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Published 21 Sept 2026, 16:55 BST

Official UK procurement notice

THE PROVISION OF A FRAMEWORK FOR THE SUPPLY OF BRANDED & GENERIC WASHROOM PAPER DISPOSABLES

Official notice

Authority: Hertfordshire County Council (Local council)

Framework agreement2 lotsGoodsOpen procedureAbove threshold
Framework ceiling (notional)£20,800,000total for 2 lots · framework ceiling, not attributable revenue
Submissions closed 22 Oct 2026
Lots 2see the lot list below
Framework period 4 yrsends 1 Jan 2031 · starts 2 Jan 2027

What is being bought2 lots · detail below

Published requirement description

Hertfordshire County Council acting on behalf of the Participating Authorities is leading on the procurement process to establish a Framework Agreement for the Supply and purchase of Branded & Generic Washroom Paper Disposables and Dispensers (herein after referred to as “Good(s)”), and is seeking suitably qualified Contractor(s) to supply the Good(s) and any related Services under any Agreement resulting from this tendering exercise.

The participating Authorities both produce annual paper catalogues which are printed and distributed to customers each year, the publication generally runs from 1st April – 31st March each year. Customers may choose and select products listed in the catalogue at their discretion. Customers include schools and local authority establishments who are geographically spread across the UK.

Details of the Good(s) required under this Agreement are given in Section 7 of this Specification (Good(s) Requirement).

The requirement is for delivery of the Good(s) in bulk drops to their central stores. The method of delivery and palletisation will be as stated in Section 11 and 14 of this Specification (Delivery and Pallets).

However, there may be a requirement for direct orders placed by and delivered directly to the End User.

1.1 The requirement is divided into Two Lots:

Lot 1: Branded paper consumables

  • (must be exact brand to match product specified in pricing schedule, otherwise tenderers bid will not be accepted)

Lot 2: Generic/ HFS own brand paper consumables

  • (any brand will be accepted as long as it meets the dimensions detailed in pricing schedule, otherwise bid will not be accepted)

The authorities that are currently participating in this Agreement are listed below:

Hampshire County Council

Hertfordshire County Council (Contracting Authority)

(including Herts Full Stop, Any and all unitary authorities that arise out local government reorganisation, Herts Full Stop Limited , Hertfordshire Catering Limited, , Herts at Home, , and any other future trading arm, wholly owned company, mutual, joint venture, trust and shared service of the Council. and any other future trading arm, wholly owned company, mutual, joint venture, trust and shared service of the Council.)

Correspondence addresses for the above authorities are given in Schedule 8 of the Agreement.

The pattern and volume of demand for Good(s) may be subject to change and it is stressed that there are no undertakings concerning likely volume of demand. For guidance only, an estimated overall annual spend across all Lots for each Participating Authority is given below.

The Participating Authorities do not undertake to purchase that quantity and equally the Contractor should be prepared to supply quantities in excess of the figures shown.

The anticipated total annual joint expenditure across the Participating Authorities on these Good(s) across all Lots is presently circa £2.475 million per annum, however the estimated annual range for all Customers and all Lots is between £2 million and £5.2 million.

The estimated annual spend by each Participating Authority can be broken down as follows:

Hampshire County Council £975,000

Hertfordshire County Council £1,500,000

Total value range (incl all extensions): £8m - £20.8m

Full details of the requirement and context of the procurement can be found in the Specification of the Tender Document.

This procurement is an open process.

Organisations wishing to take part in this project are invited to 'express an interest' and also 'opt in' which will give access to the full procurement documents in the e-tendering system.

To be considered as a Tenderer you must complete and submit a Tender by the deadline of 12 noon on the Thursday 22nd October 2026.

Please allow sufficient time to make your return, as Tender submissions cannot be uploaded and submitted after this return deadline.

Please ensure that where possible documents are uploaded as a PDF and that file names are succinct.

Any questions relating to this procurement must be made via correspondence on the website, in accordance with the procurement documents, and can be addressed to the main contact as shown in the details above.

Tenderers should be aware that due to the nature of the Services provided, any Framework formed as a result of this procurement process shall be executed as a deed. Tenderers should seek independent legal advice on the implications of this prior to submitting their Tender, where appropriate. Please note that the Framework requirements will be subject to available financial resources, supplier performance and flexibility to meet changing demands.

To access this opportunity please visit in-tendhost.co.uk/supplyhertfordshire/… ↗.

If you are experiencing problems In-Tend offer a help section which includes a dedicated UK support desk which can be contacted via email: support@in-tend.co.uk or Telephone: +44 1144070065 for any website/technical questions, Monday to Friday, 8:30-17:00.

The Council reserves the right at any time to cease the procurement process and not award the Framework or to award only part of the opportunity described in this notice. If the Council takes up this right, then they will not be responsible for or pay the expenses or losses, which may be incurred by any organisation or tenderer as a result.

CPV: Toilet paper, handkerchiefs, hand towels and serviettes

How this framework works

From the published notice
Type
Closed framework
Call-offs
call-offs may be awarded directly or by further competition
Framework period
4 yrs from 2 Jan 2027
Supplier levy on call-offs (max %)

3% of call-off value · The Participating Authorities require a fixed 3% rebate on their own individual spend. This rebate is to be paid every six (6) months to each Participating Authority. Tenderers need to be aware that this is a requirement when agreeing to the Specification within the Response Document.

Published description of the framework

If the Council decides to source Services through the Framework, then it may satisfy its requirements for Services by awarding a Contract through a direct award or following a Mini Competition conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Framework. Full details are in the tender document set.

