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PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

Invitation to Tender for the provision of Catering Services at Bishop Stopford School

BISHOP STOPFORD SCHOOL · Tender notice on Find a Tender

Tender information last checkedLast checked 5 Oct 2026, 07:27.

Opportunity overview

Bishop Stopford School has decided to tender their catering services to investigate the financial and qualitative benefits they could be offered through this process. The contract will be awarded for a three-year duration with the option of two additional, one-year extensions. This is subject to the satisfactory performance of the work. Their preferred arrangement is for a guaranteed return of nil subsidy catering service, which operates a special agreement for VAT, but the School are open to suggestions. The quality of the service and the proposed budget for the second year 2027-28 will be reviewed three months before the expiry of the first twelve months. The School at this time reserves the right to terminate the contract should either the quality or future costs be unacceptable. Aims of the Service Bishop Stopford School wish to be at the forefront of educational catering and as such require a modern, branded offer that reflects the leading trends in the industry. At this time, the School's wish is to commence a catering contract, with a partner who shares their vision for a customer-focused service that attracts the maximum number of students. The meals that are to be provided must be appealing to customers, imaginative, provide good value for money and be nutritionally balanced to encourage all students to make an educated choice. The service is currently managed by a contractor, where the catering team have delivered a good service to the students for many years. The School now feel that it is time to refresh the current contract, to allow the service to be taken to the next level, which will deliver the latest catering concepts and an even better service for its students. The School's objectives for the new contract are as follows: - * A catering service that is well managed and requires minimal involvement from the School's management team. * A strong Contractor Area Manager who will develop and lead the team to deliver exceptional customer service, a consistently high-quality food offer and spend a substantial amount of time on site at the outset to undertake this. * A Contractor who is proactive in their relationship management with the School. * Investment in the School's Catering service through increased marketing in return for a tenure of contract. * A higher number of students and staff using the facilities by providing a high quality, affordable and nutritious meal. * A catering service that encourages students to take a heathy and balanced meal. * Food and drinks that look appetising and are attractively presented. * A hospitality service that will help showcase the School through events to parents and visitors. * A Contractor that adopts a flexible and proactive approach to all School activities. * A service that is professionally merchandised and marketed with discretion and to the mutual benefit of the School and the Contractor. * A Contractor that operates using the optimum level of staffing. Catering Tender Schedule: Contract Start Date - 1st September 2026 Tender issued - 9th January 2026 Site Visits by Contractors - Monday 26th January 2026 Contractor Clarification Deadline - 20th February 2026 Tender Return Deadline - 27th February 2026 Evaluation - Early March 2026 Presentations - 24th March 2026 Reference Site Visits - WC 13th April 2026 Contract Award by - 1st May 2026 Mobilisation Meeting - 10 days after contract award

Classification

  • CPV15894210 — School meals
  • CPV55524000 — School catering services

Lots

  • Lot 1£1.2m

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-060351
Status
active
Procurement Method
open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Main Procurement Category
services
Above Threshold
Yes
How to submit
All questions raised will be logged and collated and written responses provided to all tendering organisations. The identity of tenderers raising any questions will remain confidential. A live clarification log of all questions and responses will be saved on the www.redboxportal.com website. This is accessible to all those who have expressed an interest in bidding. Any questions raised where the information is already included in the document will be identified with a page number to refer to. The deadline for the return of tender responses is 5pm 27th February 2026. All submissions should be made via the Red Box Portal at www.redboxportal.com. This is accessible by the client. Maximum file size is 4.5MB. Any files larger than this should be re-saved with lower resolution. Portal administrators and clients are unable to access the bids until the deadline has passed. No attachments with be opened or downloaded until after the tender response deadline. Contractors should receive a confirmation email once files are accessed. No We Transfer files will be accepted. Please complete your intention to bid on the opportunity via the www.redboxportal.com. This will enable both Red Box and the client to assess participation levels. If you intend to revoke your intention to bid, please log this on the portal and confirm via email that this is the case as a courtesy to the client. Files are all available for download on the portal.

Legal basis

Id
2023/54
Scheme
UKPGA

Submission terms

Electronic Submission Policy
notAllowed

Languages

en

Tender Period

Ends
27 Feb 2026, 16:00

Enquiry period

Ends
20 Feb 2026, 23:59

Expected award period

Ends
1 May 2026, 23:59

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Status
active
Has Renewal
Yes

Value

Including VAT
1,387,658.58
Amount
1,156,382.15
Currency
GBP

Award criteria

Criteria

Criterion 1
Type
cost
Name
Cost

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
50
Weight
percentageExact
Criterion 2
Type
quality
Name
Quality

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
50
Weight
percentageExact

Suitability

Sme
Yes

Contract period

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

Renewal

Description
The contract will be awarded for a three-year duration with the option of two additional, one-year extensions. This is subject to the satisfactory performance of the work.

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
UKF2
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom

Published documents

Entry 1
Id
conflictOfInterest
Document Type
conflictOfInterest
Description
Not published
Entry 2
Id
002079-2026
Document Type
tenderNotice
Notice Type
UK4
Description
Tender notice on Find a Tender
Published
10 Jan 2026, 08:11
Format
text/html

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Name
BISHOP STOPFORD SCHOOL
Id
GB-COH-07698789

Identifier

Scheme
GB-COH
Id
07698789

Additional Identifiers

Entry 1
Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PQCL-7719-CRZT

Address

Street Address
Bishop Stopford C Of E School, Headlands,,Kettering,NN15 6BJ
Locality
Kettering
Postal Code
NN15 6BJ
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKF25

Contact

Name
Dean Douthwaite / Neil Meadows

Roles

buyer

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Id
publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment
Description
Public authority - sub-central government

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · Kettering · UKF25 · NN15 6BJ · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · UKF2 · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

1 published notice version reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

1 VERSION
  1. 002079-2026Tender notice on Find a Tender ·