Find a TenderOpen for tender Tender notice
Published 28 Sept 2026, 07:02 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Provision of Essential Household Items under the Sefton Council Emergency Limited Assistance Scheme

Authority: Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council (Local council)

ServicesOpen procedureAbove thresholdSME suitable
Published estimate£600,000≈ £600k / year · £600,000 inc. VAT
Submission deadline 23 Oct 202612:00 BST · 25d 3h left
Clarification cut-off 16 Oct 202612:00 BST · questions to the authority
Contract term 1 yrup to 2 yrs with extensions · starts 1 Apr 2027
Bids per lot · this authority 3all categories · n=14 · competition analysis ↓

What is being bought

Published requirement description

Sefton Council is seeking a provider to supply, deliver and install certain domestic appliances and furniture under its Essential Household Items Scheme to local residents.

Sefton's Essential Household Items Scheme (ELAS) is a scheme available to support local residents who are experiencing severe hardship, a disaster or emergency and are in need of essential items of furniture or domestic appliances.

  • The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 1 Sept 2027, 23:59 BST.

CPV: Domestic appliances · Domestic furniture · Other community, social and personal services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1Lot 1Renewal 1 yrSMEPublished value£600,000
Contract period: 1 Apr 2027 — 31 Mar 2028 (1 yr) · up to 2 yrs with extensionsEligibility: SME eligibleDelivery: North WestTurnover guideline: ~£1,196,721/yr≈ 2× annual value
Value
£600,000 exc. VAT · £600,000 inc. VAT
Extensions
One 12-month optional extension.
39140000 Domestic furniture39700000 Domestic appliances98000000 Other community, social and personal services

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: 50%Price: 40%Social value: 10%
Published award criteria (3)
  • Quality — Quality questions & method statements
  • Price — Pricing schedule
  • Social Value — Social value statements
Conditions of participation2
  • Economic & financial standing
    Financial standing will be assessed in line with the process stated in the Invitation to Tender (ITT) Self certification of minimum insurance levels will be required as stated in the Invitation to Tender (ITT)
  • Technical & professional ability
    Relevant experience and contract examples Accreditations DBS

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

How Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council buys Domestic furniture (CPV 3914) — and who usually turns up

Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council’s own published record, next to the North West England market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Domestic furniture (CPV 3914) →

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

Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council

contract notices in 36 months: 50 in all categories (4 without competition · 7 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: 14 lots. 13 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 3) and 1 from older notices (bids received, middle 2).

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

3all categories · 36m · n=14 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: 14 lots.

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

21%all categories · 36m · n=14 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: 13 pairs.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

at estimateall categories · 36m · n=13 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: 10 notices.

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

Last 36 months.

64dall categories · 36m · n=10 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: 111 notices.

Last 24 months.

0all categories · 24m · n=111 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: 43 notices.

Last 36 months.

9%all categories · 36m · n=43 notices
Bids per lot robust · n=14
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 14 lots on 11 contested notices · all categories, last 36 months.

  • 1 bid 21%
  • 2–3 43%
  • 4–6 36%
  • 7+ 0%

Middle value 3 · 14 lots on 11 contested notices · all categories.

Winning award vs estimate robust · n=13
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 13 lot pairs · all categories, last 36 months.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

  • Below estimate 46%
  • Within ±2% 54%
  • Above estimate 0%

13 lot pairs · all categories.

The market · delivery region

North West England · Domestic furniture (CPV 3914)

contract notices delivered in North West England in 36 months: 22 in CPV 3914 (17 competed, 1 route not published) · 132 in division 39 (98 competed, 12 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 3914), last 36 months: 10 lots. 5 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 4) and 5 from older notices (bids received, middle 5).

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

4.5CPV 3914 · 36m · n=10 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 3914), last 36 months: 10 lots.

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

0%CPV 3914 · 36m · n=10 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 3914), last 36 months: 3 pairs.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

at estimateCPV 3914 · 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 3914), last 36 months: 5 notices.

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

Last 36 months.

82dCPV 3914 · 36m · n=5 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 3914), last 36 months: 7 lots.

Last 36 months.

77%CPV 3914 · 36m · n=7 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 3914), last 36 months: 11 awards.

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

Last 36 months.

73%CPV 3914 · 36m · n=11 awards
Bids per lot robust · n=10
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 10 lots on 9 contested notices · CPV 3914, last 36 months.

  • 1 bid 0%
  • 2–3 20%
  • 4–6 50%
  • 7+ 30%

Middle value 4.5 · 10 lots on 9 contested notices · CPV 3914.

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 3914, last 36 months.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

  • Below estimate 33%
  • Within ±2% 67%
  • Above estimate 0%

3 lot pairs · CPV 3914.

robust · n=13
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 13 lots (all categories), applied to the £600,000 estimate on this notice.

A benchmark, not a price to bid.

The middle award in Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council (all categories, n=13 pairs) lands at estimate: on this notice’s £600,000 that is about £597,600. 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
Open procedure
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Services
Notice status
Open for tender
Procurement threshold
Above threshold (FTS publication)
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Yes (GPA)
Recurring procurement
Yes · next expected 1 Sept 2027
First published
28 Sept 2026, 07:02 BST
Last source update
28 Sept 2026, 07:02 BST
Award evaluation window
Submission end — 23 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
Authority reference
DN830395
Latest notice
Tender notice (UK4)
Classification (CPV)
Domestic appliancesDomestic furnitureOther community, social and personal services
Delivery area
North West (UKD73)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-077b0f Find a Tender
Contract terms summary
The Council's payment terms are 30 days from receipt of a correct invoice, unless suppliers have been accepted onto the Supplier Accelerated Payment Programme.

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 allowedLanguage: EN
Access & registration note: Free · short registration with manual review; public opportunity list
Expression of interest (EOI)
—
Tender submission deadline
23 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
Clarification deadline
16 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release
Tenders must be submitted electronically via The Chest tendering portal (www.the-chest.org.uk ↗). The reference number for this project on the portal is DN830395. The tender documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access on the portal under the above reference number or via the following link: procontract.due-north.com/ProjectManagement/Pr… ↗
Published estimate £600,000 excludes VAT (£600,000 including VAT).

Timeline

5 published dates · Europe/London
  1. Tender notice publishedearlier today
    28 Sept 2026, 07:02 BST
  2. Clarification questions byin 18 days
    16 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
  3. Submission deadlinein 25 days
    23 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
  4. Award decision expected byin 57 days
    23 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
  5. Contract startsin 185 days
    1 Apr 2027, 00:00 BST

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
    28 Sept 2026, 07:02 BSTUK4

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PTHP-5656-DLCN Bootle Town Hall, Bootle, North West, L20 7AE

Official documents & specifications (2)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

  • Conflict of interest declarationtenderConflict of interest declarationNot published

Notices published for this procedure

  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender