried goods (CPV 1589) — and who usually turns up

Wiltshire Council’s own published record, next to the South West England market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Miscellaneous food products and dried goods (CPV 1589)

1

How the contest usually goes

Left: this authority. Right: the market where the work is delivered. Bids and award-vs-estimate pairs are per lot, from contested contracts only — direct awards (including PA 2023 transparency notices) report one bid by definition and are left out. On Procurement Act 2023 notices the count is the tenders assessed at the final stage, not every submission received; pairs compare like with like (VAT-exclusive, or VAT-inclusive on both sides). Empty means nothing was published, not filled in from elsewhere.

This authority

Wiltshire Council

contract notices in 36 months: 100 in all categories (1 without competition · 33 route not published)

Bids per lot
i

How many companies usually bid for work like this.

Middle value of published bid counts, one per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 54 lots. 23 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 4) and 31 from older notices (bids received, middle 4).

Nothing is filled in from UK-wide numbers. An empty tile means nothing usable was published.

4all categories · 36m · n=54 lots
Single-bid lots
i

How often only one company bid.

Share of lots that received exactly one bid, on the same competitions as the bids figure.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 54 lots.

High means a thin market or an incumbent that is hard to beat.

11%all categories · 36m · n=54 lots
Award vs estimate
i

Do awards for work like this land above or below the estimate.

Estimate against award per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 8 pairs.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

8% belowall categories · 36m · n=8 pairs
Deadline → award date
i

How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.

Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 20 notices.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

50dall categories · 36m · n=20 notices
Notice updates
i

How often this buyer changes a notice after publishing it.

Middle number of amendments per notice. Deadline extensions and corrections both count.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 24 months: 127 notices.

Last 24 months.

0all categories · 24m · n=127 notices
Awarded without competition
i

How often this buyer awards without a competition.

Direct or limited awards as a share of its notices that say which procedure was used. These routes are legal in defined cases. This is just the record.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 67 notices.

Last 36 months.

1%all categories · 36m · n=67 notices
Bids per lot robust · n=54
i

How the number of bidders is spread across lots.

Each lot with a published bid count is put in a band: one bid, two to three, four to six, seven or more. Real competitions only.

Based on 54 lots on 35 contested notices · all categories, last 36 months.

  • 1 bid 11%
  • 2–3 33%
  • 4–6 30%
  • 7+ 26%

Median 4 · 54 lots on 35 contested notices · all categories.

Winning award vs estimate robust · n=8
i

How often winners come in below, near or above the estimate.

Each lot with both an estimate and an award is placed by how far the award sat from the estimate.

Based on 8 lot pairs · all categories, last 36 months.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

  • Below estimate 63%
  • Within ±2% 25%
  • Above estimate 13%

8 lot pairs · all categories.

The market · delivery region

South West England · Miscellaneous food products and dried goods (CPV 1589)

contract notices delivered in South West England in 36 months: 14 in CPV 1589 (13 competed, 1 route not published) · 47 in division 15 (31 competed, 11 route not published)

Bids per lot
i

How many companies usually bid for work like this.

Middle value of published bid counts, one per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 1589), last 36 months: 5 lots. 3 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 4) and 2 from older notices (bids received, middle 4.5).

Nothing is filled in from UK-wide numbers. An empty tile means nothing usable was published.

4CPV 1589 · 36m · n=5 lots
Single-bid lots
i

How often only one company bid.

Share of lots that received exactly one bid, on the same competitions as the bids figure.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 1589), last 36 months: 5 lots.

High means a thin market or an incumbent that is hard to beat.

20%CPV 1589 · 36m · n=5 lots
Award vs estimate
i

Do awards for work like this land above or below the estimate.

Estimate against award per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 1589), last 36 months: 3 pairs.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

at estimateCPV 1589 · 36m · n=3 pairs
Deadline → award date
i

How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.

Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 1589), last 36 months: 3 notices.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

60dCPV 1589 · 36m · n=3 notices
SME bidders
i

How much of this market goes to small and medium firms.

SME bidders where buyers published the split, otherwise SME winners.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 1589), last 36 months: 5 lots.

Last 36 months.

