Food Vending Solutions – The Answer to All Your Vending Needs

NHS Supply Chain: Food are offering an enormous breadth of vending options to hospitals across England.

Here we talk to Lucy Moss, Category Development Buyer who’s embarking on a whole new chapter in the vending sector, with suppliers ranging from SMEs to large wholesalers.

This 15 minute read should help you to understand what NHS Supply Chain: Food’s Vending Solutions framework can bring you and your trust.

The current framework began in October 2024 and is running until April 2026 with a possible extension of an additional 30 months. There are 31 suppliers on the framework, with 9 lots (product categories) providing everything convenience wise to trusts, including everything from cold drinks, snacks and confectionery to chilled and hot food and drinks. Lucy is thrilled to be working on this framework.

We are offering trusts traditional vending alongside next generation technology such reverse vending and smart fridges.

Lucy Moss, Category Development Buyer, NHS Supply Chain: Food

We also help facilitate the placement of free on loan equipment, such as the vending machines themselves as well as ward beverage trolleys. We have some a new reverse vending machine options as well – the incentive works by giving staff and visitors rewards if they dispose of plastic bottles in the machines.

We also offer smart technology and shop solutions in the way of micro markets, a self-service retail option that combines a small convenience store with automated, 24/7 access to hot and cold food and drinks, ideal for staff on the night shift or staff and visitors wanting something quick on a short break.

When we look at coffee as an example, a number of our suppliers started in a more traditional capacity, offering vending machines that offered a more conventional set up, providing customers with an incup hot drink, where a customer is served a drink that’s ready for them to consume. They have  naturally grown and developed their offer into a more bespoke experience where the table top options have come into play, customers may even froth their own milk and finish their drinks themselves barista-style depending on their needs.

The NHS using these suppliers has enabled them to diversify and expand what they are offering to staff and visitors in hospitals. This enables trusts to move from table top coffee machine to a more innovative approach, but it can be introduced to sites and customers gradually, for staff and visitors to adjust to the new offer step by step. One key benefit for trusts are that the chosen supplier can give free on loan vending machines to trusts, where rebates can often be available for trusts to earn also, moving away from the traditional leasing solution.

Vending as a category has now transformed for trusts, moving from a necessity to a much more innovative and creative area, offering a great deal more than it ever did traditionally, with hot food vending as part of a 24/7 hot food provision for staff and visitors. Suppliers are now often new, fresh and very passionate about what they are doing for hospitals.

Lucy Moss, Category Development Buyer, NHS Supply Chain: Food

Free on-loan vending solutions is a great way for trusts to be able to afford the equipment without having to have the resource in place to lease or buy the vending machine. On this framework, the Buyers have made this solution a lot more accessible to trusts, being more creative in the way they create value for Procurement Managers. The Vending Solutions framework allows more structure in place for trusts, what the offer is for trusts, and so we can better understand the value and cost of these machines as well.

Rina Smith, Category Lead for Vending, NHS Supply Chain: Food

Machines can be installed into trusts from six weeks to three months, offering for instance hot food with dishes ranging from a vegan risotto to a full roast dinner. As staff at hospitals often have short breaks, caffeinated hot beverages and hot meals are imperative for staff in hospitals to keep running and caring for their patients.

Suppliers range from large companies through to small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs). There are 31 suppliers currently on the framework, 21 of these are SMEs. Vending as a category highly supports SMEs, offering a customer service led approach. The larger companies often have the power to be innovative and offer new types of solutions quicker to our trusts.

It’s great to have such a mix of suppliers on our Vending Solutions framework, from the large powerhouse suppliers through to the smaller and more bespoke SMEs. We have one supplier that’s offering one popular supermarkets produce within their vending machines, as they formed a partnership, bringing trust to customers in the products on offer. All the time there are exciting new solutions and ideas coming through, pushing all the suppliers to try new things for their customers and increasing a competitive marketplace. The suppliers offer an adaptable approach, and can work with trusts needs.

Lucy Moss, Category Development Buyer, NHS Supply Chain: Food

We have another supplier on our framework who acts as a sub-contractor “parent” to smaller SMEs – this is quite exciting and a solution, as it provides an opportunity for smaller suppliers who would not necessarily be able to come onboard as they don’t meet the criteria of the framework, a chance to win the business.

Legislation and financial criteria can be quite a large barrier to certain suppliers, often due to size, but this is giving them a chance to be part of the offer. Sometimes companies like this can support trust’s Green Plans as they lower their carbon footprint by being more local to trusts. We can discuss these options to trusts, tailoring our approach to their needs as individuals.

Currently 50 trusts are using the Vending Solutions Framework. We are able to offer suppliers and trusts long-term contracts. 48% of suppliers are SMEs, with 52% of suppliers being large. NHS Supply Chain: Food’s Vending Solutions Framework spend is currently worth £8 million, 25% of the estimated market spend of £32 million.

In the next 3 to 12 months Lucy and the team will be focusing on competitive exercises and scoping out new suppliers for the possible framework extension.

We have a diverse range of suppliers, offering a whole host of different options from budget-friendly hot drinks all the way up to more upmarket hot meals. You might be surprised by what you see on the vending side the next time you visit a hospital site. Our ITFC process (Invitation to Tender) allows trusts to make informed decisions that will be the best thing for their trust.

We offer sampling sessions for trusts, allowing them to taste what’s on offer for their staff and visitors and tailoring the choices to trusts individual needs, taking into account special dietary requirements and to make the chosen options as tailored as possible. We are constantly evolving for trusts, based on what is available from up and coming suppliers. I am passionate and a perfectionist, and will always work as hard as I can to meet the customer’s needs.

Lucy Moss, Category Development Buyer, NHS Supply Chain: Food

We have made trusts £1.5 million in savings, with an additional £1 million rebates. The framework is a growing area, and we are offering an expanded offer to give trusts the greatest flexibility and range of options. We hope to provide your trust with some fresh savings very soon.

Please reach out to your Local Food Account Manager for support in using the Vending framework, and how you can make this switch. Our Category Buyers are also on hand to help you.

See our Useful Links section view our Category Buyers contact details, our Vending Solutions framework and read a true success story on the roll out of the on-loan ward beverage trollies.