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PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

Catering Services for the Orchard Community Trust

Orchard Community Trust · Tender notice on Find a Tender

Tender information last checkedLast checked 5 Oct 2026, 08:58.

Opportunity overview

The outsourced provision of catering services to the seven schools in the trust - 5 of which are primary's and 2 of which are all through special needs schools

Classification

  • CPV15894210 — School meals
  • CPV55524000 — School catering services

Lots

  • Lot 1£4.8m

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
2026 - 01
Status
active
Procurement Method
open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Main Procurement Category
services
Above Threshold
Yes
Published risks
No Specific Risks

Legal basis

Id
2023/54
Scheme
UKPGA

Special regime

lightTouch

Covered By

GPA

Submission terms

Electronic Submission Policy
allowed

Languages

en

Tender Period

Ends
4 Feb 2026, 12:00

Enquiry period

Ends
28 Jan 2026, 12:00

Expected award period

Ends
19 Feb 2026, 23:59

Contract terms

Financial Terms
Standard

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Status
active
Has Renewal
Yes

Value

Including VAT
5,700,000
Amount
4,750,000
Currency
GBP

Award criteria

Criteria

Criterion 1
Type
price
Name
Commercial (Price & Financial Deliverability)
Description
Tenderers will be evaluated on the competitiveness and financial realism of their proposals via Appendix E (Commercial Workbook). The evaluation will assess price competitiveness and the robustness/sustainability of pricing assumptions across the defined commercial elements (including food cost allowance, labour, management fee, mobilisation and sundry overheads), using the pre-published methodology (price ranking combined with price realism).

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
55
Weight
percentageExact
Criterion 2
Type
quality
Name
Technical Quality (Written Response)
Description
Tenderers will be evaluated on the quality of their written Technical submission (Appendix D – Technical Response Narrative Requirement), covering governance and reporting, people and mobilisation, food offer and delivery, and sustainability/community. Responses will be scored in accordance with the published scoring matrix and question weightings.

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
40
Weight
percentageExact
Criterion 3
Type
quality
Name
Interview & Presentation
Description
Shortlisted tenderers may be invited to an Interview/Presentation stage, evaluated as part of the Technical score. The session will assess delivery confidence and alignment to the Trust’s requirements and will be scored as: Food & Culture (3%) and Business Presentation (2%).

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
5
Weight
percentageExact

Selection criteria

Criteria

Criterion 1
Type
economic
Description
Yes Legal capacity Tenderers must demonstrate that they: # are a legally constituted organisation (e.g., company, LLP, registered charity, public body or other lawful entity) and are eligible to contract in the UK; # have the corporate authority and capability to enter into and perform the contract; # are not subject to any applicable exclusion grounds and are able to provide the required declarations and evidence through the Standard Selection/Preliminary Questionnaire process; and # will comply with all applicable UK legislation and regulatory requirements relevant to the delivery of catering services (including food safety, hygiene, and employment law). Financial and economic standing Tenderers must demonstrate that they have sufficient financial and economic standing to perform the contract, including: # submission of the most recent two years’ published accounts (or equivalent evidence where accounts are not available, e.g., management accounts, audited statements, or parent company accounts/guarantee); # confirmation that the Tenderer is not insolvent, in administration, in liquidation, or subject to any arrangement with creditors, and is not subject to proceedings of the same nature; # evidence of appropriate financial resilience and capacity to deliver the contract for the full duration (including any extension options); and # maintenance of the following minimum insurance levels (or a commitment to obtain them prior to contract commencement): Employers’ Liability: £10,000,000 Public Liability: £10,000,000 (or higher if required by the Authority) Product Liability: £5,000,000 (or higher if required by the Authority) Assessment approach The Authority will assess these conditions on a pass/fail basis using the information and evidence provided. The Authority reserves the right to request clarifications and/or further evidence where necessary.
Criterion 2
Type
technical
Description
Bidders must demonstrate they have the technical and professional ability to deliver a school catering service of a comparable nature, scale and complexity: Relevant experience Evidence of delivering school catering services (primary and/or secondary schools) under contract within the last three (3) years, with a minimum of two (2) comparable contracts. Comparable contracts should demonstrate delivery of: # term-time catering operations, # compliant food safety/hygiene systems, # menu planning and nutrition appropriate to a school environment, # safe staffing and operational management across one or more sites. References Provision of a minimum two references from current or recent school clients (or equivalent education settings) confirming satisfactory performance. Operational capability Demonstration of sufficient operational resources and management arrangements to deliver the service, including: # an identified contract management structure, # trained staff and supervision arrangements, # business continuity arrangements (including cover for key roles), # and supply chain capability to provide consistent food quality and service continuity. Food safety and compliance Confirmation that the Tenderer operates a documented food safety management system based on HACCP principles and is able to meet the Authority’s statutory and contractual requirements, including allergen management and audit compliance. Accreditations The Authority does not require specific ISO accreditations. Tenderers may provide equivalent evidence of quality and safety management arrangements (e.g., third-party audits, internal audit regimes, policies and procedures). Assessment approach The Authority will assess these conditions on a pass/fail basis using the evidence provided. Where necessary, the Authority may request clarifications and/or additional supporting evidence.

Suitability

Sme
Yes
Vcse
Yes

Contract period

Starts
13 Apr 2026, 00:00
Ends
13 Apr 2029, 23:59
Max Extent Date
11 Apr 2031, 23:59

Renewal

Description
Based on quality and consistency of performance over the initial term and entirely at the clients discretion

Items and delivery

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
CPV
Id
15894210
Description
School meals
Entry 2
Scheme
CPV
Id
55524000
Description
School catering services

Delivery locations

Entry 1
Region
UKG
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom

Published documents

Entry 1
Id
conflictOfInterest
Document Type
conflictOfInterest
Description
Not published
Entry 2
Id
000488-2026
Document Type
tenderNotice
Notice Type
UK4
Description
Tender notice on Find a Tender
Published
5 Jan 2026, 19:30
Format
text/html

Planning and budget

No Engagement Notice Rationale
Established market, with multiple capable suppliers. The Authority has sufficient insight into models and pricing to proceed straight to tender. This is a standard managed school catering service with defined scope, performance expectations, mobilisation and evaluation. No material uncertainty is anticipated that would justify market testing.

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Name
Orchard Community Trust
Id
GB-PPON-PHZW-3175-VNXR

Identifier

Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PHZW-3175-VNXR

Address

Street Address
c/o Watermill School
Locality
Stoke-on-Trent
Postal Code
ST6 6JZ
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKG23

Contact

Name
Kevin Pickford
Telephone
+447790973906

Roles

buyer

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Id
publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment
Description
Public authority - sub-central government
Organisation 2
Name
MYA Consulting Ltd
Id
GB-PPON-PQTW-8499-HZBD
Role Details
Managing procurement process on behalf of the academy trust

Identifier

Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PQTW-8499-HZBD

Address

Street Address
Innovation House, Highfield Drive
Locality
St Leonards
Postal Code
TN38 9UH
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKJ22

Contact

Name
Kevin Pickford
Telephone
+447790973906

Roles

procuringEntity

Details

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · Stoke-on-Trent · UKG23 · ST6 6JZ · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · UKG · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

1 published notice version reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

1 VERSION
  1. 000488-2026Tender notice on Find a Tender ·