Award

South Cumbria Multi Academy Trust~ Catering Tender

SOUTH CUMBRIA MULTI ACADEMY TRUST~ CATERING TENDER

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

16 Apr 2026 at 13:50

Tender

30 Jun 2025 at 15:06

Summary of the contracting process

The South Cumbria Multi Academy Trust has conducted a procurement process for catering services under the competitive flexible procedure detailed in the Procurement Act 2023. The contracting authority is seeking suppliers to provide services across several schools within Barrow-in-Furness, UK. The procurement process, tagged as 'award' and 'contract' on 16th April 2026, indicates an awarded contract to Cater Link Ltd. valued at £2,286,000 over a contract term of three years, with an option to extend for an additional two years. The tender process was open and initiated on 30th June 2025, with a deadline for submissions on 8th August 2025. The procurement is within the public authority - sub-central government category, primarily focused on school catering services, with a tender period concluding on 7th November 2025.

This procurement provides significant opportunities for firms specialising in catering services, particularly those capable of meeting the requirements and participating in the competitive flexible procedure. SMEs are encouraged to engage due to the open nature of the procurement process, allowing them to showcase their technical and professional abilities. With a focus on school catering services, businesses with expertise in this industry can leverage this opportunity to grow their portfolio by servicing schools such as South Walney Juniors, Cambridge Street Primary, Newbarns Primary and Nursery, Ormsgill School, and Chetwynde School. The transparent selection criteria ensure equal opportunity for all suppliers, fostering potential partnerships and expansions within the educational sector in the United Kingdom.

Find more tenders on our Open Data Platform.
How relevant is this notice?

Notice Title

South Cumbria Multi Academy Trust~ Catering Tender

Notice Description

The successful Supplier will be required to provide Catering services for South Cumbria Multi Academy Trust. This procurement is being conducted under a competitive flexible procedure in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023. Participation Stage - suppliers must meet the conditions of participation set out in this Tender Notice to advance to the tender stage of the competition and also submit a signed Non-Disclosure Agreement. Selection will be based on the criteria set out in the tender documents and will be applied in a transparent and non-discriminatory manner. The contracting authority intends to select a maximum of five suppliers to advance to the tender stage, based on the five highest scoring supplier responses to the technical and professional ability and additional questions set out in the Procurement Specific Questionnaire. Suppliers must meet the minimum conditions of participation in order to progress to the tender stage. The deadline for supplier submissions will be 8th August 2025. The intention would be that the 3 highest scoring companies from the tender stage will advance to presentation stage. Suppliers will not be selected to present if they would not be able to achieve an overall higher score than the top bidder if the former scored maximum marks and the latter scored no marks in the presentations. Please note there will be some employees in the local government pension scheme, therefore Admitted Body Status will be expected. Contract value = PS2,286,000 (five years) Contract term = three years with the option to extend for a further two years The schools who will be participating in the tender will be: * South Walney Juniors * Cambridge Street Primary * Newbarns Primary and Nursery * Ormsgill School * Chetwynde School Please see PSQ Document for more information

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05562a
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/034769-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award 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

55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services


CPV Codes

55524000 - School catering services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£2,286,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£2,286,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
£2,286,000 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
16 Apr 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
7 Nov 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
17 Dec 20254 months ago
Contract Period
28 Apr 2026 - 28 Feb 2030 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
SOUTH CUMBRIA MULTI ACADEMY 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
BARROW-IN-FURNESS
Postcode
LA13 0NY
Post Town
Lancaster
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLD North West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLD1 Cumbria
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLD14 Westmorland and Furness
Delivery Location
TLD1 Cumbria

Local Authority
Westmorland and Furness
Electoral Ward
Hawcoat and Newbarns
Westminster Constituency
Barrow and Furness

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

CATER LINK

Further Information

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

Download

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.

{
    "tag": [
        "compiled"
    ],
    "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-05562a-2026-04-16T14:50:20+01:00",
    "date": "2026-04-16T14:50:20+01:00",
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-05562a",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PCVQ-7353-TBLL",
            "name": "South Cumbria Multi Academy Trust~ Catering Tender",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PCVQ-7353-TBLL"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "Chetwynde School, Croslands, Rating Lane",
                "locality": "Barrow-in-Furness",
                "postalCode": "LA13 0NY",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKD11"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "name": "Diana Lishman",
                "email": "tenders@litmuspartnership.co.uk",
                "telephone": "01276673880"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ],
            "details": {
                "classifications": [
                    {
                        "id": "publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment",
                        "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
                        "description": "Public authority - sub-central government"
                    }
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "id": "GB-COH-03732298",
            "name": "Cater Link Ltd",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-COH",
                "id": "03732298"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "Earley West, 300 Thames Valley Park Drive",
                "locality": "Reading",
                "postalCode": "RG6 1PT",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKJ11"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "name": "Diana Lishman",
                "email": "tenders@litmuspartnership.co.uk",
                "telephone": "01276673880"
            },
            "roles": [
                "supplier"
            ],
            "details": {
                "scale": "sme",
                "vcse": false,
                "publicServiceMissionOrganization": false,
                "shelteredWorkshop": false
            }
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-PPON-PCVQ-7353-TBLL",
        "name": "South Cumbria Multi Academy Trust~ Catering Tender"
    },
    "tender": {
        "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-05562a",
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "2023/54",
            "scheme": "UKPGA",
            "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
        },
        "title": "South Cumbria Multi Academy Trust~ Catering Tender",
        "description": "The successful Supplier will be required to provide Catering services for South Cumbria Multi Academy Trust. This procurement is being conducted under a competitive flexible procedure in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023. Participation Stage - suppliers must meet the conditions of participation set out in this Tender Notice to advance to the tender stage of the competition and also submit a signed Non-Disclosure Agreement. Selection will be based on the criteria set out in the tender documents and will be applied in a transparent and non-discriminatory manner. The contracting authority intends to select a maximum of five suppliers to advance to the tender stage, based on the five highest scoring supplier responses to the technical and professional ability and additional questions set out in the Procurement Specific Questionnaire. Suppliers must meet the minimum conditions of participation in order to progress to the tender stage. The deadline for supplier submissions will be 8th August 2025. The intention would be that the 3 highest scoring companies from the tender stage will advance to presentation stage. Suppliers will not be selected to present if they would not be able to achieve an overall higher score than the top bidder if the former scored maximum marks and the latter scored no marks in the presentations. Please note there will be some employees in the local government pension scheme, therefore Admitted Body Status will be expected. Contract value = PS2,286,000 (five years) Contract term = three years with the option to extend for a further two years The schools who will be participating in the tender will be: * South Walney Juniors * Cambridge Street Primary * Newbarns Primary and Nursery * Ormsgill School * Chetwynde School Please see PSQ Document for more information",
        "status": "complete",
        "items": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "additionalClassifications": [
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "55524000",
                        "description": "School catering services"
                    }
                ],
                "deliveryAddresses": [
                    {
                        "region": "UKD1",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    }
                ],
                "relatedLot": "1"
            }
        ],
        "value": {
            "amountGross": 2286000,
            "amount": 2286000,
            "currency": "GBP"
        },
        "procurementMethod": "open",
        "procurementMethodDetails": "Competitive flexible procedure",
        "procedure": {
            "features": "Please see SQ Document for more information."
        },
        "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
        "aboveThreshold": true,
        "coveredBy": [
            "GPA"
        ],
        "submissionMethodDetails": "https://litmustms.co.uk/respond/5E99S92877",
        "submissionTerms": {
            "electronicSubmissionPolicy": "allowed",
            "languages": [
                "en"
            ]
        },
        "tenderPeriod": {
            "endDate": "2025-11-07T12:00:00+00:00"
        },
        "enquiryPeriod": {
            "endDate": "2025-08-08T12:00:00+01:00"
        },
        "awardPeriod": {
            "endDate": "2025-12-22T23:59:59+00:00"
        },
        "lots": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "status": "complete",
                "value": {
                    "amountGross": 2286000,
                    "amount": 2286000,
                    "currency": "GBP"
                },
                "awardCriteria": {
                    "criteria": [
                        {
                            "type": "quality",
                            "name": "Criterion 1",
                            "numbers": [
                                {
                                    "number": 70,
                                    "weight": "percentageExact"
                                }
                            ]
                        },
                        {
                            "type": "cost",
                            "name": "Criterion 2",
                            "numbers": [
                                {
                                    "number": 30,
                                    "weight": "percentageExact"
                                }
                            ]
                        }
                    ]
                },
                "suitability": {
                    "sme": true
                },
                "contractPeriod": {
                    "startDate": "2026-03-01T00:00:00+00:00",
                    "endDate": "2030-02-28T23:59:59+00:00"
                }
            }
        ],
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "conflictOfInterest",
                "documentType": "conflictOfInterest",
                "description": "Not published"
            },
            {
                "id": "036208-2025",
                "documentType": "tenderNotice",
                "noticeType": "UK4",
                "description": "Tender notice on Find a Tender",
                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/036208-2025",
                "datePublished": "2025-06-30T16:06:14+01:00",
                "format": "text/html"
            }
        ]
    },
    "language": "en",
    "bids": {
        "statistics": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "measure": "bids",
                "value": 2,
                "relatedLot": "1"
            },
            {
                "id": "2",
                "measure": "finalStageBids",
                "value": 2,
                "relatedLot": "1"
            },
            {
                "id": "3",
                "measure": "smeFinalStageBids",
                "value": 0,
                "relatedLot": "1"
            },
            {
                "id": "4",
                "measure": "vcseFinalStageBids",
                "value": 0,
                "relatedLot": "1"
            }
        ]
    },
    "awards": [
        {
            "id": "1",
            "title": "South Cumbria Multi Academy Trust~ Catering Tender",
            "status": "pending",
            "date": "2025-12-17T00:00:00+00:00",
            "value": {
                "amountGross": 2286000,
                "amount": 2286000,
                "currency": "GBP"
            },
            "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
            "aboveThreshold": true,
            "suppliers": [
                {
                    "id": "GB-COH-03732298",
                    "name": "Cater Link Ltd"
                }
            ],
            "items": [
                {
                    "id": "1",
                    "additionalClassifications": [
                        {
                            "scheme": "CPV",
                            "id": "55524000",
                            "description": "School catering services"
                        }
                    ],
                    "deliveryAddresses": [
                        {
                            "region": "UKD1",
                            "country": "GB",
                            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                        }
                    ],
                    "relatedLot": "1"
                }
            ],
            "standstillPeriod": {
                "endDate": "2026-04-27T23:59:59+01:00"
            },
            "contractPeriod": {
                "startDate": "2026-04-29T00:00:00+01:00",
                "endDate": "2030-02-28T23:59:59+00:00"
            },
            "relatedLots": [
                "1"
            ],
            "documents": [
                {
                    "id": "034769-2026",
                    "documentType": "awardNotice",
                    "noticeType": "UK6",
                    "description": "Contract award notice on Find a Tender",
                    "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/034769-2026",
                    "datePublished": "2026-04-16T14:50:20+01:00",
                    "format": "text/html"
                }
            ],
            "assessmentSummariesDateSent": "2025-12-17T00:00:00+00:00",
            "milestones": [
                {
                    "id": "1",
                    "type": "futureSignatureDate",
                    "dueDate": "2026-04-28T23:59:59+01:00",
                    "status": "scheduled"
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}