Commercial kitchen for Meadows Community Centre

About the buyer

Cambridge City Council is a local authority serving Cambridge, running its own procurement function for goods, works and services. Contract opportunities are advertised on the Due North portal, procontract.due-north.com. Smaller purchases run through call-off or measured-term contracts, each suited to routine buying. Consultancy and similar recurring needs sit on corporate frameworks that can run for up to four years. Specialist training and comparable services can instead be bought through a dynamic purchasing system. The council also draws on frameworks let by national bodies such as Crown Commercial Service and ESPO, applying that framework's own rules.

UK local government drives £140bn in annual procurement, led by social protection (£66.6bn) and education (£57.1bn).

Over the past 5 years, most of Cambridge City Council's contract awards have been in business services, architectural and engineering services and waste, cleaning and environmental services.