Petroleum Contracts and Tenders

Petroleum tenders cover the supply of fuel products such as diesel, petrol, gas oil and heating fuel to UK public sector buyers, along with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and fleet fuel card contracts. Councils, NHS trusts, fire and rescue services and transport operators all run these tenders to keep vehicles, generators and heating systems supplied with fuel.

Stotles brings together fuel tenders and contracts from 100+ portals into one search, so you do not have to check each portal separately, and you can set alerts for new opportunities across the UK and Ireland.

If you want to search the government portals directly, Find a Tender carries higher-value contracts across the UK and Contracts Finder carries lower-value contracts in England. Public Contracts Scotland, Sell2Wales and eTendersNI cover Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, Ireland's eTenders covers Irish public bodies, and many councils, NHS bodies and housing associations publish on their own e-tendering portals such as ProContract. Fuel cards and bulk fuel are often called off from national frameworks, so many opportunities reach only suppliers already on them.

Fuel tenders are scored on price, usually against a published index, delivery reliability and coverage, emergency supply and account management. Many buyers call off fuel cards and bulk fuel from frameworks, so a framework place is usually needed.

Fuel suppliers must meet the rules for storing and transporting petroleum, including carriage of dangerous goods requirements for delivery vehicles and drivers. Tenders usually set minimum insurance cover, check financial standing and ask for evidence of similar contracts at selection stage. Under the Procurement Act 2023, suppliers can be excluded for certain criminal convictions, insolvency or failure to pay tax.

Most fuel supply contracts are awarded through multi-year agreements or call-offs against national and regional frameworks, such as those run by the Crown Commercial Service and professional buying organisations, rather than open tenders for every purchase. Awards often list frameworks and lots rather than a single nationwide contract.

Liquid fuels are often called off from the Government Commercial Agency's National Fuels framework, which also has a liquefied petroleum gas strand. Councils, police forces, fire and rescue services and central government agencies use it for diesel, heating oil and hydrotreated vegetable oil, usually through a further competition.

YPO's liquid fuels and associated products framework is called off by councils and by police and fire bodies, and it also carries fuel cards. ESPO's liquid fuels framework is used by councils for diesel, gas oil and hydrotreated vegetable oil.

Public bodies buy diesel, unleaded petrol, gas oil, heating oil, kerosene, red diesel, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and bulk fuel for depots, vehicle fleets, generators and heating plant, as well as fuel card contracts that let drivers refuel at forecourts nationwide.

Local councils, NHS trusts and integrated care boards, fire and rescue services, police forces, rail and transport operators, and central government departments including the Ministry of Defence all procure petroleum and fuel supply contracts. Many buy through call-offs against national frameworks rather than running a standalone tender each time.

Read fuel contract and fuel card expiry dates, fleet strategies and preliminary market engagement notices, which show fuel work coming due ahead of a notice. On Stotles you can track those signals and the buyers behind them, then follow a notice from pre-tender through to award.

Fuel notices carry 09000000 (Petroleum products, fuel, electricity and other sources of energy) for bulk fuel supply and 30163100 (Agency fuel cards) for fuel card contracts.