Lots and requirements (2)Procurement structure

2 lots · all with a published value · same conditions of participation on every lot · same evaluation weights on every lot
Lot #1Branded Paper Consumables 4 yrsPublished value£0

Please refer to the tender documents

Contract period: 2 Jan 2027 – 1 Jan 2031 (4 yrs)
Delivery: East of England
Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)2
  • Economic & financial standing

    Please refer to the Instructions to Tenderers document.

  • Technical & professional ability

    Please refer to the Instructions to Tenderers document.

Lot #2Generic / HFS Own Brand Paper Consumables 4 yrsPublished value£0

Kindly refer to the procurement documents

Contract period: 2 Jan 2027 – 1 Jan 2031 (4 yrs)
Delivery: East of England
Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)2
  • Economic & financial standing

    Please refer to the Instructions to Tenderers document.

  • Technical & professional ability

    Please refer to the Instructions to Tenderers document.

What it takes to win
i

How this buyer will score bids.

The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).

Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add more
How bids were scored · same split on all 2 lots
Quality: 20%Price: 80%
Published award criteria (2)
  • Quality: Weightings - Price 80%, Quality 20%. Please refer to Section 4 of the Instructions to Tenderers for a full breakdown of the Award Criteria.
  • Price: Weightings - Price 80%, Quality 20%. Please refer to Section 4 of the Instructions to Tenderers for a full breakdown of the Award Criteria.
Conditions of participation · identical on every lot2
  • Economic & financial standing

    Please refer to the Instructions to Tenderers document.

  • Technical & professional ability

    Please refer to the Instructions to Tenderers document.

What this means for your bid
  • Price carries 80 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 8 points. This one is won on the number: sharpen the price before polishing the prose.
  • “THE PROVISION OF A FRAMEWORK FOR THE SUPPLY OF BRANDED & GENERIC…” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract: call-offs may be direct or by further competition.

Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Procedure method
Open procedure
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Goods
Notice status
Closed
Procurement threshold
Above threshold (FTS publication)
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Framework agreement
Who may use this agreement
Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement
Unspecified in notice
First published
21 Sept 2026, 16:55 BST
Last source update
21 Sept 2026, 16:55 BST
Award evaluation window
Submission end – 24 Nov 2026
Authority reference
HCC2416201
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-089345
Latest notice
Tender notice (UK4)
Classification (CPV)
Toilet paper, handkerchiefs, hand towels and serviettes
Delivery area
East of England (UKH23)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0776dd Find a Tender
Contract terms summary

Invoices are to be submitted to the Council, in accordance with the Prices and Payment clause in the Conditions of the Framework. Payment will normally be made within thirty (30) days of receipt of a correct invoice.

Review and risk notes
Risks

In February 2025 the UK Government formally invited Hertfordshire County Council (the ”Council”) and the various district and borough Councils of Hertfordshire to develop proposals for local government reorganisation in Hertfordshire with the aim of re-organising the current two-tier system of local government into a single tier of local government with one or more unitary councils for the whole of the Hertfordshire area. Local government reorganisation is expected to take effect on 1 April 2028, and, on that date, the existing two-tier councils will be dissolved and replaced by four new unitary authorities (being (1) West Hertfordshire (2) South West Hertfordshire (3) Central Hertfordshire and (4) East Hertfordshire and Broxbourne). Existing contracts held by the Council and the district and borough Councils of Hertfordshire are expected to transfer to their successor authorities on vesting day in accordance with the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 and the Local Government (Structural Changes) (Transfer of Functions, Property, Rights and Liabilities) Regulations 2008. These reforms could be subject to change at any time.

As these reforms may occur during the term of this contract and result in changes to the form, structure, size and shape of local government in Hertfordshire, they are a known risk to the Council within the meaning of paragraph 6, Schedule 8 of the Procurement Act 2023 (Act) in that the reforms could jeopardise the satisfactory performance of the contract but because the nature and extent of the reforms are presently unknown, it is not possible to address the risks in the contract. If these risks materialise, the contract may need to be modified under paragraph 5 of Schedule 8 of the Act. Such modification could include, but not be limited to, the need to replace the contracting authority with a successor public authority and/or vary the structure, scope, nature and/or geographical location/boundary within which the contract is delivered.

Tenderers should note that any variation(s) to the terms and conditions of the contract will be made in accordance with its terms.

How it was run

Official notice
Run through: In-tend · Who buys & how to bid on In-tend
Supplier login requiredElectronic submission allowedLanguage: EN
Access & registration note: Free · one account per buying organisation's portal · reCAPTCHA on signup
Appointment period ends
22 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
Clarification deadline
2 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Supplier levy on call-offs (max %)

call-off levy · 3% of call-off value · The Participating Authorities require a fixed 3% rebate on their own individual spend. This rebate is to be paid every six (6) months to each Participating Authority. Tenderers need to be aware that this is a requirement when agreeing to the Specification within the Response Document.

Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

Timeline

21 Sept 2026 → 2 Jan 2027 · 5 dates
  1. Tender notice published37 days ago
    21 Sept 2026, 16:55 BST
  2. Clarification questions by27 days ago
    2 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
  3. Admission / appointment period ends7 days ago · period end, not a bid countdown
    22 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
  4. Today
    29 Oct 2026
  5. Award decision expected byin 26 days
    24 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
  6. Contract startsin 64 days
    2 Jan 2027

Notice history

1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender
  1. Tender notice published
    21 Sept 2026, 16:55 BST
    UK4

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Hertfordshire County Council

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PWJT-5264-WYMY Robertson House, Six Hills Way, Stevenage, East of England, SG1 2FQContact email

Official documents & specifications (2)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

  • Bidding documents and specifications tenderBidding documents and specificationsPlease either register or log in to the above web address, and then 'express interest' and 'opt in' in order to view the full set of documentation relating to this tender opportunity.

Notices published for this procedure

  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender