This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

29 Apr 2026 at 10:05

Award

06 Jan 2026 at 19:05

Tender

16 Jun 2025 at 18:05

Summary of the contracting process

The recent public procurement process involves Buckingham Palace seeking a supplier for the servicing and maintenance of catering equipment at various Royal Household locations, including Buckingham Palace, St James’s Palace, Clarence House, Kensington Palace, and Windsor Castle. This contract was awarded to McFarlane Telfer Ltd, a company based in Maidenhead, UK, as part of a competitive flexible procedure under the legal framework of the Procurement Act 2023. The procurement process consisted of a Procurement-Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) followed by an Invitation to Tender (ITT) in two stages. This award took place after rigorous evaluation and the contract runs for an initial term of three years, from 19th January 2026 to 17th January 2029, with an option for a two-year extension. The value of the contract is £795,000, reflecting its high threshold nature and the comprehensive scope of services required.

This tender presents significant business growth opportunities by servicing and maintaining critical catering equipment at prestigious sites, enhancing visibility and reputation for the winning supplier. It is particularly suitable for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with expertise in maintenance services, capable of providing quick response times and quality solutions. Businesses with sustainable practices may find additional competitive advantage. Participation involves electronic submission through the Royal Household’s e-Sourcing platform, Delta, fostering efficient engagement with the procurement process. The successful bidder demonstrated proficiency in planned and reactive maintenance, compliance with European and British Standards, and provided cost-effective solutions for equipment replacement, aligning their offering with the Royal Household’s standards and requirements.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Title

Catering Equipment Servicing and Maintenance

Notice Description

The Royal Household is seeking a supplier to service and maintain all catering equipment across the London and Windsor estates: Buckingham Palace, St James's Palace, Clarence House, Kensington Palace and Windsor Castle. The scope of this contract includes: a. Planned testing and maintenance of catering equipment across all sites detailed above. b. Reactive maintenance of catering equipment across all sites detailed above. c. Standby support at all major planned events on site, and ability to attend a call-out from the Royal Household Property Section (RHPS) to an in-scope site within 2 hours and make safe within 4 hours - 24 hours a day, all year round. d. Providing quotes on request for replacement catering equipment, including electric equivalent appliances where the current appliance is gas fired. e. Performance of all maintenance services in accordance with regulatory requirements and recommendations (e.g. O&M manuals and manufacturer's recommendations). f. Undertaking full functional and safety checks on all in-scope plant, assets, equipment and associated parts and replacement consumables to ensure full compliance with European and British Standards, Building and Fire Safety Regulations, and other statutory and legislative minimum standards (including F-Gas REFCOM, or an equivalent, and Gas Safe). g. Updating and maintaining asset schedules for plant and equipment covered by this contract through the RHPS' CAFM system (INVIDA). This tender notice is for the award of a public contract through a competitive flexible procedure in accordance with section 20(1) and (2)(b) of the Procurement Act 2023. The procedure in this instance will consist of completion of a Procurement-Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) (stage 1) and an Invitation to Tender (stage 2). Tenderers will need to email the Royal Household Procurement team (procurement@royal.uk) to request access to the PSQ. Tenderers will need to sign up to the Royal Household's e-Sourcing platform, Delta, in order to access and return the PSQ in stage 1 and the ITT in stage 2, as well as submit clarification questions. Sign up link: https://www.delta-esourcing.com/delta/signup.html?userType=supplier. Note that only up to the five highest-scoring responses in stage 1 will be invited to participate in stage 2. This tender will not be split into lots.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: The contract will run on a 3-year initial term, with a possible 2-year extension in one-year increments (subject to agreement).

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-054dd3
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/039046-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

50 - Repair and maintenance services


CPV Codes

50800000 - Miscellaneous repair and maintenance services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£650,000 £500K-£1M
Lots Value
£650,000 £500K-£1M
Awards Value
£795,000 £500K-£1M
Contracts Value
£795,000 £500K-£1M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
29 Apr 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
11 Jul 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
6 Jan 20265 months ago
Contract Period
19 Jan 2026 - 17 Jan 2029 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
BUCKINGHAM PALACE
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
SW1A 1AA
Post Town
South West London
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

MCFARLANE TELFER

Further Information

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

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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