Official UK procurement notice
Fresh Butchered Meat and Poultry and Associated Products (2026 - 2030)
Authority: THE UNIVERSITY CATERERS ORGANISATION LIMITED (Education)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe supply and distribution of fresh butchered meat and poultry (and associated products) to members of TUCO Ltd.
Fresh Butchered Meat & Poultry Agreement Scope is as follows but not limited to:
- Fresh Butchered Meat Pork, Lamb, Beef, Ox, Veal: Joints, cuts, fillets, carcasses & whole animals for catering courses
- Game: Venison, Rabbit, Pheasant etc.
- Sundries: e.g. Butchers String & nets
- Processed meats: Haggis, Sausages, Black Pudding, Bacon, Gammon, Burgers, pre-prepared kebabs, Chorizo etc.
- Pre-prepared items: Prepped, filled and coated meats (e.g. Chicken Kiev), Cooked Meats, Specialty pies, pâtés
- Poultry: Chicken, Turkey, Duck; Poussin
- Specialty Eggs: Duck and Quail
- Religious options including: Halal and Kosher
- Special Diets: e.g. gluten free sausages etc
- Welfare options including: Red Tractor, RSPCA Assured, Better Chicken Commitment, Organic, Higher Welfare, Welsh PGI
Butchery Service where required:
A small number of university members have their own farms / rear their own animals require a butchery service arrangement where bidders have the capacity and capability to administer the successful delivery of animals from member institution farms via an abattoir, or members' choice (or abattoir) and cut to members' specifications per animal.
The level of service required would be detailed within any further competitions.
- The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 15 Jan 2030, 23:59 GMT.
CPV: Animal products, meat and meat products
How this framework works
From the published notice- Type
- Open framework · open framework scheme (admission reopens)
- Call-offs
- call-offs may be awarded directly or by further competition
- Bids received
- 24 bids received · 19 suppliers appointed
- Framework period
- 2 yrs · up to 4 yrs from 11 May 2026
- Buyer regions
- UK
- Supplier levy on call-offs (max %)
1.35% of call-off value · Full details are available in the tender documents which are available on in-tendhost.co.uk/tuco/aspx/Home ↗
Who may buy through it
Members of the following purchasing organisations:
- The University Caterers Organisation Limited (TUCO):
account.tuco.ac.uk/delrvdkzgqmjfhudksgs ↗
- North Eastern Universities Purchasing Consortium (NEUPC)
- Advanced Procurement for Universities and Colleges (APUC)
- Higher Education Purchasing Consortium Wales (HEPCW)
- London Universities Purchasing Consortium (LUPC)
- North Western Universities Purchasing Consortium (NWUPC)
- Southern Universities Procurement Consortium (SUPC)
- Crescent Purchasing Consortium (CPC)
- Local authorities
10.Central Government departments and their agencies
- Police, fire and rescue, maritime and coastguard agency emergency services
12.NHS bodies, the HSC (Northern Ireland) and ambulance services
- Schools, Educational establishments and Higher Education in England, Wales,
Scotland and Northern Ireland
For full details refer to Framework Permissible Users for details of contracting authorities
that may use the Framework
Published description of the framework
Prices are determined by tendering a pricing schedule and allowing for bidders to submit pricing for line items which were individually weighted. The selection process for the award of competitions would be one of three mechanisms:
- Direct Appointment - (Award without re-opening competition)
- Combination Ranked Procedure
- Appointment following Mini-Competition.
Highest scoring supplier of price and quality scores combined would normally be awarded a contract where there ha been a competition.
- Fresh Meat · University of Portsmouth Higher Education Corporation · 7 Oct 2026
Notices that name this framework as their framework in the official record. Many call-offs are never published, so this is a floor, not utilisation.
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedRenewalPublished value£32,000,000
What it takes to wini
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 morei
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).
Published sub-criteria (2)
- Fresh Butchered Meat and Poultry and Associated Products: 55%
- Fresh Butchered Meat and Poultry and Associated Products: 45%
Published award criteria (2)
- Fresh Butchered Meat and Poultry and Associated Products
- Fresh Butchered Meat and Poultry and Associated Products
- Price carries 45 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 4.5 points. Quality carries 55 of 100: the paper moves it further than the discount.
