Official UK procurement notice
GFC27 Supply & Distribution of Grocery, Frozen, Chilled & Catering Supplies
Authority: THE UNIVERSITY CATERERS ORGANISATION LIMITED (Education)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe purpose of this planned procurement is to establish a (closed) framework for the supply and distribution of Grocery, Frozen, Chilled foods and Catering supplies to members and clients of TUCO (Universities, Colleges, Local Authorities and the wider Public Sector).
The duration of this (closed) framework is planned to be a maximum of 4 years.
The annual spend through the (closed) Framework is estimated at £80m
The total spend through the (closed) framework (over the maximum 4 years) is estimated at £320m
The scope of products to be covered in the framework are as follows but not limited to:
canned and dried fruit and vegetables, baking products, rice, pasta, sauces,
beverages, cheese, milk, bacon, cured meats, sandwich fillings and all other grocery,
ambient and chilled foods.
meat, poultry, fish, chips, vegetables, bread, patisserie, vienoisserie, cheese, milk, bacon, cured meats,
sandwich fillings and any other frozen and chilled foods.
meat, poultry, fish, cheese, bacon, yoghurts, sandwich fillings and any other chilled foods.
specialist vegan and vegetarian food products suitable for use in foodservice.
Relevant catering supplies
It is envisaged that suppliers will be able to cover the full scope of products for each lot. The framework is likely to include the option of a one-stop shop.
CPV: Catering supplies · Food, beverages, tobacco and related products
How this framework works
From the published notice- Framework period
- 2 yrs · up to 4 yrs from 1 May 2027
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedWhat 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).
- “GFC27 Supply & Distribution of Grocery, Frozen, Chilled & Catering…” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract.
Pipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published
How THE UNIVERSITY CATERERS ORGANISATION LIMITED buys Kitchen equipment, household and domestic items and catering supplies (CPV 3922), and who usually turns up
THE UNIVERSITY CATERERS ORGANISATION LIMITED has little published record in this market. Compared with other frameworks and DPS only. Whole-market view: Kitchen equipment, household and domestic items and catering supplies (CPV 3922) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
i
How often small and medium firms win.
Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.
The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.
No supplier sizes published for this authority.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
Local means the winner is registered in the region where that award was delivered.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
No winner locations published for this authority. Local means a registered address in the region where that award was delivered.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the bid deadline to the award date, on competitions that published both.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards have an award date within 90 days of the bid deadline.
i
How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
No awards recorded for this authority in this market.
How many bids did past lots attract?
i
How many bids past lots received.
Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.
Past bids do not predict this tender.
1 bid0% / 7%
2–319% / 19%
4–619% / 19%
7+62% / 56%
How did awards compare with estimates?
i
Where winning prices landed against estimates.
Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.
On a framework or DPS, prices are agreed when work is called off.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Not comparable on a framework or DPS: the price is set later, on each call-off.
Assess each lot i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list
Lot #1CPV 3922No real estimate
i
How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative. The bar shows 22 past lots.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid5%
2–39%
4–641%
7+45%
i
Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
Candidate suppliers for this notice have not been worked out yet, so this is not a verdict that nobody fits.
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
- Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Goods
- Notice status
- Planned procurement
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Framework agreement
- Who may use this agreement
- Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 23 May 2025, 09:17 BST
- Last source update
- 6 Oct 2026, 08:30 BST
- Authority reference
CAT11080-TU- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-094041- Latest notice
- Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Not published
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-051ffbFind a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- —
Timeline
23 May 2025 → 1 May 2027 · 5 dates- Planning notice published23 May 2025, 09:17 BST
- Latest notice published21 days ago6 Oct 2026, 08:30 BST
- Market engagement5 days ago21 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST
The purpose of this notice is to provide interested parties with an overview of The University Caterer’s Organisation and insight into the forthcoming tender opportunity for Grocery, Frozen, Chilled & Catering Supplies
This notice is not an invitation to tender, but an invitation to prospective suppliers to contact the authority should they wish to receive a copy presentation providing an overview of TUCO Ltd Grocery, Frozen, Chilled & Catering Supplies tender.
In preparation for the tender process, we have carried out market research using a feedback questionnaire with our members (customers), the key findings of which are detailed within the presentation which we are happy to share. The presentation also gives guidance on the procurement process and details about our tendering portal and how to register.
We wish to ensure that all parties wishing to tender have access to the same information enabling them to consider the opportunity.
In fairness to all parties, we will ensure that each supplier request for information regarding this procurement will be subject to the same response, sharing our pre-prepared overview presentation.
Please contact the authority by email to [email protected] and cc [email protected] to request an overview presentation regarding the opportunity.
- Today26 Oct 2026
- Tender notice expectedtoday26 Oct 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 186 days1 May 2027, 00:00 BST
Notice history
2 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 23 May 2025- Pipeline notice published23 May 2025, 09:17 BSTUK1
- Preliminary market engagement notice published6 Oct 2026, 08:30 BSTUK2
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Pipeline notice- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (2)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- Pipeline notice Pipeline notice on Find a Tender