Procurement description
Flintshire County Council has identified the need for a sustainable food system to support households facing food poverty, particularly during school holiday periods. Current models of one-off financial support have been found to be short-term, costly, and unsustainable. The Council seeks a long-term solution that ensures affordable access to fresh, nutritious food (excluding Ultra-Processed Foods (UPF)), reducing reliance on emergency food provision, and improves health outcomes.
The expectation is the design and implementation of a food system which may include, but not limited to:
- Reaching rural communities with affordable fresh food and meal solutions.
- Community-based hubs providing access to hot, nutritious meals.
- Solutions that are targeted towards very vulnerable households.
- Solutions to support residents to transition to self funded food purchase.
- Innovative community based self service models of delivery.
The solution must:
- Be UPF-free and promote healthy, fresh, and balanced diets.
- Ensure value for money and demonstrate how costs will reduce annually to eliminate Council subsidy within 5 years.
- Be scalable and adaptable across diverse communities.
- Involve partnerships with community organisations, volunteers, and local supply chains.
- Be measurable against agreed success criteria (e.g. participation rates, reduction in food poverty indicators, health outcomes).
The commissioners will be holding a online Pre Market Engagement event on Wednesday 21st January 2026 (10.30AM to 11.30AM) to inform providers the Invitation to Tender process that the commissioners will follow for this commissioning exercise.