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.

Procurement Act 2023

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.

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.