Award

School Catering Services for East Sussex County Council

EAST SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 4 releases in its history.

Award

04 Mar 2026 at 09:37

Tender

06 Oct 2025 at 09:15

Planning

18 Jun 2025 at 09:53

Planning

29 Apr 2025 at 09:54

Summary of the contracting process

The procurement process for school catering services in East Sussex is being conducted by East Sussex County Council. The council aims to appoint a qualified service provider to deliver school meal services to educational establishments within the region after the current contract expires on 31st July 2026. The new arrangement is expected to commence on 1st August 2026 and will be worth approximately £10.4 million per annum, serving 138 schools. Key objectives include ensuring high-quality, value-for-money service provision, with the added commitment of social value initiatives. The procurement follows an open procedure under the legal framework provided by UK legislation. The award for this contract was decided on 2nd March 2026, with Compass Contract Services (U.K.) Limited winning the bid. The contract period extends till 31st July 2031, with possible extensions until 2033.

This tender offers significant opportunities for businesses in the catering industry to contribute to a substantial and impactful service within the public sector. Providers who can deliver not only high-quality meals but also demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvement, social value, and environmental initiatives stand to benefit greatly. This procurement is particularly suited to large-scale catering enterprises capable of handling the volume and logistics of providing approximately 15,000 meals daily across numerous schools. The openness of the tender process and the emphasis on quality and price in award criteria make it a promising opportunity for established companies to expand their market presence in the educational sector within East Sussex.

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Notice Title

School Catering Services for East Sussex County Council

Notice Description

East Sussex County Council Council is seeking to appoint a qualified and suitable service provider for the provision of school meal services to educational establishments in the East Sussex area. The current contract expires on 31st July 2026. The County Council is legally required to provide access to a free school meal service for maintained schools (including provision of Key Stage 1 meals currently funded through Universal Infant Free School Meal funding from the DfE); therefore, arrangements will need to be made to continue to provide this service from 1st August 2026. The contracts are worth approximately PS10.4 million per annum and currently used by 138 schools, serving approximately 15,000 meals per day. The objectives of this procurement are to put in place a high quality, value for money service provision whilst also gaining commitment from the provider to undertake continuous improvement and offer environmental and social value initiatives, to further enhance the service.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: Optional extension period of 1+1 years from 01.08.2031-31.07.2033.

Planning Information

We will be sending out a survey on Monday 30th June for providers to complete by Friday 18th July. Once we have received your feedback, we will ask you to attend a meeting to discuss our requirements further on either Wednesday 23rd July or Tuesday 29th July. These will be held virtually with individual providers. Please register your interest by providing your email to Hannah.Phillips@eastsussex.gov.uk by Friday 27th June and we will contact you with the survey on Monday 30th June.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0508eb
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/019300-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open 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
£72,800,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
£72,800,000 £10M-£100M
Awards Value
£72,800,000 £10M-£100M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
4 Mar 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
17 Nov 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
6 Oct 2025Expired
Award Date
2 Mar 20261 months ago
Contract Period
31 Jul 2026 - 31 Jul 2031 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
EAST SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LEWES
Postcode
BN7 1UE
Post Town
Brighton
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ2 Surrey, East and West Sussex
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ22 East Sussex CC
Delivery Location
TLJ22 East Sussex CC

Local Authority
Lewes
Electoral Ward
Lewes Priory
Westminster Constituency
Lewes

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

COMPASS CONTRACT SERVICES (U.K.

Further Information

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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