YPO - 001343 - Food Deal 4

YPO is undertaking preliminary market engagement in advance of the re-procurement of 1114 – Food Deal 2. The proposed Framework is intended to provide a compliant route to market for a broad range of food, beverage and associated catering requirements across local authorities, educational establishments, care settings, health organisations, emergency services, housing providers and other eligible public sector bodies. The Framework is expected to be a closed Framework with an initial term of 2 years, with 2 optional 12 month extensions (2+1+1) structured into the following lots: Lot 1 - Ambient Groceries Lot 2 - Frozen Food Products Lot 3 - Chilled Dairy, Milk and Delicatessen Products Lot 4 - Fresh Meat and Poultry Lot 5 - Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Lot 6 - Baked Goods Lot 7 - Individually Wrapped Baked Products Lot 8 - Snacks, Confectionery and Beverages Lot 9 - School and Care Setting Milk Provision Lot 10 - Fresh and Chilled Fish & Seafood Lot 11 - Hospitality, Bar Drinks and Associated Supplies Lot 12 - Emergency Feeding and Prepared Meal Solutions Lot 13 - Multi-Category (To allow two or more of the above lot’s to be combined to create one call off. Only providers established on all of the lot’s combined can participate. For example, if a customer choses Lot 1 and 2, only providers established on both of those lots can participate) The Framework is expected to be available nationally and is anticipated to support the below Call Off Methods:

• Award without Competition
• Price Only Award with Competition (Quality scores pulled through from Framework)
• Award with Competition

Improvements to consider:

• Eggs – To be included within Lots 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Optional within Lots 1, 3, 5 and 6.
• Sliced loaves – To be included within Lots 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Optional within Lots 1, 3, 4 and 5.
• Milk – To be included within Lots 3 and 4. Optional within Lot 4.

The inclusion of eggs, sliced loaves and milk across multiple lots is intended to improve accessibility and flexibility for customers with low-volume purchasing requirements of those. Customer engagement has indicated that some organisations only require small quantities of these products in conjunction with a limited range of other goods. Allowing these items to be sourced through the same lot can reduce the need for multiple contracts or suppliers, helping to simplify ordering, contract management and invoicing processes. The proposed approach also reflects market feedback that certain suppliers are able to provide products such as eggs, sliced loaves or milk but may not have the capability, capacity or commercial interest to supply a broader category offering. By making these products available within multiple lots, and as optional requirements where appropriate, the framework can encourage wider supplier participation, including SMEs and specialist suppliers, while maintaining customer choice. The purpose of this market engagement exercise is to:

• Inform the market of the YPO’s intention to establish a new Framework Agreement, the re-procurement of 1114.
• Obtain feedback on the proposed lotting structure, call off methods and improvements to consider.
• Inform the final procurement strategy.

Suppliers, manufacturers, producers, wholesalers, distributors, social enterprises and other interested market participants are invited to engage and provide feedback on the proposed Framework arrangements. The Framework is anticipated to deliver a comprehensive range of food products and associated services whilst ensuring value for money, food quality, supply chain security, social value delivery and environmental sustainability for contracting authorities. Please note that this notice is issued solely for preliminary market engagement purposes and does not constitute the commencement of a procurement process. Participation in market engagement activities is voluntary and will not provide any advantage or disadvantage in any subsequent procurement exercise.