Official UK procurement notice
Sandwiches and Associated Products
Authority: The Education Authority (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionSupply and Delivery of Sandwiches and Associated Products to EA school meals kitchens, outdoor education centres and headquarter canteens within Northern Ireland.
Contract period: 01 July 2026 - 30 June 2028 with options to extend for any additional period(s) of up to and including 48 months.
The estimated value is : £8,400,000
This Contract is established by the Education Authority and is open to the EA, including NI educational bodies as follows, who at some point, during the life of the Contract may wish to utilise the agreement and should have access at any point, with the permission of EA.
This Contract is not intended to replace any current agreements that participating or nonparticipating institutions may already have in place.
Department of Education - Schools Plus www.educationni.gov.uk/services/schoolsplus ↗
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),
Schoolmeals kitchens on-site at all of these schools, and Controlled Youth Centres. Further Education Colleges in NI : www.nidirect.gov.uk/contacts/further ↗ educationfecolleges
NICIE - nicie.org ↗
Grant Controlled Integrated Education Schools in NI
Independent Schools in NI www.isc.co.uk/schools/northern-ire… ↗
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)
Pre-Schools and Nurseries included within the EA Pre-School Education Programme (PSEP)
- Not divided into lots: The evaluation panel identified a significant risk: if the tender was divided in lots by region, there is a strong possibility that no supplier would bid for the western counties, leaving the EA without guaranteed and consistent supply.
- The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 1 Apr 2032, 23:59 BST.
CPV: Prepared sandwiches · Sandwiches
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedRenewalPublished value£8,400,000
- Technical & professional ability
CoP 1 - Technical ability to perform the contract – Previous Experience, CoP 2 - Accreditation, CoP 3 - Food Premises Inspection Report, CoP 4 - Food safety management procedures, CoP 5 - Recall and Withdrawal Procedure
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 (3)
- AC1 Methodology on delivering the products to required standards and quality: 25%
- AC2 Marketing & Growth Strategy to increase uptake across schools: 30%
- AC3 Total Contract Price: 45%
Published award criteria (3)
- AC1 Methodology on delivering the products to required standards and quality: Full details can be found in the doucments section of the CfT on eTendersNI https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps
- AC2 Marketing & Growth Strategy to increase uptake across schools: Full details can be found in the documents section of the CfT on eTendersNI https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps
- AC3 Total Contract Price: Full details can be found in the doucment section of the CfT on eTendersNI https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps
- Technical & professional ability
CoP 1 - Technical ability to perform the contract – Previous Experience, CoP 2 - Accreditation, CoP 3 - Food Premises Inspection Report, CoP 4 - Food safety management procedures, CoP 5 - Recall and Withdrawal Procedure
- 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.
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
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Yes · next expected 1 Apr 2032
- First published
- 4 Feb 2026, 15:39 GMT
- Last source update
- 8 Jul 2026, 11:28 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 16 Jun 2026
- Authority reference
CAT-25-011- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-035716- Latest notice
- Contract details notice (UK7)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-064740Find a Tender- Contract terms summary
Full details can be found in the documents section of the CfT on eTendersNI etendersni.gov.uk/epps ↗
- Risks
The Buyer cannot guarantee any particular level of business (volumes/values) within the Contract.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 19 May 2026, 15:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 11 May 2026, 15:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Full details can be found in the documents section of the CfT on eTendersNI etendersni.gov.uk/epps ↗
Timeline
4 Feb 2026 → 8 Jul 2026 · 11 dates- Planning notice published263 days ago4 Feb 2026, 15:39 GMT
- Market engagement251 days ago16 Feb 2026, 23:59 GMT
PRE-MARKET ENGAGEMENT QUESTIONNAIRE (PME) for the Supply and Delivery of Sandwiches and Associated Products with Hospitality products for locations throughout Northern Ireland. Interested suppliers are asked to complete and return the questionnaire.
