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St Francis of Assisi Catholic Academy Trust - Catering Tender

St Francis of Assisi Catholic Academy Trust - Catering Tender · Contract details notice on Find a Tender

Tender information last checkedLast checked 21 Sept 2026, 14:38.

Opportunity overview

We are a family of Catholic schools in the Roman Catholic Deanery of the Lea Valley and whilst each school retains its own distinctive ethos and mission, we are united in our endeavours to deliver a Catholic education excelling in the academic, pastoral and spiritual life, and which produces fully flourishing pupils. We are currently 8 primary schools and 1 secondary school, and we have active plans for imminent growth which will result in more schools joining the Trust within the next 12-18months. We take much inspiration from by the charism of St. Francis - To be caring towards everyone in the community; Being compassionate - standing up especially for the poor and oppressed; Acting with reverence towards all creation; Being peacemakers, reconcilers, and healers to all those in need. Further information regarding the Trust can be obtained here: https://www.stfrancistrust.net/ Tender information: Our Schools: 1.Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School 2.St Augustine's Catholic Primary School 3.St Cross Catholic Primary School 4.St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Bishop's Stortford) 5.St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Hertford) 6.St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Waltham Cross) 7.St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School 8.St Paul's Catholic Primary School 9.St Mary's Catholic School (secondary) All 9 schools listed above (8 primary and 1 secondary) – are participating in this tender. Please note this is a growing trust where additional schools may join during the new contract term. Additional schools that join may, at the Trust’s discretion, be added to this contract. The successful tenderer will be required to provide excellent catering services to the schools. The contract term being tendered is for three years, 1st September 2026 – 31st August 2029. There is an option for a further extension period for up to two additional years to 31st August 2031. The contract offers an excellent opportunity to review and propose enhancements to the current catering services at all of the Schools within the Trust. This includes but is not limited to; breakfast, morning break, lunchtime and after school services, over the academic year, plus hospitality services upon request. The Trust is keen to secure a high quality catering service including fresh locally sourced ingredients prepared on site, with a menu design that is flexible to suit the requirements of each of the Trust’s specific students. The Trust is proud of its ‘family ethos’ and expects both a tightly managed service and a management style delivered by the successful contractor that supports, encourages and develops the catering staff. Management must be present and engaged, actively building relationships at both school and Trust level and driving the contract forwards at all times. Monthly management information is expected to be timely, accurate and easy to interpret. The Trust is not obliged to accept the lowest price submitted for this tender, rather each school is keen to secure ‘best value’ from this contract and to deliver ‘best value’ to its students. Innovative and creative ideas as to how the services can be developed and value added, will be welcomed. The Trust seeks a contractor that is keen to work in partnership and who will deliver to its highest abilities, at all times. Competitive Flexible Procedure This procurement will be run under the Competitive Flexible Procedure. This will follow a two stage approach, with stage 1 being the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ). Here a minimum of 5 candidates (or less, in the event less than 5 meet the minimum criteria) and a maximum of 10 candidates, will progress to stage 2. Any selection of tenderers will be based solely on the criteria set out for the procurement and a minimum score of 60% must be achieved. Selected tenderers will then be invited to stage 2, the Invitation To Tender (ITT). Here, the evaluation of tender response will be set as 40% price and 60% quality. Value of contract: The annual value of the current contract is £950,000 Therefore, the value of this contract is £4,750,000 The contract shall be a guaranteed performance contract with any hospitality requirements billed separately. The tender process will be run under a two stage Competitive Flexible procedure. Additional requirements and information: •The Trust has a minimum requirement for a contractor’s employers' liability and public liability insurances of £5 million. •The minimum annual turnover that your company must have achieved to be considered for this opportunity is £2 million. •There are incumbent catering staff currently within the Local Government Pension Scheme. •The catering services are currently contracted to Aspens Services and HCL. •As above, please note this is a growing Trust and any other schools that may join the Trust during the tenure of this new catering contract may, at the Trust’s discretion, be added to this contract. •Please note that the successful tenderer will be required to pay the RIVA tender fee for this project directly to RIVA, upon their contract award.

Awarded to

Amounts belong to published awards or contracts. Where several suppliers share one value, it is labelled as shared and is not a supplier-specific allocation.

Caterlink Ltd

Match pending…
Contract value
£5.6m
Awarded
Not supplied
Contract signed
29 Jul 2026
Including VAT
£6.7m
Award ID
1
Status
active
Identifier
GB-PPON PWPW-6942-JXBP
Location
Reading, UKJ11, RG6 1PT, United Kingdom

Classification

No classification was supplied.

Lots

  • Lot 1Value not stated

Documents and notices

Published notice details

Additional information from the published procurement release. Fields appear only when supplied by the source; check the original notice and tender documents before acting.

Scope, procedure and submissions

Id
ocds-h6vhtk-05f713
Status
complete
Procurement Method
selective
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure

Legal basis

Id
2023/54
Scheme
UKPGA

Covered By

GPA
CPTPP

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Status
complete

Published documents

Entry 1
Id
conflictOfInterest
Document Type
conflictOfInterest
Description
Not published

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Name
St Francis of Assisi Catholic Academy Trust - Catering Tender
Id
GB-PPON-PHNV-3197-BYWL

Identifier

Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PHNV-3197-BYWL

Address

Street Address
c/o St Mary’s Catholic School, Windhill
Locality
Bishop's Stortford
Postal Code
CM23 2NQ
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKH23

Contact

Name
Rachel OGrady
Telephone
+44 1252 977017

Roles

buyer

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Id
publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment
Description
Public authority - sub-central government
Organisation 2
Name
RIVA Partnership Ltd
Id
GB-PPON-PPWL-9222-MYRJ
Role Details
Procurement Consultancy supporting the Contracting Authority

Identifier

Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PPWL-9222-MYRJ

Address

Street Address
Hones Business Park, 1 Waverley Lane
Locality
Farnham
Postal Code
GU9 8BB
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKJ25

Contact

Name
Rachel OGrady
Telephone
+44 1252 977017

Roles

procuringEntity
Organisation 3
Name
Caterlink Ltd
Id
GB-PPON-PWPW-6942-JXBP

Identifier

Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PWPW-6942-JXBP

Address

Street Address
Earley West,, 300 Thames Valley Park Drive,
Locality
Reading
Postal Code
RG6 1PT
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKJ11

Contact

Name
Donna Lancaster

Roles

supplier

Details

Scale
large
Vcse
No
Public Service Mission Organization
No
Sheltered Workshop
No

Award information

Award 1
Id
1
Status
active
Main Procurement Category
services

Items

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
CPV
Id
55524000
Description
School catering services

Delivery locations

Entry 1
Region
UKH23
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom

Suppliers

Supplier 1
Id
GB-PPON-PWPW-6942-JXBP
Name
Caterlink Ltd

Related lots

1

Contracts and changes

Entry 1
Id
1
Award ID
1
Status
active
Has Renewal
Yes
Above Threshold
Yes
Date Signed
30 Jul 2026, 00:00

Period

Starts
1 Sept 2026, 00:00
Ends
31 Aug 2029, 23:59
Max Extent Date
31 Aug 2031, 23:59

Renewal

Description
There is an option for a further extension period for up to two additional years to 31st August 2031.

Value

Including VAT
6,677,448
Amount
5,564,540
Currency
GBP

Documents

Entry 1
Id
A-22723
Document Type
contractSigned
Format
application/pdf
Entry 2
Id
089094-2026
Document Type
contractNotice
Notice Type
UK7
Description
Contract details notice on Find a Tender
Published
21 Sept 2026, 12:16
Format
text/html

Agreed Metrics

Entry 1
Id
1067324629
Title
Food Quality & Service

Observations

Entry 1
Id
frequency

Period

Duration In Days
365
Entry 2
Id
1067324630
Title
Communication & Customer Engagement

Observations

Entry 1
Id
frequency

Period

Duration In Days
365
Entry 3
Id
1067324631
Title
Finances & Driving uptake

Observations

Entry 1
Id
frequency

Period

Duration In Days
365

Amendments

Entry 1
Description
Redacted contract uploaded.
Id
089094-2026

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · Bishop's Stortford · UKH23 · CM23 2NQ · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

3 published notice versions reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

3 VERSIONS
  1. 060112-2026Contract award notice on Find a Tender ·
  2. 081517-2026Contract details notice on Find a Tender ·
  3. 089094-2026Contract details notice on Find a Tender ·