✓Tender information last checkedLast checked 13 Oct 2026, 18:16.
Opportunity overview
Lancashire County Council is seeking market feedback in relation to the future procurement of a framework agreement for the distribution of food and drink products to over 550 sites, predominantly schools and residential care settings.
The contracted distributor will be responsible for receiving, warehousing, consolidating food supplies, receiving and managing orders, invoicing, and delivering food and drink products from multiple suppliers to Lancashire County Council sites, together with customer service, supply chain management and business continuity arrangements.
Due to the increased delivery frequency and purchase volumes acting as a distribution anchor, the distributor will also be required to separately source, supply and deliver fresh fruit, vegetables and salad products as part of the framework.
Classification
CPV15000000 — Food, beverages, tobacco and related products
Lots
Lot 1Value not stated
Documents and notices
Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a TenderOpen source ↗
Published notice details
Additional information from the published procurement release. Fields appear only when supplied by the source; check the original notice and tender documents before acting.
Lancashire County Council is conducting preliminary market engagement relating to The Provision of a Food Distribution Network
Prior to publication of a full invitation to tender (anticipated November 2026), interested organisations are invited to engage with this preliminary market engagement exercise.
Interested organisations should:
- Visit: https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/business/tenders-and-procurement/tenders/
- Navigate to the market engagement project by clicking on the link for The Provision of a Food Distribution Network
- Review the Preliminary Market Engagement document(s) contained on this project page. This document provides more information regarding this preliminary market engagement exercise.
- Submit your expression of interest (EOI) via email to contractscorporate@lancashire.gov.uk by no later than 26th October 2026 at 12 noon.
Please note: If you are having issues accessing the hyperlink within the above weblink. Please email contractscorporate@lancashire.gov.uk for the relevant documentation.
Due
26 Oct 2026, 23:59
Status
scheduled
Documents
Entry 1
Id
096733-2026
Document Type
marketEngagementNotice
Notice Type
UK2
Description
Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
2 published notice versions reviewed by ProcuraAxis.
2 VERSIONS
1
047304-2026Pipeline notice on Find a Tender ·
2
096733-2026Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ·
PROCURAAXIS ANALYSIS
ProcuraAxis Analysis
Our approved analysis of the opportunity appears below the official tender information.
ANALYSIS PREVIEW
Opportunity intelligence at a glance
Early-stage market engagement for Lancashire County Council’s planned food-distribution framework. The future provider is expected to warehouse, consolidate, order-manage, invoice and deliver food and drink to more than 550 sites, mainly schools and residential care settings, and separately source and supply fresh produce.
Who this may suit
Potential fit for foodservice distribution and logistics providers with multi-supplier warehousing, high-volume multi-drop delivery, fresh-produce sourcing, customer service and supply-chain continuity capability. This is not an open bidding opportunity at this stage.
Key points identified
Food distribution networkOperate a distribution service for food and drink products supplied by multiple suppliers.Evidence: “distribution of food and drink products to over 550 sites” and “delivering food and drink products from multiple suppliers”
Warehousing and consolidationReceive, warehouse and consolidate food supplies.Evidence: “The contracted distributor will be responsible for receiving, warehousing, consolidating food supplies”
Order and invoice managementReceive and manage orders and undertake invoicing.Evidence: “receiving and managing orders, invoicing”
95% approved-analysis confidence8 supplier criteria identified3 risks or unknowns
ProcuraAxis structures information found in published procurement records, checks the result for consistency and publishes only approved analysis. Confidence describes the completeness and consistency of the available source information; it is not a guarantee of eligibility or contract award.
Early-stage market engagement for Lancashire County Council’s planned food-distribution framework. The future provider is expected to warehouse, consolidate, order-manage, invoice and deliver food and drink to more than 550 sites, mainly schools and residential care settings, and separately source and supply fresh produce.
Who this may suit
Potential fit for foodservice distribution and logistics providers with multi-supplier warehousing, high-volume multi-drop delivery, fresh-produce sourcing, customer service and supply-chain continuity capability. This is not an open bidding opportunity at this stage.
Key deliverables
Receive, warehouse and consolidate food supplies from multiple suppliers
Manage orders and invoicing
Deliver food and drink products to more than 550 Council sites
Provide customer service, supply-chain management and business-continuity arrangements
Separately source, supply and deliver fresh fruit, vegetables and salad products
SUPPLIER REQUIREMENTS
8 criteria identified
Food distribution network
98% confidence
Operate a distribution service for food and drink products supplied by multiple suppliers.
View supporting evidence
“distribution of food and drink products to over 550 sites” and “delivering food and drink products from multiple suppliers”
Warehousing and consolidation
99% confidence
Receive, warehouse and consolidate food supplies.
View supporting evidence
“The contracted distributor will be responsible for receiving, warehousing, consolidating food supplies”
Order and invoice management
99% confidence
Receive and manage orders and undertake invoicing.
View supporting evidence
“receiving and managing orders, invoicing”
Fresh produce supply
99% confidence
Separately source, supply and deliver fresh fruit, vegetables and salad products.
View supporting evidence
“required to separately source, supply and deliver fresh fruit, vegetables and salad products”
Business continuity
98% confidence
Provide business continuity arrangements.
View supporting evidence
“customer service, supply chain management and business continuity arrangements”
Supplier eligibility criteria
99% confidence
Unknown at market-engagement stage.
View supporting evidence
No eligibility, selection or exclusion criteria are supplied.
SME suitability
99% confidence
Unknown.
View supporting evidence
suitable_for_sme is not stated.
VCSE suitability
99% confidence
Unknown.
View supporting evidence
suitable_for_vcse is not stated.
COMMERCIAL AND DELIVERY
Contract intelligence
Commercial
Stated value
93% confidence
Maximum value recorded as GBP 18,000,000; basis and duration are not stated.
View supporting evidence
value_max: 18000000 GBP; no contract dates or value basis supplied.
Commercial terms
99% confidence
Unknown at market-engagement stage.
View supporting evidence
No pricing, payment, framework term or volume commitment is supplied.
Delivery
Delivery estate
99% confidence
More than 550 sites, predominantly schools and residential care settings.
View supporting evidence
“over 550 sites, predominantly schools and residential care settings”
Delivery area
95% confidence
UKD4 (source delivery region).
View supporting evidence
Delivery location region: UKD4.
Delivery frequency
92% confidence
Not stated; the notice refers to increased delivery frequency.
View supporting evidence
“Due to the increased delivery frequency and purchase volumes”
PROCEDURE
How to respond
Opportunity status
99% confidence
Upcoming planned procurement; preliminary market engagement only, not an open bidding opportunity.
View supporting evidence
display_status: upcoming; source_status: planned; notice type: “Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender”.
Procurement route
99% confidence
Unknown.
View supporting evidence
procurement_method and procurement_method_details are null.
Submission deadline
99% confidence
Unknown.
View supporting evidence
submission_deadline is null.
Lots
98% confidence
One planned lot is recorded, but it has no title, description, value or deadline.
View supporting evidence
Lot 1 has status planned; title, description, value_amount and submission_deadline are null.
RISKS AND UNKNOWNS
Points requiring attention
Early-stage scope and competition risk
99% confidence
This is a planned market-engagement notice. The final scope, procurement route, timetable, submission process and commercial terms remain unknown.
View supporting evidence
display_status: upcoming; source_status: planned; procurement method, deadlines and contract dates are not stated.
Publication-date inconsistency
99% confidence
The process record gives published_at as 21 May 2026, while the linked document gives published_at as 13 October 2026. The supplied data does not explain the difference.
A single planned lot is recorded but has no title, description, value or submission deadline.
View supporting evidence
Lot 1 fields are null except lot_id and status.
ProcuraAxis analysis supplements, but does not replace, the original notice and tender documents. Always verify eligibility, deadlines and commercial terms with the issuing authority.
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