Preliminary Market Engagement for a Proposed Procurement of Utilities for Education Buying Group Ltd

Education Buying Group is a school-led, not-for-profit Public Sector Buying Organisation created to transform procurement for the education sector. Public procurement is complex. Schools and trusts must balance compliance, value for money, risk management and social responsibility – all while focusing on pupils and outcomes.

Its governance is led by Multi-Academy Trusts, ensuring procurement decisions are shaped by the real needs of the education sector.

For further information regarding Education Buying Group please visit: https://educationbuyinggroup.org.uk/

Education Buying Group Ltd (EBG Ltd) is inviting responses from providers of Energy/Utilities to this

Preliminary Market Engagement process in anticipation of a planned Tender process in summer 2026.

As Education Buying Group Ltd is a public sector buying organisation collaboration including Churchmarketplace the natural solution is to explore options for an ‘EBG’ Utilities Solution specifically for the Education Sector but with potential for access by the wider public sector.

At present, our proposed procurement strategy is for the procurement of gas, electricity and water to be included within the new utilities solution. This procurement is aimed at engaging suppliers of Power, Gas and or Water and is not for services provided by third party intermediaries/brokers.

Following initial consultation with the Education Sector via our EBG Ltd Partners and Customers we believe the most effective solution would be a Framework Arrangement with an initial period of 3 years with options to extend for 3 with a proposed lotting strategy as detailed in the PME Request for Information document.

EBG Ltd welcomes consultation with providers and suppliers of this category via a brief questionnaire to understand and test our proposed procurement strategy, lotting strategy, inclusions and seek innovative proposals prior to finalising a tender specification and tender process.

Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) is a “pre-procurement” process that enables contracting authorities and/or

procurement agents acting on behalf of contracting authorities that are subject to the Procurement Act 2023 to seek responses from the market in a transparent, fair and equitable manner prior to any formal tender process.

The preliminary market engagement is your opportunity to influence the potential shape and solution of a future procurement process. Through this process you can express views and confirm latest product/service developments which may meet the need of the contracting authority.

This process is not a procurement process, although it may form part of a procurement process in the future and as such will be conducted in accordance with The Procurement Act 2023.

The Contracting Authority reserves the right to invite any/all respondents to a meeting/presentation/interview following the closing of the deadline for the receipt of questionnaires. The purpose of this invitation will be to understand and clarify further aspects of the response.

Neither this document nor any associated Preliminary Market Engagement Notice constitutes a ‘call for competition’.

The contracting authority/procurement agent may decide following this process that a future procurement process is not the right solution to meet the specific need identified.

No guarantee or warranty is given as to any statement made in these documents. Any information is given entirely in good faith and liable to change as the future procurement process progresses. Respondents are advised therefore to keep up to date on the progress of this process.

The contracting authority/procurement agent has an obligation to ensure the principles of equal treatment and

transparency as required by The Procurement Act 2023 are upheld throughout this process. It may be required

therefore to make available to future candidates and tenderers information provided during this PME process.

Respondents should also be aware that in some cases contracting authorities are subject to the Freedom of

Information Act 2000 and as such no information provided by the market can be deemed exempt from disclosure.

All costs and expenses associated with participating in this PME process, including any invitations to meetings and/or presentations will not be reimbursed.

Responses to this PME must be submitted no later than 12noon 29 June 2026 via the Delta e-Tendering Portal. All PME documents are available to download via the Delta e-Tendering Portal.For more information about this

opportunity, please visit the Delta eSourcing portal at: https://www.delta-esourcing.com/respond/3UFXJVQRP7

For more information about this opportunity, please visit the eSourcing portal at:

https://www.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-Cardiff:-Mains-gas./3UFXJVQRP7

To respond to this opportunity, please click here:

https://www.delta-esourcing.com/respond/3UFXJVQRP7