- “Fresh Butchered Meat and Poultry and Associated Products (2026 - 2030)” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract: call-offs may be direct or by further competition.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Goods
- Notice status
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Open framework scheme
- Who may use the vehicle
- Members of the following purchasing organisations: 1. The University Caterers Organisation Limited (TUCO): https://account.tuco.ac.uk/delrvdkzgqmjfhudksgs 2. North Eastern Universities Purchasing Consortium (NEUPC) 3. Advanced Procurement for Universities and Colleges (APUC) 4. Higher Education Purchasing Consortium Wales (HEPCW) 5. London Universities Purchasing Consortium (LUPC) 6. North Western Universities Purchasing Consortium (NWUPC) 7. Southern Universities Procurement Consortium (SUPC) 8. Crescent Purchasing Consortium (CPC) 9. Local authorities 10.Central Government departments and their agencies 11. Police, fire and rescue, maritime and coastguard agency emergency services 12.NHS bodies, the HSC (Northern Ireland) and ambulance services 13. Schools, Educational establishments and Higher Education in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland For full details refer to Framework Permissible Users for details of contracting authorities that may use the Framework · open scheme: new suppliers can join during the term
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Yes · next expected 15 Jan 2030
- First published
- 21 May 2025, 12:59 BST
- Last source update
- 12 Aug 2026, 15:11 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 27 Apr 2026
- Authority reference
CAT11083-TU- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-014891- Latest notice
- Contract details notice (UK7)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-051a8eFind a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- 23 Mar 2026, 10:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 17 Mar 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
- Supplier levy on call-offs (max %)
call-off levy · 1.35% of call-off value · Full details are available in the tender documents which are available on in-tendhost.co.uk/tuco/aspx/Home ↗
Complete set of tender document are available through the web address: in-tendhost.co.uk/tuco/aspx/Home ↗
Timeline
21 May 2025 → 12 Aug 2026 · 10 dates- Planning notice published21 May 2025, 12:59 BST
- Next notice expected18 Aug 2025, 23:59 BST
- Tender notice published240 days ago18 Feb 2026, 15:34 GMT
- Clarification questions by212 days ago17 Mar 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Admission / appointment period ends207 days ago · period end, not a bid countdown23 Mar 2026, 10:00 GMT
- Award decision expected by171 days ago27 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST
- Contract starts158 days ago11 May 2026, 00:00 BST
- Assessment summaries sent116 days ago22 Jun 2026, 00:00 BST
- Standstill ends105 days ago2 Jul 2026, 23:59 BST
- Latest notice published65 days ago12 Aug 2026, 15:11 BST
Notice history
9 events · 4 releases on Find a Tender · since 21 May 2025- Pipeline notice published21 May 2025, 12:59 BSTUK1
- Tender notice published18 Feb 2026, 15:34 GMTUK4
- Published value published: £32,000,00018 Feb 2026, 15:34 GMT
- Status changed to active18 Feb 2026, 15:34 GMT
- Deadline published: 23 Mar 2026, 10:00 GMT18 Feb 2026, 15:34 GMT
- Contract award notice published22 Jun 2026, 18:04 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete22 Jun 2026, 18:04 BST
- Contract signature expected15 Jul 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
- Contract details notice published12 Aug 2026, 15:11 BSTUK7
Routine re-releases (4)
- 2025-05: 1 release · 21 May 2025
