Buyer Name: THE ASSOCIATION OF NORTH EAST COUNCILS LIMITED
Buyer Address: Northern Design Centre, Gateshead, UKC22, NE8 3DF, United Kingdom
Contact Email: cdpnepoteam@nepo.org
NEPO407 - Frozen Food
Buyer Contact Info
Status
complete
complete
Procedure
direct
direct
Value
10500000.0 GBP
10500000.0 GBP
Published
08 Jul 2025, 16:02
08 Jul 2025, 16:02
Deadline
n/a
n/a
Contract Start
17 Jul 2025, 23:00
17 Jul 2025, 23:00
Contract End
17 Jul 2027, 22:59
17 Jul 2027, 22:59
Category
n/a
n/a
CPV
15100000 - Animal products, meat and meat products
15100000 - Animal products, meat and meat products
Region
n/a
n/a
Awarded To
JJ FOOD SERVICE LIMITED, P.F.D.(CARLISLE)LIMITED, Sysco GB Limited
JJ FOOD SERVICE LIMITED, P.F.D.(CARLISLE)LIMITED, Sysco GB Limited
Official Source
Open Find a Tender
Open Find a Tender
Description
This Framework is being established for the provision of frozen food to Contracting Authorities in the North East only. The Framework will provide North East Contracting Authorities access to suppliers capable of meeting their requirements for the delivery of frozen food to education establishments, including primary and secondary schools, alongside Council owned and operated sites. Suppliers awarded to the Framework are able to provide concurrent deliveries across the North East, aligned to the delivery schedules of Contracting Authorities, including the specified days, restricted delivery windows and site entry requirements. The Framework will enable Contracting Authorities to provide their service users with the specialised supply of frozen food to ensure that essential allergen requirements are adhered to, school food standards compliance is maintained, and individual dietary needs are met inclusively
Linked Documents
Select a document to preview.
Opportunity Context
Lots
Lot 1 Status: complete
Documents
Document Description: Not published
Raw Notice JSON
Expand raw payload
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"id": "A-2863",
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"id": "038386-2025",
"initiationType": "tender",
"language": "en",
"ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-0556f5",
"parties": [
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"scheme": "GB-PPON"
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"address": {
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"countryName": "United Kingdom",
"locality": "Gateshead",
"postalCode": "NE8 3DF",
"region": "UKC22",
"streetAddress": "Northern Design Centre"
},
"contactPoint": {
"email": "cdpnepoteam@nepo.org"
},
"details": {
"classifications": [
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"description": "Public authority - sub-central government",
"id": "publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment",
"scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE"
}
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"url": "http://www.nepo.org"
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"identifier": {
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"name": "THE ASSOCIATION OF NORTH EAST COUNCILS LIMITED",
"roles": [
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{
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"countryName": "United Kingdom",
"locality": "Enfield",
"postalCode": "EN3 7XY",
"region": "UKI54",
"streetAddress": "7 Solar Way"
},
"contactPoint": {
"email": "nationalaccounts@jjfoodservice.com"
},
"details": {
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"scale": "large",
"shelteredWorkshop": false,
"url": "http://www.jjfoodservice.com",
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"id": "GB-COH-02330996",
"identifier": {
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"name": "JJ FOOD SERVICE LIMITED",
"roles": [
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"countryName": "United Kingdom",
"locality": "Carlisle",
"postalCode": "CA1 2RW",
"region": "UKD12",
"streetAddress": "Pioneer House"
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"contactPoint": {
"email": "g.jenkins@pioneerfoods.co.uk"
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"scale": "large",
"shelteredWorkshop": false,
"url": "http://pioneerfoods.co.uk",
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"id": "GB-COH-00557210",
"identifier": {
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"scheme": "GB-COH"
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"name": "P.F.D.(CARLISLE)LIMITED",
"roles": [
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{
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"scheme": "GB-PPON"
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"address": {
"country": "GB",
"countryName": "United Kingdom",
"locality": "Ashford",
"postalCode": "TN25 4AG",
"region": "UKJ45",
"streetAddress": "Enterprise House"
},
"contactPoint": {
"email": "bid.team@brake.co.uk"
},
"details": {
"publicServiceMissionOrganization": false,
"scale": "large",
"shelteredWorkshop": false,
"url": "http://www.brake.co.uk",
"vcse": false
},
"id": "GB-COH-02035315",
"identifier": {
"id": "02035315",
"scheme": "GB-COH"
},
"name": "Sysco GB Limited",
"roles": [
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]
}
],
"tag": [
"award",
"contract"
],
"tender": {
