Award

City of London Academies Trust Catering

CITY OF LONDON ACADEMIES TRUST CATERING TENDER

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

26 Feb 2026 at 13:36

Tender

03 Oct 2024 at 20:01

Summary of the contracting process

The City of London Academies Trust has issued a tender for its catering services across multiple academies located in Hackney, Islington, Southwark, and Newham. The procurement is organised into three Lots, each catering to different academe styles ranging from primary to secondary academies. The process follows a selective procurement method under a restricted procedure and is currently in the tender stage, slated to end on 5th November 2024. As a public law body, the Trust seeks suppliers who can align with its high educational aspirations by providing top-tier school catering services. The contract commencement is set for 1st August 2025, initially lasting three years, with the potential for a two-year extension based on mutual agreement on service levels and budgetary satisfaction.

This tender offers significant opportunities for businesses specialising in school catering services, with a total estimated contract value of £8.5 million. Aspens Services Limited, a large-scale supplier, already plays a role in the active award stage, indicating a robust engagement process. The Trust's focus on high-quality service delivery across its 8,000 student base makes this tender appealing to businesses with experience in catering for large educational institutions, including those that can offer both family-style dining and counter service formats. Companies able to fulfil these requirements under the Light Touch Regime may find substantial growth avenues within this procurement opportunity.

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How relevant is this notice?

Notice Title

City of London Academies Trust Catering

Notice Description

The City of London Academies Trust (COLAT) is a highly successful Trust operating ten primary and secondary academies in London. Out of these, five have in-house services, four are outsourced and one Sixth Form, which is set to open next year, currently has no catering service. The Trust has approximately 8,000 students, ranging from 6 to 18 years old, supported by a team of 1,000 teaching and support staff. The Trust is tendering their catering services across three Lots in a two stage tender process under the Light Touch Regime:* Lot One includes three primary academies: COLA Primary Islington, Redriff and Galleywall. Annual sales turnover is PS513,716.* Lot Two has two secondary academies with family-style dining: COLA Shoreditch Park and The City Academy Hackney. Annual sales turnover is PS1,089,685.* Lot Three consists of five secondary academies with counter service: COLA Highgate Hill, Highbury Grove, Islington, Newham Collegiate Sixth Form (opening a new cafe by Septemb

Lot Information

Lot 1

The City of London Academies Trust (COLAT) is a highly successful Trust operating ten primary and secondary academies in London. Out of these, five have in-house services, four are outsourced and one Sixth Form, which is set to open next year, currently has no catering service. The Trust has approximately 8,000 students, ranging from 6 to 18 years old, supported by a team of 1,000 teaching and support staff. The Trust is tendering their catering services across three Lots in a two stage tender process under the Light Touch Regime:* Lot One includes three primary academies: COLA Primary Islington, Redriff and Galleywall. Annual sales turnover is PS513,716.* Lot Two has two secondary academies with family-style dining: COLA Shoreditch Park and The City Academy Hackney. Annual sales turnover is PS1,089,685.* Lot Three consists of five secondary academies with counter service: COLA Highgate Hill, Highbury Grove, Islington, Newham Collegiate Sixth Form (opening a new cafe by September 2025) and COLA Southwark. Annual sales turnover is PS1,095,388. The catering services have an annual turnover in excess of PS2.6M must reflect the high aspirations of the trust and every Headteacher, and they are tendering their catering services to deliver the very best service for every student at the Trust. The contract start date is the 1st of August 2025 and this will be for an initial three-year period. There is an option for both parties to extend the contract for a further two years subject to client satisfaction and client agreement on budgets and service levels. The majority of staff in the catering teams of all three Lots have LGPS pensions.

Renewal: The contract is for an initial three year term. There is an option to extend the contract for a further two years subject to mutual agreement, based on strong financial and qualitative performance by mutual agreement.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-04a5a9
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/017339-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Restricted procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services


CPV Codes

55524000 - School catering services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£8,500,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£8,500,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£2,650,000 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
26 Feb 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
5 Nov 2024Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
23 Feb 20262 months ago
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Cancelled
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
CITY OF LONDON ACADEMIES TRUST CATERING TENDER
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
EC2P 2EJ
Post Town
Central London
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI4 Inner London - East
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI43 Haringey and Islington
Delivery Location
TLI4 Inner London - East

Local Authority
Islington
Electoral Ward
Clerkenwell
Westminster Constituency
Islington South and Finsbury

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

ASPENS SERVICES

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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