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| BLAKES MEATS LIMITEDSME, Brake Bros Ltd, C M B FOODS LTD.SME, Frankel ltdSME, Henderson Foodservice Limited, M J BIRTWISTLE & CO LIMITED +13 more15 Jul 2026 – 14 Jul 2028 · up to 14 Jul 2030Extensions: 2 x 1 year optional extensions | £32,000,000 | 22 Jun 2026 | Awarded |
Contracts
Contract 1 · BLAKES MEATS LIMITEDSME, Brake Bros Ltd, C M B FOODS LTD.SME, Frankel ltdSME, Henderson Foodservice Limited, M J BIRTWISTLE & CO LIMITED +13 more
- Signed
- 13 Jul 2026
- Value
- £32,000,000
- Period
- 13 Jul 2026 – 12 Jul 2028 · up to 12 Jul 2030 with extensions
- Status
- active
- Extensions
- +1 year + 1 year
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24final-stage tenders | 13 | 0 | — |
Who bid
- did not winBFS GROUP LIMITED · South East England
- wonBLAKES MEATS LIMITEDSME · South East England
- wonSysco GB Limited · South East England
- did not winCASTELL HOWELL FOODS LIMITED · Wales (Cymru)
- wonC M B FOODS LTD.SME · South East England
- did not winCOUNTY FOODS LIMITEDSME · South West England
- wonFrankel ltdSME · Scotland
- did not winJ. FREEMAN & SONS LIMITEDSME · North East England
- did not winHARLECH FOODSERVICE LIMITED · Wales (Cymru)
- wonHENDERSON FOODSERVICE LIMITED · Northern Ireland
- did not winJohn Sheppard Butchers LtdSME · South West England
- did not winKENT FROZEN FOODS LIMITED · South East England
- did not winM C KELLY LIMITEDSME · South West England
- did not winMCLAYS LIMITEDSME · Scotland
- did not winMIDLAND FOODS LIMITEDSME · West Midlands
- wonM J BIRTWISTLE & CO LIMITED · North West England
- did not winOwen Taylor & Sons LtdSME · East Midlands
- wonTURNER & PRICE LIMITED · South East England
- wonUNDERWOOD MEAT COMPANY LIMITEDSME · Yorkshire and the Humber
- did not winHUNT'S FOOD GROUP LTD · South West England
- did not winMRS. J.C. ALTHAM & SONS (LANCASTER) LIMITEDSME · North West England
- did not winR.D. JOHNS LIMITED · South West England
- did not winTHOMAS RIDLEY AND SON,LIMITED · South East England
- did not winWEST COUNTRY MILK CONSORTIUM LIMITEDSME · South West England
Bidders as named on the Procurement Act 2023 award notice. “Won” means the bidder holds an award on this notice.
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Framework contractors & participating bidders
24 commercial parties on the notice · 19 awarded- BFS GROUP LIMITEDFramework contractor
- BLAKES MEATS LIMITEDFramework contractor
- C M B FOODS LTD.Framework contractor
- CASTELL HOWELL FOODS LIMITEDFramework contractor
- COUNTY FOODS LIMITEDFramework contractor
- Frankel ltdFramework contractor
- HARLECH FOODSERVICE LIMITEDFramework contractor
- HENDERSON FOODSERVICE LIMITEDFramework contractor
- HUNT'S FOOD GROUP LTDBidder / tenderer
- J. FREEMAN & SONS LIMITEDFramework contractor
Show 14 more suppliers
- John Sheppard Butchers LtdFramework contractor
- KENT FROZEN FOODS LIMITEDFramework contractor
- M C KELLY LIMITEDFramework contractor
- M J BIRTWISTLE & CO LIMITEDFramework contractor
- MCLAYS LIMITEDFramework contractor
- MIDLAND FOODS LIMITEDFramework contractor
- MRS. J.C. ALTHAM & SONS (LANCASTER) LIMITEDBidder / tenderer
- Owen Taylor & Sons LtdFramework contractor
- R.D. JOHNS LIMITEDBidder / tenderer
- Sysco GB LimitedFramework contractor
- THOMAS RIDLEY AND SON,LIMITEDBidder / tenderer
- TURNER & PRICE LIMITEDFramework contractor
- UNDERWOOD MEAT COMPANY LIMITEDFramework contractor
- WEST COUNTRY MILK CONSORTIUM LIMITEDBidder / tenderer
Official documents & specifications (7)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specifications Complete set of tender document are available through the web address: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/tuco/aspx/Home
- Signed contract
- Signed contract
Notices published for this procedure
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Pipeline notice Pipeline notice on Find a Tender