"description": "This Framework is being established for the provision of frozen food to Contracting Authorities in the North East only.\nThe Framework will provide North East Contracting Authorities access to suppliers capable of meeting their requirements for the delivery of frozen food to education establishments, including primary and secondary schools, alongside Council owned and operated sites.\nSuppliers awarded to the Framework are able to provide concurrent deliveries across the North East, aligned to the delivery schedules of Contracting Authorities, including the specified days, restricted delivery windows and site entry requirements.\nThe Framework will enable Contracting Authorities to provide their service users with the specialised supply of frozen food to ensure that essential allergen requirements are adhered to, school food standards compliance is maintained, and individual dietary needs are met inclusively",
"documents": [
{
"description": "Not published",
"documentType": "conflictOfInterest",
"id": "conflictOfInterest"
}
],
"id": "NEPO407",
"legalBasis": {
"id": "2023/54",
"scheme": "UKPGA",
"uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
},
"lots": [
{
"id": "1",
"status": "complete"
}
],
"participationFees": [
{
"description": "A 3% management premium will be applied to all invoices for goods under this Framework.",
"id": "ocds-h6vhtk-0556f5",
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"proportion": 0.03
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"procurementMethod": "direct",
"procurementMethodDetails": "Direct award",
"procurementMethodRationale": "NEPO intends to award a Framework for the Provision of Frozen Food. This award will establish a multi-lot, multi supplier Solution for access only by NEPO\u0027s Member Authorities.\nThe award is justified on the basis of section 41 and paragraph 13 of Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act 2023.\nThe current framework is NEPO407 - Food and General Provisions and is utilised by North East Contracting Authorities to supply food for catering services in a range of environments, including pre-school, primary and secondary educational establishments, care facilities and Council operated sites.\nThe incumbent Supplier on framework NEPO408 is Hopwells Ltd. The supplier has notified NEPO of its intention to withdraw from the Framework and terminate existing Call-Off contracts, effective July 18th, 2025.\nThe termination of service to North East Contracting Authorities represents a significant risk to the provision of catering service to the school children, vulnerable individuals and the Council\u0027s residents and service users.\nService users require specialised supply to ensure that essential allergen requirements are adhered to, school food standards compliance is maintained, and individual dietary needs are met inclusively.\nThe risk to supply presents an acute risk to Contracting Authorities. Due to the timescales required to operate a full tender process, and the imminent risk of contract failure, NEPO have determined that a direct award is justified and necessary to avoid severe impacts to Contracting Authority\u0027s residents.\nThe direct award will retain only existing provision and its original scope and safeguards the continuity of service for Contracting Authorities.\nEligible Contracting Authorities have been named in the \u0027Participation\u0027 section of this Transparency Notice.\nThe Framework will allow those Contracting Authorities named in this notice the ability to call-off with awarded suppliers at their discretion.\nNEPO is satisfied that the current supplier\u0027s decision to withdraw from the existing Framework presents an extreme and unavoidable urgency to protect Contracting Authority\u0027s service users. The urgency is unavoidable as it is not attributed to any act or omission of NEPO and could not have been foreseen by NEPO.\nThe direct award will be for a term of two years, this term is considered strictly necessary for the reasons set out below.\nThe intended two year term reflects the required time to enable an appropriate and proportionate return on investment for Suppliers. In mobilising at pace to meet the needs of the Contracting Authorities, Suppliers are anticipated to incur a number of costs including:\n- Implementation costs\n- Procurement and sourcing fees\n- Vehicle and asset costs\n- Site refurbishment\n- Additional staffing and resourcing costs\n- Systems and administrative fees\nMarket engagement identified that, in the absence of an appropriate and proportionate term, Suppliers would be unlikely to meet requirements to an acceptable standard without investment or would be unable to service the Framework entirely.\nThe primary users of the Framework are education establishments, which operate against academic years. To ensure that the Framework provides sufficient protection of supply for users, it is necessary for the award length to align to academic years. A shorter term would disrupt term time and would incur significant additional cost and resource for contracting authorities in duplicating implementation and operations and would present risk to continuity of pre-planned menus, which consider user requirements and strict allergen control.