Perspectives on the Crown Commercial Service’s new "Buying Better Food and Drink" Agreement

The "Buying Better Food and Drink" (BBF) agreement launched by Crown Commercial Service (CCS) in late 2024 sets a benchmark for integrating dynamic procurement principles into public sector food procurement. For buyers, the framework provides a simple and free-to-access regulatory compliant route to market. The National Advisory Board (NAB) has scrutinised the current and future features of the framework and concluded that they align closely with many of our stated principles and goals.

CCS have appointed a Group Purchasing Organisation (Entegra) as The Supplier and a specialist technology provider (Equilibrium Markets) as a Key Subcontractor. This combination of capabilities enables the framework to facilitate more inclusive access to the public sector market for both regional and local distributors as well as SME producers.

The board has identified some principles of dynamic food procurement that will not be addressed from the start with the BBF. However, CCS have provided assurances to the board that these areas will be explored in future iterations of the framework.

Overall, this is a positive step forward and should be embraced by public sector buyers. All NAB members are unanimously supportive of the framework. Individual member organisations will be releasing their own views in due course.

Context and Alignment with Dynamic Food Procurement Principles

The Crown Commercial Service’s (CCS) "Buying Better Food and Drink" framework marks a significant step in public sector food procurement, aligning closely with most of the principles advocated by the Dynamic Food Procurement National Advisory Board. The framework offers a progressive approach by integrating innovative procurement practices designed to enhance sustainability, inclusivity, and transparency.

Core Principles of Dynamic Food Procurement Reflected in the Agreement

• Short and Transparent Supply Chains

  The agreement emphasises reducing food mileage and fostering transparency, resonating with the Board's advocacy for shorter, traceable supply chains. By engaging regional and national distributors and providing AgileChain technology to bridge to more SME producers, the framework enables better informed decision-making for buyers, enabling greater positive social, environmental and economic impacts.

• Inclusivity and SME Participation

  Opening public sector contracts to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the agreement aims to diversify supply chains and boost local economies. This aligns with the Board's principle of enabling SMEs to compete fairly within dynamic purchasing systems (DPS), reducing barriers to entry and fostering local supplier engagement.

• Technology-Driven Efficiency

  CCS have required a simple single online portal called AgileChain to provide a streamlined procurement system, ensuring efficient ordering, invoicing, and performance tracking. This reflects the Board's commitment to leveraging technology to support transparency, simplify logistics, and minimise administrative burdens for producers and supply chain intermediaries. Entegra’s central billing also reduces the administration burden of invoice management for buyers by issuing a single statement consolidating multiple supplier invoices. The Board noted this as having the potential to dramatically reduce admin costs for caterers and procurers.

• Sustainability and Regional Benefits

  The focus on sustainable sourcing, soil fertility, and biodiversity aligns with the Board’s emphasis on environmental stewardship through procurement. By incentivising eco-friendly farming practices and supporting regional economies, the agreement integrates social, environmental, and economic value.

• Flexibility and Continuous Improvement

  The dynamic structure of the agreement allows for the onboarding of new distributors and producers, iterative improvements, and adjustments based on customer and supplier feedback. This reflects the Board’s principle of open and adaptive procurement systems. The Buyer Unique Line mechanic allows for buyers to nominate individual producers and arrange either direct delivery or consolidated delivery with an existing distributor. The Board finds that this provides a route to market for all producers so long as they can persuade buyers that their products are desirable.

Distinguishing Features

• Supplier Inclusivity: SMEs, including local and regional producers, can be onboarded through bespoke processes (see 5 above), ensuring alignment with localised needs and enabling better quality, seasonal produce for public sector organisations.

• Sustainability & Value Goals: By benchmarking prices and monitoring supply chain impacts, CCS aims to foster a competitive yet fair marketplace that prioritises sustainability. Entegra are a world leader in food procurement so are expected to have the scale, organisation capacity and capability to bring both value and sustainability.

• Economic Contribution: Although starting in pilot form via a contract ceiling value of £100 million of food spend through the portal, the agreement has the potential to scale in future years. Given at least £2.1 billion of tax payer money is spend on public sector food each year, there could be real economic benefits coming from an approach like this as a greater proportion of money spent with SME food producers tends to stay within local communities than when spent with multinational food corporations.

Strategic Implications for Public Sector Procurement

From the National Advisory Board’s perspective, the CCS agreement is a promising pilot that demonstrates the transformational potential of dynamic food procurement. While its initial scale is limited, its success could pave the way for broader adoption across the £2.1 billion public sector food market. The integration of sustainability, inclusivity, and transparency into procurement practices underscores the alignment between this initiative and the Board's vision for systemic change in food procurement.

National Advisory Board Recommendations for the Future

• Assign and report transparently versus Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) : Once baselines are established, set ambitious goals to drive SME producer inclusion,  enhance food nutritional value as a % of spend, catering service uptake and profitability, agroecological and economic impacts.

• Scale SME Involvement: Ensure that onboarding and participation processes for SMEs – particularly family farms - are continually optimised to increase their market share.

• Data-Driven Improvements: Utilise the portal’s analytics capabilities to refine supply chains, monitor carbon footprints, and enhance regional economic benefits.

Conclusion

The "Buying Better Food and Drink" agreement by CCS sets a benchmark for integrating dynamic procurement principles into public sector frameworks, aligning closely with the values and goals of the Dynamic Food Procurement National Advisory Board. It’s a strong start, but more work is needed to realise the full potential of Dynamic Food Procurement.

The Buying Better Food and Drink Agreement (RM6279), launched by Crown Commercial Service (CCS), simplifies public sector food procurement with a focus on sustainability, quality, and inclusivity. It integrates dynamic food procurement principles, offering a platform for schools, hospitals, and councils to access ethical and environmentally friendly food suppliers. The agreement supports small businesses, reduces food waste and carbon footprints, and enhances supply chain transparency. Aiming to foster economic, environmental, and social value, it will run for up to four years, targeting £100 million in spend. See Crown Commercial Service.

The Dynamic Food Procurement National Advisory Board is a coalition of food policymakers, procurement practitioners, and food producers united to promote sustainable and inclusive food procurement inspired by the Bath and North East Somerset Dynamic Food Procurement pilot in 2018. Members include representatives from organisations such as The Soil Association, Sustain, the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), and the Pasture-Fed Livestock Association. It also features experts like procurement consultants, supply chain managers, and government leads from DEFRA. Together, the Board develops guidance and tools to transform food systems through dynamic procurement strategies.