- Next notice expected223 days ago16 Mar 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Tender notice published188 days ago20 Apr 2026, 14:59 BST
- Clarification questions by167 days ago11 May 2026, 15:00 BST
- Submission deadline159 days ago19 May 2026, 15:00 BST
- Assessment summaries sent133 days ago15 Jun 2026, 00:00 BST
- Award decision expected by131 days ago16 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST
- Standstill ends122 days ago25 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST
- Contract starts117 days ago1 Jul 2026, 00:00 BST
- Latest notice published110 days ago8 Jul 2026, 11:28 BST
Notice history
12 events · 5 releases on Find a Tender · since 4 Feb 2026- Preliminary market engagement notice published4 Feb 2026, 15:39 GMTUK2
- Tender notice published20 Apr 2026, 14:59 BSTUK4
- Published value updated to £8,400,00020 Apr 2026, 14:59 BSTwas £7,500,000
- Status changed to active20 Apr 2026, 14:59 BST
- Procurement method changed20 Apr 2026, 14:59 BST
- Deadline published: 18 May 2026, 15:00 BST20 Apr 2026, 14:59 BST
- Tender notice published18 May 2026, 14:12 BSTUK4
- Deadline moved to 19 May 2026, 15:00 BST18 May 2026, 14:12 BST+1 days · was 18 May 2026, 15:00 BST
- Contract award notice published15 Jun 2026, 16:26 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete15 Jun 2026, 16:26 BST
- Contract signature expected26 Jun 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
- Contract details notice published8 Jul 2026, 11:28 BSTUK7
Published amendments (1)
Please note that the tender submission deadline was extended to 3pm on 19 May 2026.
Routine re-releases (5)
- 2026-04: 1 release · 20 Apr 2026
- 2026-02: 1 release · 4 Feb 2026
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Days FoodsSME1 Jul 2026 – 30 Jun 2028 · up to 30 Jun 2032Extensions: Option to extend for any additional period(s) of up to and including 48 months · Options: The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid. Additional items may be added to the Contract throughout the Term with the agreement of both the Buyer and the Supplier. This may include any Sandwiches, hospitality items and Associated Product options that may be required throughout the duration of the Contract. | £8,400,000 | 15 Jun 2026 | Awarded |
Contracts
Sandwiches and Associated Products · Early Days FoodsSME
- Signed
- 19 Jun 2026
- Value
- £8,400,000
- Period
- 1 Jul 2026 – 30 Jun 2028 · up to 30 Jun 2032 with extensions
- Status
- active
- Extensions
- Option to extend for any additional period(s) of up to and including 48 months
- Options
- The right to additional purchases which fall under the scope of the contract, while the contract is valid. The EA Catering Service will continuously review the product range and specifications of items on this Contract. The Supplier will be required to work with the EA Catering Service in sourcing any new products that may be required.
4 agreed KPIs: Quality · Availability · Delivery …
- Quality, Supplier to provide a quarterly report detailing: • Number of quality related complaints received. • Percentage of complaints relative to total quarterly volume, which must remain below 0.5%.
- Availability, >90% of contracted products must be available for delivery each month.
- Delivery, ≥95% on time, in full (OTIF) deliveries. • 100% of deliveries must be made within kitchen opening hours and handed over to staff at an agreed point within the premises.
- Social Value, Delivery of social value obligations must remain on track in line with the approved Social Value Delivery Plan.
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2final-stage tenders | 2 | 0 | — |
Who bid
- wonEARLY DAYS FOODS LIMITEDSME · Northern Ireland
- did not winTHE BRUNCH BOX SANDWICH COMPANY LIMITEDSME · Northern Ireland
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
Bidders & participating suppliers
2 commercial parties on the notice · 1 awarded- Early Days Foods LtdAwarded supplier
- THE BRUNCH BOX SANDWICH COMPANY LIMITEDBidder / tenderer
Official documents & specifications (5)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices 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
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender