Tender: Kent & Medway Pilot Connecting Local Food and Drink Producers with Schools, Hospitals and Care Providers

About

The Council is seeking a supplier for a pilot project to strengthen the Kent and Medway local food economy by connecting local food and drink producers with institutional buyers such as schools, hospitals and care providers. The pilot will identify willing buyers and capable suppliers, support collaboration through workshops, matchmaking and targeted engagement, investigate and support changes to procurement and logistics so local businesses can participate more easily in institutional supply chains, track progress, deliver proportionate education and awareness-raising, and produce findings, lessons learned and recommendations for future delivery and scaling. The work should be practical, place-based, proportionate to the available budget, complement wider strategic activity, and consider relevant national and local frameworks such as Government Buying Standards and emerging approaches to social value and net zero where applicable.