AwardedAwarded 16 June 2026

Milk and Milk Products

Education Authority · Education

In brief

Education Authority awarded food and drink work to Dale Farm Limited, Drayne's Dairy Limited and Grove Dairy Ltd on 16 June 2026.

The notice gives a value of £21,000,000 excluding VAT.

The contract runs for 4 years, up to 6 years with extensions, starting 1 July 2026.

The buyer says it is suitable for small and medium-sized businesses.

Built from the notice's own fields. Always check the official notice before you bid.

What the notice says

Supply and Delivery of Milk and Milk Products. The initial period will be for 4 years from the Start Date (anticipated to be July 2026) with options to extend for any additional period(s) of up to and including 24 months. This Contract is established by the Education Authority and is open to the EA, including NI educational bodies as follows, who at some point, during the life of the Contract may wish to utilise the agreement and should have access at any point, with the permission of EA. This Contract is not intended to replace any current agreements that participating or nonparticipating institutions may already have in place. Department of Education - Schools Plus…Read the full description
Supply and Delivery of Milk and Milk Products. The initial period will be for 4 years from the Start Date (anticipated to be July 2026) with options to extend for any additional period(s) of up to and including 24 months. This Contract is established by the Education Authority and is open to the EA, including NI educational bodies as follows, who at some point, during the life of the Contract may wish to utilise the agreement and should have access at any point, with the permission of EA. This Contract is not intended to replace any current agreements that participating or nonparticipating institutions may already have in place. Department of Education - Schools Plus https://www.educationni.gov.uk/services/schoolsplus Primary and Post Primary schools under the control of the EA, Catholic Maintained Schools Independent Schools in NI, Irish Medium Schools in NI, both Controlled and Voluntary Grammar Schools, Nursery School for NI (both controlled, and Catholic Maintained), Schoolmeals kitchens on-site at all of these schools, and Controlled Youth Centres. Further Education Colleges in NI : https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/contacts/furthereducationfecolleges NICIE - https://nicie.org Grant Controlled Integrated Education Schools in NI Independent Schools in NI https://www.isc.co.uk/schools/northern-ireland/ EA Teachers' and Educational Centres Council for the Curriculum, Examination and Assessment NI (CCEA) Armagh Observatory and Planetarium Middletown Centre for Autism Controlled Schools Support Council (CSSC) Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education (NICIE) Pre-Schools and Nurseries included within the EA Pre-School Education Programme (PSEP) The value detailed under each contract is estimated. There is no commitment as to the usage, volume or value of products required under this contract. The EA reserves the right to reallocate any values between all contracts/suppliers where required throughout the period of the Contract, within the limit of the overall awarded Contract value (£21,000,000).

Who won

WinnerValueDates
Dale Farm Limited
3 bids received
£7,000,000
Awarded 16 June 2026
Drayne's Dairy Limited (SME)
3 bids received
£7,000,000
Awarded 16 June 2026
Grove Dairy Ltd (SME)
3 bids received
£7,000,000
Awarded 16 June 2026

Values as the award notice gives them, excluding VAT where stated.

Timeline

  1. Preliminary market engagement notice · UK2, notice 083884-2025
  2. Tender notice · UK4, notice 038197-2026
  3. Contract award notice · UK6, notice 056761-2026

Last time this was bought

Fresh Fruit, Vegetables and Related Products

Awarded
6 March 2026
Value
£16,800,000
Bids
4
Contract ends
31 March 2029

Matched on Education Authority, the type of work and the title; it may be a related contract rather than the same one. Check the notice to be sure.

About the buyer

Education AuthorityLast 12 months

Procurements

130

Awards

56

Suppliers it has used most for food and drink

From notice 083884-2025 on Find a Tender, first published 17 December 2025, last updated 16 June 2026. We last checked for changes on 28 September 2026.