50%CPV 1589 · 36m · n=5 lots
Winners based in the region
i

How much work like this goes to companies based in the delivery region.

Awards in this category delivered here where the winner’s registered address is in the region.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 1589), last 36 months: 6 awards.

Registered address, so a national firm with a local branch counts as outside.

Last 36 months.

17%CPV 1589 · 36m · n=6 awards
Bids per lot robust · n=5
i

How the number of bidders is spread across lots.

Each lot with a published bid count is put in a band: one bid, two to three, four to six, seven or more. Real competitions only.

Based on 5 lots on 5 contested notices · CPV 1589, last 36 months.

  • 1 bid 20%
  • 2–3 0%
  • 4–6 80%
  • 7+ 0%

Median 4 · 5 lots on 5 contested notices · CPV 1589.

Winning award vs estimate moderate · n=3
i

How often winners come in below, near or above the estimate.

Each lot with both an estimate and an award is placed by how far the award sat from the estimate.

Based on 3 lot pairs · CPV 1589, last 36 months.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

  • Below estimate 33%
  • Within ±2% 33%
  • Above estimate 33%

3 lot pairs · CPV 1589.

robust · n=8
i

Where this tender’s estimate would land if the usual pattern repeats.

We apply the buyer’s usual movement between estimate and award (or the region’s) to the estimate on this notice.

Based on this buyer’s own usual movement over 8 lots (all categories), applied to the £78,000 estimate on this notice.

A benchmark, not a price to bid.

Awards in Wiltshire Council (all categories, n=8 pairs) land a median 8% below: on this notice’s £78,000 that is about £72,150. Context for a bid, not a recommended price.
Coverage and what to read with care
  • Each tile explains itself. The on a figure says what it is, how it is counted and which scope this notice’s own record came from (class, division, all categories, or the authority’s 24-month row). The two columns are never blended and nothing is filled from a UK-wide figure; an empty tile means the source published nothing usable. Long form: Methodology.
  • Coverage. Roughly 40 % of notices publish a bid count; about half publish an ITL1 delivery location, so the market column reads the authority’s registered region when the notice has none (labelled). About 30 % of award-vs-estimate pairs are exact matches — the buyer published the award at the estimate. n is on every figure; a thin sample is muted, never hidden.
  • “Match” and “relevance” are model scores from the nightly matcher, not published facts. Find a Tender does not publish who is bidding. Never shown: contact details, payment behaviour, or a recommended price.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Procedure method
Below threshold - open competition
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Goods
Notice status
Open for tender
Procurement threshold
Below threshold
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement
No (one-off requirement)
First published
23 Sept 2026, 08:45 BST
Last source update
23 Sept 2026, 08:45 BST
Authority reference
CS2686
Latest notice
Tender notice (UK4)
Classification (CPV)
Meal delivery serviceMeal-cooking servicesPrepared mealsSchool meals
Delivery area
South West (UKK15)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-077811 Find a Tender

How to participate & submission route

Official notice Submit via ProContract (Due North)
Submission portal named on this notice: ProContract (Due North) · Who buys & how to bid on ProContract
Supplier login requiredElectronic submission allowed
Access & registration note: Free · short registration with manual review; public opportunity list
Expression of interest (EOI)
Tender submission deadline
14 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
Clarification deadline
2 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release
procontract.due-north.com Please submit electronically through procontract.co.uk - reference CS2686 - Food Provision for FUEL Winter 2026 and Spring 2027
Published estimate £78,000 excludes VAT (£93,600 including VAT).

Timeline

4 published dates · Europe/London
  1. Tender notice published1 day ago
    23 Sept 2026, 08:45 BST
  2. Clarification questions byin 9 days
    2 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
  3. Submission deadlinein 21 days
    14 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
  4. Contract startsin 38 days
    1 Nov 2026, 00:00 GMT

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Nothing awarded yet
Awards (0)
No award published
Contracts (0)
No contract published
Bid statistics
No aggregate bid statistics published

Notice history

1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender
  1. Tender notice published
    23 Sept 2026, 08:45 BSTUK4

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Wiltshire Council

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PDZR-9968-RYYY Wiltshire Council, Trowbridge, South West, BA14 8JN

Official documents & specifications (1)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure

  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender