Official UK procurement notice
Outdoor Furniture made from Recycled Plastic
Authority: the Education Authority (Central government)
What is being bought5 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionThe Education Authority (EA) invites tenders for the supply and delivery of outdoor furniture made from recycled plastic to individual schools and EA locations within Northern Ireland for a period of 4 years.
This framework agreement is let by the Northern Ireland Education Authority (“EA”) and is open to the EA, including NI educational bodies as follows and at some point during the life of the framework agreement these bodies may wish to utilise the agreement and should have access, at any point, with the permission of EA.
This framework agreement is not intended to replace any current contracts/framework agreements that participating or non-participating institutions may already have in place. www.education-ni.gov.uk/services/schools-plus ↗ 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), school meals kitchens on-site at all of these schools, and Controlled Youth Centres. www.nidirect.gov.uk/contacts/further-edu… ↗ Further Education Colleges in NI www.nicie.org/parents/school-finder/ ↗ Grant Controlled Integrated Education Schools in NI www.isc.co.uk/schools/northern-ire… ↗ Independent School in NI Libraries NI: www.librariesni.org.uk/Libraries/ ↗ 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)
- The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 10 Dec 2029, 23:59 GMT.
CPV: Bins · Garden furniture · Miscellaneous furniture and equipment · School furniture · Waste and rubbish containers and bins
How this framework works
From the published notice- Type
- Closed framework
- Call-offs
- call-offs may be awarded directly or by further competition
- Places
- up to 15 suppliers
- Framework period
- 4 yrs from 10 May 2026
Published description of the framework
It is envisaged that this is a ranked, non-exclusive Framework Agreement with a maximum of three Suppliers being appointed to each Lot.
The Buyer may purchase items from the Framework Agreement via direct call-off or via a mini-competition.
All items awarded under the Framework across all Lots will be available for the Buyer to order directly on the iProcurement shop. The requirements of the individual Buyer will differ on a case by case basis, and therefore, the Buyer has the right to select items from the Framework (appointed on the basis of the criteria set out in the original Call for Tender), either via the Core List or Non-Core List, from a Supplier on the respective Framework Agreement Lot based on their operational and technical requirements, considering some or all of the following criteria:
•The best combination of price and compatibility with existing furniture based on their individual need
•Product availability / delivery lead time
•Any other reason
The Supplier may also offer special discounted deals throughout the period of this Framework. The Supplier is expected to contact the procurement team with details of any offers available. This Framework Agreement will allow EA to avail of any such offers and these will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
The Buyer reserves the right to conduct mini competitions for any additional requirements over and above those listed under this Framework Agreement but which fall within the scope of the Framework Agreement, or for any requirements over the value of £10k within a Lot, during the period of the Framework Agreement. It is envisaged that the Buyer may use this mechanism under the Framework where there exists a bulk purchase requirement. Any mini competition will be based on 100% price, however there may be a requirement for additional mandatory criteria specific to each project, for example supply / installation by a specified time / date. For the avoidance of doubt, there is no obligation on the Buyer to conduct a mini competition for requirements in excess of £10k within a Lot, however, the Buyer may do this should they envisage a mini competition could deliver better value for money.
Lots and requirements (5)Procurement structure
5 lots · all with a published value · same evaluation weights on every lotLot #1Outdoor BenchesAwardedPublished value£295,000
Lot 1 is for the supply and delivery of outdoor benches made from recycled plastic
- Technical & professional ability
Conditions of Participation - Technical ability to perform the contract - Previous Experience.
Lot #2Outdoor Picnic TablesAwardedPublished value£455,000
Lot 2 is for the supply and delivery of outdoor picnic tables made from recycled plastic.
- Technical & professional ability
Conditions of Participation - Technical ability to perform the contract - Previous Experience.
Lot #3Outdoor PlantersAwardedPublished value£115,000
Lot 3 is for the supply and delivery of outdoor planters made from recycled plastic.
Lot #4Outdoor SandpitsAwardedPublished value£35,000
Lot 4 is for the supply and delivery of outdoor sandpits made from recycled plastic.
Lot #5Outdoor LitterbinsAwardedPublished value£90,000
Lot 5 is for the supply and delivery of outdoor litter bins made from recycled plastic.
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 (1)
- Quantitive Award Criteria: 100%
Published award criteria (1)
- Quantitive Award Criteria
- Price carries 100 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 10 points. This one is won on the number: sharpen the price before polishing the prose.
- “Outdoor Furniture made from Recycled Plastic” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, up to 15 suppliers, 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
- Cancelled
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- 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
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Yes · next expected 10 Dec 2029
- First published
- 24 Oct 2025, 12:31 BST
- Last source update
- 6 Mar 2026, 16:38 GMT
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 30 Mar 2026
- Authority reference
FAE-25-005- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-002498- Latest notice
- Procurement termination notice (UK12)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05d357Find a Tender- Contract terms summary
The Supplier must ensure that the Buyer has issued a Purchase order number in advance of any goods being delivered.
Payments will only be made on receipt of an invoice quoting the relevant purchase order number.
The Supplier must ensure that purchase orders received are accurate in that they state the correct contract prices, or return for correction prior to the order being fulfilled, as discrepancies could result in delays to invoice payments where purchase orders and invoices do not match.
Invoices must be in pounds Sterling (GBP).
Suppliers must submit invoices directly to the address as specified on the order.
Supplier must submit a group statement for outstanding invoices on a monthly basis. The supplier may liaise with EA Accounts Payable to identify the information required on the statement.
The Supplier must replace or make good at their own expense any items that are or become defective as a result of poor design, materials or service.
Payment shall be made through the Bankers Automated Clearing System. The Supplier will be required to provide bank account details to the Buyer to facilitate this method of payment.
The Buyer reserves the right to withhold payment against any invoice which is not submitted in accordance with the Framework, or which covers or purports to relate to goods which have not been provided in accordance with the Contract and shall forthwith notify the supplier accordingly in writing.
During the Term the Buyer reserves the right to review ordering and/or invoicing procedures with the Supplier.
For an invoice to be considered valid it must be legible, from which a clear scanned image
can be produced, and clearly show the following information:
- Purchase Order number (only one purchase order per invoice)
- Invoice number
- Invoice date / tax point
- Supplier name, address, postcode and VAT registration number
- Remittance name and address where this is different to above
- Goods details which match the PO details, including quantity billed, item description,
unit of measure, unit price and total value (only goods delivered should be on an invoice)
All invoices must be made payable to the Supplier and not to any nominated subcontractor(s).
- Risks
The estimated Framework value includes a contingency for expenditure attributed for
potential Capital Projects and ad hoc school system upgrade requirements, however, the
cost and number of these occurring in the next four years is currently unknown, and could be impacted by a number of unforeseen events such as breakdowns or macro events impacting market price volatility. In addition, the availability of capital funding for schools, the level of which is currently unknown over the next four years may serve to increase or reduce demand for the equipment on this Framework Agreement and could be impacted by the ability to take forward refurbishment projects or new builds. The Buyer reserves the right to increase the value of the Framework in the event additional value is required to purchase outdoor furniture made from recycled plastic as a result of these events.
The Buyer cannot guarantee any particular level of business (volumes/values) within the
Framework Agreement.
Furthermore, suppliers should note that, in accordance with Section 31 and /or Section 74 of the Procurement Act 2023, the Buyer reserves the right to modify the Framework without a new procurement process in certain circumstances. In particular, but without limiting the foregoing, Suppliers should note that the true value of the Framework may differ from the values outlined for the following reasons:
•Increase/decrease in the number of schools and number of pupils.
•Increase/decrease in the demand to use the Framework
•General increases/decreases in all costs such as equipment, insurances, labour rates etc.
•Unforeseen/unplanned events (for e.g., new schools which are an amalgamation of existing schools that were previously identified by EA as being eligible to utilise this Contract).
•Increase/decrease in EA funding.
•Legislative changes and/or advances in technology that impact the requirements or the items on this Contract.
•Environmental considerations and/or changes in EA environmental policy that impact the requirements for this type of Goods.
The EA reserves the right to move value between the Lots as required, however, the overarching value will not exceed £990,000 (ex VAT) or £1,188,000 (inc. VAT). EA do reserve the right to modify the contract for any of the reasons noted in the Specification Schedule, Section 18 Additional Requirements, or as noted above in this notice and so the actual value of the contract/s may be greater than noted above.
There is no guarantee that any orders will be placed in any quantity during the period of the Contract
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- 13 Feb 2026, 15:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 3 Feb 2026, 15:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
24 Oct 2025 → 10 May 2026 · 8 dates- Planning notice published367 days ago24 Oct 2025, 12:31 BST
- Market engagement346 days ago14 Nov 2025, 23:59 GMT
The Education Authority Northern Ireland (EANI), in preparation for a procurement process, wish to engage with the market to seek supplier views and feedback on potential approaches for a Framework Agreement for the Supply and Delivery of Outdoor Furniture made from Recycled Plastic.
Suppliers who wish to participate in the pre market engagement exercise should complete the pre-market engagement questionnaire on eTendersNI under the CfT CA Unique ID EANI-4983.
Further information including the questionnaire can be downloaded from the CfT Documents section of the project on eTendersNI. Suppliers also have the opportunity to submit queries regarding the project via the eTendersNI messaging function.
The questionnaire must be completed and submitted no later than 3 pm on Friday 14th November.
There are no documents to be completed other than the questionnaire.
Any information gathered through this market consultation exercise will inform internal business planning and any possible subsequent procurement process and will NOT be appraised in any future tender evaluation exercise. Please note that participation or nonparticipation in this preliminary market consultation exercise shall not prevent any supplier from participating in any potential procurement process, nor is it intended that any information supplied shall place any supplier at an advantage or disadvantage in any forthcoming procurement process.
For the avoidance of doubt, this is the scoping phase of the project and is not part of a formal procurement process.
- Tender notice published286 days ago13 Jan 2026, 09:43 GMT
- Clarification questions by265 days ago3 Feb 2026, 15:00 GMT
- Admission / appointment period ends255 days ago · period end, not a bid countdown13 Feb 2026, 15:00 GMT
- Latest notice published234 days ago6 Mar 2026, 16:38 GMT
- Award decision expected by210 days ago30 Mar 2026, 23:59 BST
- Contract starts170 days ago10 May 2026, 00:00 BST
Notice history
7 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 24 Oct 2025- Preliminary market engagement notice published24 Oct 2025, 12:31 BSTUK2
- Tender notice published13 Jan 2026, 09:43 GMTUK4
- Status changed to active13 Jan 2026, 09:43 GMT
- Procurement method changed13 Jan 2026, 09:43 GMT
- Deadline published: 13 Feb 2026, 15:00 GMT13 Jan 2026, 09:43 GMT
- Procurement termination notice published6 Mar 2026, 16:38 GMTUK12
- Status changed to complete6 Mar 2026, 16:38 GMT
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Across several lots1 award | |||
| supplier not published | — | 6 Mar 2026 | CancelledThe competition has been terminated without the award of a contract as there was an error in the application of the competition rules set out in the ITT resulting from an error between the closing date on the Tender Notice and Call for Tender (CfT). EA currently anticipate that the opportunity will be re-tendered within week commencing 9th March. |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Procurement termination notice Procurement termination notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender