Tender

Star Academies ~ Catering Tender

STAR ACADEMIES

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

20 Jun 2025 at 09:05

Summary of the contracting process

Star Academies has initiated a tender process for catering services across its educational sites, divided into three geographic Lots: North, Midlands, and London, with a total contract value of £40 million. This competitive flexible procedure is led by Star Academies, a public authority located in Blackburn, UK, and falls under the services industry category, specifically school catering services. The procurement process is at the tender stage, with an enquiry period ending on 15 August 2025 and a submission deadline on 7 November 2025. Contracts are expected to commence on 1 September 2026 for a term of three years, with an option to extend for up to four additional years.

This tender presents substantial opportunities for businesses specialising in catering services, especially those with the capability to handle large-scale contracts and multiple sites. Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are explicitly encouraged to apply, either for individual Lots or all combined. By participating in this tender, businesses can potentially secure a long-term partnership with one of the UK's prominent educational trusts, thereby expanding their market reach and establishing a foothold in the public sector catering industry. The potential for additional schools to join the contract, with a possible increase of up to 40% of the current value, further enhances the growth prospects for successful bidders.

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Notice Title

Star Academies ~ Catering Tender

Notice Description

The successful Supplier will be required to provide catering services for Star Academies, at the following sites. The opportunity will be broken down into Lots according to Geographic location. Bidders may bid for individual Lots or all Lots. Please note that bidders who intend to bid for more than one Lot will be required to submit a separate response for each Lot (links to each Lot are provided within the contract notice) Lot 1 - North ~ PS 20.7 million Eden Boys' School, Preston The Olive School, Preston Highfield Leadership Academy The Valley Leadership Academy Eden Boys' School, Bolton The Olive School, Bolton Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Manchester Eden Boys' Leadership Academy, Manchester The Olive School, Manchester Bay Leadership Academy Star Salford Academy Star Radcliffe Academy Laisterdyke Leadership Academy Barkerend Primary Leadership Academy High Crags Primary Leadership Academy Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy Eden Boys' Leadership Academy, Bradford Rainbow Primary Leadership Academy Lot 2 - Midlands ~ PS 16 million Eden Boys' School, Birmingham North The Olive School, Birmingham Small Heath Leadership Academy Eden Girls' School, Coventry Eden Boys' Leadership Academy, Birmingham East Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Birmingham The Olive School, Small Heath Starbank, Birmingham (all through school with four sub divisions - 1x secondary and 3x primary across three sites) Lot 3 London ~ PS 3.3 million Eden Girls' School, Waltham Forest The Olive School, Hackney Current Contract value = PS5.6million per annum across all three Lots The Trusts expects that additional schools may join the contract over the life of the contract. It is not expected that this growth will exceed 40% of the current contract value. The Trust is looking to award a contract for each Lot or multiple Lots based upon a three-year contract with the option to extend for up to a further four years. Please see PSQ Document for further information. For more information about this opportunity, please visit the Delta eSourcing portal at: https://litmustms.co.uk/tenders/UK-UK-Blackburn:-School-catering-services./GJZR747EA2 To respond to this opportunity, please click here: https://litmustms.co.uk/respond/GJZR747EA2

Lot Information

Lot 1 - North

Lot 1 - North Eden Boys' School, Preston The Olive School, Preston Highfield Leadership Academy The Valley Leadership Academy Eden Boys' School, Bolton The Olive School, Bolton Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Manchester Eden Boys' Leadership Academy, Manchester The Olive School, Manchester Bay Leadership Academy Star Salford Academy Star Radcliffe Academy Laisterdyke Leadership Academy Barkerend Primary Leadership Academy High Crags Primary Leadership Academy Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy Eden Boys' Leadership Academy, Bradford Rainbow Primary Leadership Academy The Trusts expects that additional schools may join the contract over the life of the contract. It is not expected that this growth will exceed 40% of the current contract value. The Trust is looking to award a contract for each Lot or multiple Lots based upon a three-year contract with the option to extend for up to a further four years. Please see PSQ Document for further information.

Lot 2 - Midlands

Lot 2 - Midlands Eden Boys' School, Birmingham North The Olive School, Birmingham Small Heath Leadership Academy Eden Girls' School, Coventry Eden Boys' Leadership Academy, Birmingham East Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Birmingham The Olive School, Small Heath Starbank, Birmingham (all through school with four sub divisions - 1x secondary and 3x primary across three sites) The Trusts expects that additional schools may join the contract over the life of the contract. It is not expected that this growth will exceed 40% of the current contract value. The Trust is looking to award a contract for each Lot or multiple Lots based upon a three-year contract with the option to extend for up to a further four years. Please see PSQ Document for further information.

Lot 3 - London

Lot 3 London Eden Girls' School, Waltham Forest The Olive School, Hackney The Trusts expects that additional schools may join the contract over the life of the contract. It is not expected that this growth will exceed 40% of the current contract value. The Trust is looking to award a contract for each Lot or multiple Lots based upon a three-year contract with the option to extend for up to a further four years. Please see PSQ Document for further information.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05509e
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/033951-2025
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services


CPV Codes

55524000 - School catering services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£40,000,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
£40,000,000 £10M-£100M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
20 Jun 20258 months ago
Submission Deadline
7 Nov 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Aug 2026 - 31 Aug 2033 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
STAR ACADEMIES
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
tenders@litmuspartnership.co.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
BLACKBURN
Postcode
BB1 2HT
Post Town
Blackburn
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLD North West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLD4 Lancashire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLD41 Blackburn with Darwen
Delivery Location
TLD North West (England), TLI London

Local Authority
Blackburn with Darwen
Electoral Ward
Blackburn South East
Westminster Constituency
Blackburn

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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