Pre-market Engagement — Furniture for School Dining Areas and Staff Canteens for the NI Education Authority

Descriptions

The NI Education Authority (EA) is currently preparing to initiate a procurement process to award a framework for the supply and delivery of dining furniture for school dining areas and staff canteens for an initial period of 2 years followed by two further optional extension periods of up to 12 months each. The potential scale and scope of this is such that it offers a significant opportunity to bidders. It is envisaged that a number of suppliers will be appointed to the framework to supply and deliver the items to educational establishments throughout Northern Ireland. The EA wish to carry out pre-market engagement with interested suppliers to investigate the current market capabilities and gain knowledge about existing and future products which will assist the tender panel with the development of the tender documentation. This will ensure that existing and future requirements are met and will also provide procurement awareness for suppliers regarding EA's requirements for the purchase of these products Any information gathered through this market consultation exercise may inform internal business planning and any possible subsequent procurement process and will not be appraised in any future tender evaluation exercise. The EA’s intention is to award the framework on a lot-by-lot basis.