✓Tender information last checkedLast checked 16 Oct 2026, 14:41.
Opportunity overview
Suffolk County Council is looking to appoint up to three Contractors to receive and process Suffolk's Food Waste.
The contract(s) will be directly between the successful Contractor(s) and Suffolk County Council, who are acting on behalf of Suffolk's District and Borough Councils. (Babergh District Council, East Suffolk Council, Ipswich Borough Council, Mid Suffolk District Council and West Suffolk Council)
We anticipate that the Contract will be let in 3 geographical lots, these being based in the East (Ipswich), North (Lowestoft), and West (Bury St Edmunds) of the county. Based on actual collections since June 2026, we expect approximately 25,000-28,000 tonnes of food waste in total to be collected each year across the County. Whilst this tonnage is not guaranteed, the successful contractor(s) will be offered exclusivity of the tonnage within each lot. We are issuing this notice to inform the market of our intentions and invite all prospective service providers to participate in the pre-market engagement exercise to enable us to shape a suitable contract and procurement process.
The waste is expected to be delivered directly to the processing sites. The Authority is interested in solutions which minimise the overall cost and environmental impact of the service. Consequently, the future procurement will consider the transport distance between collection areas and treatment facilities, together with associated haulage impacts and treatment costs, as part of the evaluation methodology.
Processing should create Biogas and Digestate to PAS110 standards.
Average monthly tonnages expected (but not guaranteed) are as follows:
Lot 1 East - Ipswich 933 tonnes
Lot 2 North - Lowestoft 367 tonnes.
Lot 3 West - Bury St Edmunds 994 tonnes
Estimated total value (Ex. VAT):
Lot 1 East - Ipswich £1,791,360
Lot 2 North - Lowestoft £704,640
Lot 3 West - Bury St Edmunds £1,908,480
Total: £4,404,480
We intend to publish the tender notice for this opportunity in Qtr. 4 of 2026/27.
Classification
CPV90514000 — Refuse recycling services
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.
There is no change to the wording or value of the notice, the notice has been edited to allow for a correction in the formatting of the market engagement questionnaire linked in the notice.
Id
097952-2026
Lots and requirements
Entry 1
Id
1
Status
planning
Suitability
Sme
Yes
Vcse
Yes
Contract period
Starts
1 Oct 2028, 00:00
Ends
30 Sept 2036, 23:59
Items and delivery
Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1
Additional Classifications
Entry 1
Scheme
CPV
Id
90514000
Description
Refuse recycling services
Delivery locations
Entry 1
Region
UKH14
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Planning and budget
Milestones
Entry 1
Id
engagement
Type
engagement
Description
Suffolk County Council is seeking to engage with the market to inform the future procurement of food waste treatment.
We are keen to hear from existing and emerging providers and organisations with relevant expertise to better understand current market capabilities, opportunities for innovation, and future developments within the sector.
The Council is committed to delivering a resilient, efficient, and environmentally sustainable food waste service that supports statutory requirements while maximising value for residents and taxpayers.
Through this engagement, we aim to gain insight into processing technologies, operational approaches, capacity availability, decarbonisation opportunities, contractual models, and potential efficiencies that may help shape the future service specification.
We welcome constructive challenge and innovative solutions from the market.
Input from interested providers will help gauge market interest to inform our ongoing procurement process and ensure the future tender reflects current market conditions and encourages broad participation from capable suppliers.
Please complete the Market Engagement Questionnaire on this link:
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/pvCuk4bp45
Please complete the questionnaire by the 6/11/2026.
The contract term is indicative only. We intend to use the pre-market engagement exercise to determine a suitable initial contract term and any optional extension period. The actual contract dates may therefore differ from those stated in this notice.
Due
6 Nov 2026, 23:59
Status
scheduled
Documents
Entry 1
Id
097952-2026
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
095552-2026Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ·
2
097952-2026Preliminary 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
Suffolk County Council is conducting pre-market engagement for a planned food-waste receipt and treatment service. It anticipates up to three geographical contracts covering East (Ipswich), North (Lowestoft) and West (Bury St Edmunds), with food waste delivered to processing sites. Processing should produce biogas and digestate to PAS110 standards. This is not a live tender; the buyer intends to publish a tender notice in Q4 2026/27.
Who this may suit
Potential fit for food-waste treatment providers able to receive and process separately collected food waste, with facilities whose transport distance and associated haulage impacts are competitive for the relevant area.
Key points identified
Food-waste receipt and processingReceive and process Suffolk's food waste.Evidence: "appoint up to three Contractors to receive and process Suffolk's Food Waste."
Treatment outputsProcessing should create biogas and digestate to PAS110 standards.Evidence: "Processing should create Biogas and Digestate to PAS110 standards."
Environmental and cost considerationsFuture evaluation is intended to consider transport distance, haulage impacts and treatment costs.Evidence: "the future procurement will consider the transport distance between collection areas and treatment facilities, together with associated haulage impacts and treatment costs, as part of the evaluation methodology."
94% approved-analysis confidence5 supplier criteria identified4 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.
Suffolk County Council is conducting pre-market engagement for a planned food-waste receipt and treatment service. It anticipates up to three geographical contracts covering East (Ipswich), North (Lowestoft) and West (Bury St Edmunds), with food waste delivered to processing sites. Processing should produce biogas and digestate to PAS110 standards. This is not a live tender; the buyer intends to publish a tender notice in Q4 2026/27.
