NEUPC Ltd, NWUPC Ltd and SUPC Ltd have published a tender notice for their Security & Cleaning Services framework. The framework is valued at £20m excluding VAT, or £24m including VAT, and covers security services, cleaning services and combined security and cleaning services.
This opportunity is relevant to specialist security providers, cleaning contractors and integrated FM suppliers that can support universities, colleges and other eligible public sector organisations across multiple regions.
The framework is split into three lots: Security Services, Cleaning Services and combined Security & Cleaning Services. Suppliers can bid for a maximum of one lot and can be awarded a maximum of one lot. Each lot will be split by region, with awards made regionally.
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Key details
- Framework title: Security & Cleaning Services
- Lead authorities: NEUPC Ltd, NWUPC Ltd, SUPC Ltd
- Estimated value: £24,000,000 including VAT
- Scope: Security services, cleaning services, or combined
- Duration: 4 years
- Submission deadline: 18 June 2026, 12:00pm
- Deadline for requests to participate: 23 June 2026, 12:00pm
- Award criteria: Technical and Quality 50%, Price 40%, Social Value 10%
- Procedure: Competitive Flexible Procedure
- Suitable for SMEs: Yes
- Find a Tender notice: View the official notice here
Why this opportunity is worth reviewing
NEUPC, NWUPC, and SUPC collectively represent a substantial network of higher education institutions and public sector bodies across the North, East, and South of England. A place on this framework could open doors to preferred supplier status across a diverse range of sites, from large civic universities to smaller specialist colleges and associated bodies.
The framework has strong supplier relevance because it sits across everyday operational services that many public sector estates need. Security and cleaning are also areas where regional providers can compete strongly if they can show reliable contract management, trained staff, good supervision and robust performance reporting.
The regional structure makes the opportunity more accessible than a single national framework. A supplier may be ranked differently across different regions depending on the number and quality of responses in that area. That means regional strategy matters.
Rather than bidding broadly, suppliers should assess where they have the strongest operational coverage, management capacity, recruitment access and evidence base. A focused, well-evidenced regional bid may be stronger than an overextended submission that creates delivery risk.
Procurement process
The notice sets out a staged Competitive Flexible Procedure. The PSQ stage runs first, followed by evaluation and the issue of the Invitation to Participate. There is then a further response period, evaluation, and an optional negotiation stage.
The notice states that up to six suppliers per region per lot may be taken forward to negotiation and awarded to the framework. The authority may take more suppliers forward where scores are close, or fewer where there is a clear gap.
This makes early scoring important. Suppliers should not treat the first stage as a light-touch registration exercise. The submission needs to establish financial stability, operational capability and a clear fit for the selected lot and region.
Who should be looking at this?
While the consortia sit within the higher education sector, their member organisations span a wide range of settings. The strongest candidates for this framework include:
- Security companies with experience in campus environments, large public buildings, or multi-site public sector contracts
- Commercial cleaning contractors with a track record in education, healthcare, or similar regulated settings
- Integrated FM providers capable of delivering both security and cleaning under a single contract
- Regional operators with capacity to service multiple sites across England's North, East, or South
If your experience skews heavily towards retail, logistics, or private sector sites, it's worth thinking carefully about how you'll evidence transferable capability in a public sector context; evaluators will be looking for this.
What to focus on in your bid
- For security suppliers, the strongest responses should evidence licensing, training, vetting, supervision, incident management, safeguarding awareness, out-of-hours escalation, event support and customer-facing staff management.
- For cleaning suppliers, focus on workforce planning, mobilisation, quality audits, productivity, consumables, sustainability, specialist cleaning, equipment, health and safety, and managing seasonal demand.
- For combined service providers, explain the added value of integration. This could include shared helpdesk reporting, joined-up supervision, improved site intelligence, coordinated mobilisation, reduced duplication and clearer contract management.
- Across all lots, social value is weighted at 10%. Suppliers should avoid generic commitments and link their social value offer to the regions they are bidding for. Local recruitment, apprenticeships, training, community engagement, carbon reduction and supply chain opportunities may all be relevant where they are realistic and measurable.
Thornton & Lowe supports suppliers bidding for security tenders, cleaning tenders and wider facilities management tenders. For this framework, the key is to combine strong compliance with a clear regional delivery case.
How Thornton & Lowe can help
Thornton & Lowe can help security, cleaning and FM suppliers assess whether this framework is a good fit, select the right lot and region, and prepare a stronger written submission.
Our support can include bid/no-bid assessment, compliance review, response planning, quality response drafting, social value development, evidence mapping and final review. We can also help suppliers present their operational model clearly, especially where the tender requires proof of multi-site delivery, workforce resilience and quality control.
For regional providers, the main challenge is often not capability, but evidence. A clear, well-structured submission can help evaluators understand why your service model is credible, proportionate and low risk.
If you want experienced bid writers who understand the public sector security and FM market, connect with Thornton & Lowe. We can help you put forward a compelling, fully compliant submission.