\nThe value of the award reflects the historic demand of the Framework however the Framework provides no guarantee of any orders or value of goods. Contracting Authorities named in this notice make no commitment of exclusivity or use.\nNEPO has undertaken extensive market exploration to identify potential risks and inform its options appraisal. Multiple Suppliers, including regional SMEs, have been engaged to understand the market\u0027s capability, capacity, and readiness to support Contracting Authorities\u0027 urgent requirements in light of the decision taken by the incumbent supplier.\nSeveral rounds of dialogue have been undertaken with Suppliers to identify challenges in supporting delivery of the Framework scope, including:\n- Logistics and routing challenges\n- Investment requirements\n- Existing capacity\n- Ability to scale\n- Sustainability of service and cost\n- Risks to supply\n- Cost and commercial models\n- Price control\n- Service levels\n- Contract Management\n- Mobilisation\n- Timescales\n- Public sector supply challenges, including rigid delivery timescales and delivery windows.\nA second round of dialogue then took place to validate and test the robustness of Suppliers\u0027 ability to meet requirements was held prior to a pricing exercise, which requested proposals from Suppliers.\nTo mitigate the risk of single supplier failure, the existing regional Lot was fragmented into 4 Lots, split geographically. Suppliers were asked to provide pricing for each Lot, where they were able to service that Lot in its own right.\nFollowing assessment, and in line with the disaggregation of demand into separate regional Lots, 3 Suppliers were identified as being best placed to meet the requirements of the Framework.\nNEPO intends to begin market engagement on the renewal of this Framework as a priority to ensure that the future iteration addresses the on-going risks to supply, reflects the changing dynamics of the supply market, and adopts a structure which retains value for money while providing greater resilience.\nIt is likely that the renewal of this solution, alongside the wider renewal of NEPO food solutions will result in a significantly different approach to food procurement for the region. A comprehensive phase of discovery, engagement and assessment will take place in response to the existing challenges. Suppliers will be encouraged to provide feedback on how the renewal could be shaped to encourage participation.\nNEPO anticipates that market engagement will begin in Q4 2025, in anticipation of a future Framework award in Q1 2027 to replace this temporary, direct award solution. This timescale will allow the appropriate scoping and options appraisal in the design of the solution as well as an appropriate period for the effective mobilisation of the solution. Interested Suppliers are advised to register at www.open-uk.org to receive future updates on activity.",
"procurementMethodRationaleClassifications": [
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"id": "urgency"
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],
"status": "complete",
"techniques": {
"frameworkAgreement": {
"buyerCategories": "Darlington Borough Council\nDurham County Council\nGateshead Council\nHartlepool Borough Council\nMiddlesbrough Council\nNewcastle City Council\nNorthumberland County Council\nRedcar and Cleveland Borough Council\nSouth Tyneside Council\nStockton On Tees Borough Council\nSunderland City Council",
"buyerLocationRestrictions": [
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}
],
"description": "Prices are an inclusive cost for each product detailed in the Pricing Schedule.\nThe Price will be fixed for the initial period of the Framework. Thereafter, price increases, conducted as price change request, will be considered where the Supplier can demonstrate in a transparent manner that such increases are justified. Price increases will be managed in accordance with the Terms \u0026 Conditions detailed in the Framework Terms and Conditions for Goods. Any agreed price changes will remain fixed for a minimum of 3 months.\nAny Price variations must be submitted to NEPO by the Supplier before the scheduled deadline, with full supporting evidence to justify the variations. NEPO will determine a format of suitable supporting evidence, as part of the price variation validation process. The application must be made in writing giving as a minimum four week\u0027s notice prior to the review and must be submitted in the correct format as determined by NEPO.\n The Framework is a multi-supplier Solution, with a single supplier awarded to each Lot. Awards will be placed via a Direct Award with the sole supplier in each Lot. \nThe Framework also includes a General Lot in which all suppliers are awarded. Contracting Authorities may, where necessary, seek to access this lot by means of further competition. Where a Contracting Authority seeks to access this Lot, all suppliers will be invited to tender. This lot will be accessed on a contingency basis, in the event that an awarded Supplier becomes incapable of delivering the Framework.",
"method": "withAndWithoutReopeningCompetition",
"type": "open"
},
"hasFrameworkAgreement": true
},
"title": "NEPO407 - Frozen Food"
}
}