Who this may suit
Potential fit for food-waste treatment providers able to receive and process separately collected food waste, with facilities whose transport distance and associated haulage impacts are competitive for the relevant area.
Key deliverables
Receive and process food waste
Produce biogas
Produce digestate to PAS110 standards
Participate in pre-market engagement
SUPPLIER REQUIREMENTS
5 criteria identified
PAS110
94% confidence
Mandatory · All anticipated lots
View supporting evidence
"Processing should create Biogas and Digestate to PAS110 standards."
Food-waste receipt and processing
98% confidence
Receive and process Suffolk's food waste.
View supporting evidence
"appoint up to three Contractors to receive and process Suffolk's Food Waste."
Treatment outputs
94% confidence
Processing should create biogas and digestate to PAS110 standards.
View supporting evidence
"Processing should create Biogas and Digestate to PAS110 standards."
Environmental and cost considerations
93% confidence
Future evaluation is intended to consider transport distance, haulage impacts and treatment costs.
View supporting evidence
"the future procurement will consider the transport distance between collection areas and treatment facilities, together with associated haulage impacts and treatment costs, as part of the evaluation methodology."
Supplier eligibility requirements
99% confidence
Unknown at pre-market engagement stage.
View supporting evidence
No eligibility criteria are stated in the supplied notice.
COMMERCIAL AND DELIVERY
Contract intelligence
Commercial
Estimated total value
98% confidence
£4,404,480 excluding VAT.
View supporting evidence
"Total: £4,404,480" under "Estimated total value (Ex. VAT)".
Indicative lot values
97% confidence
East £1,791,360; North £704,640; West £1,908,480, excluding VAT.
View supporting evidence
"Lot 1 East - Ipswich £1,791,360"; "Lot 2 North - Lowestoft £704,640"; "Lot 3 West - Bury St Edmunds £1,908,480".
Tonnage exclusivity
91% confidence
Successful contractor(s) are intended to be offered exclusivity of tonnage within each lot.
View supporting evidence
"the successful contractor(s) will be offered exclusivity of the tonnage within each lot."
Contract term and payment mechanism
99% confidence
Unknown.
View supporting evidence
No contract duration, pricing model or payment terms are stated.
Delivery
Anticipated geography
96% confidence
Three geographical areas: East (Ipswich), North (Lowestoft) and West (Bury St Edmunds).
View supporting evidence
"the Contract will be let in 3 geographical lots, these being based in the East (Ipswich), North (Lowestoft), and West (Bury St Edmunds)".
Delivery to treatment site
94% confidence
Waste is expected to be delivered directly to processing sites.
View supporting evidence
"The waste is expected to be delivered directly to the processing sites."
Indicative annual volume
95% confidence
Approximately 25,000–28,000 tonnes across the county; not guaranteed.
View supporting evidence
"we expect approximately 25,000-28,000 tonnes of food waste in total to be collected each year across the County. Whilst this tonnage is not guaranteed".
Indicative monthly volumes
95% confidence
East 933 tonnes; North 367 tonnes; West 994 tonnes; not guaranteed.
View supporting evidence
"Average monthly tonnages expected (but not guaranteed)" followed by the three lot figures.
PROCEDURE
How to respond
Procurement status
99% confidence
Planning / preliminary market engagement; not a tender invitation.
View supporting evidence
Notice type is "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender" and the buyer states it is "issuing this notice to inform the market of our intentions and invite... participation in the pre-market engagement exercise".
Tender timing
94% confidence
Buyer intends to publish the tender notice in Q4 2026/27.
View supporting evidence
"We intend to publish the tender notice for this opportunity in Qtr. 4 of 2026/27."
Submission deadline
99% confidence
Unknown; none stated for this planned procurement.
View supporting evidence
No submission deadline is supplied.
Procurement method
99% confidence
Unknown.
View supporting evidence
No procurement method is stated.
RISKS AND UNKNOWNS
Points requiring attention
Early-stage scope and procurement uncertainty
99% confidence
This is a preliminary market-engagement notice. Final scope, procurement route, tender timetable, contract terms and submission requirements remain unknown.
View supporting evidence
The notice invites suppliers "to participate in the pre-market engagement exercise to enable us to shape a suitable contract and procurement process".
Volume uncertainty
98% confidence
Annual and monthly tonnages are explicitly not guaranteed.
View supporting evidence
"Whilst this tonnage is not guaranteed" and "Average monthly tonnages expected (but not guaranteed)".
Lot publication inconsistency
99% confidence
Narrative describes three anticipated geographical lots, but the supplied structured lot data contains only a single untitled planning lot with no description or value. The final lot structure is therefore not confirmed.
View supporting evidence
Description: "3 geographical lots"; supplied lots data: one record with "lot_id":"1" and null title/description/value.
Status presentation ambiguity
99% confidence
The display status is "open", but source status and stage are "planning" and the notice is explicitly pre-market engagement. It should not be treated as an open tender.
View supporting evidence
Supplied fields show display_status "open", stage "planning", source_status "planning"; notice type is "Preliminary market engagement notice".
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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