Award

Catering Services for St Margarets CEVA Primary School and St Johns CEVA Primary School

ST MARGARET'S CEVA PRIMARY SCHOOL

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

12 Feb 2026 at 12:02

Tender

17 Oct 2025 at 08:50

Planning

07 Jul 2025 at 09:47

Summary of the contracting process

Suffolk County Council, on behalf of St Margaret's CEVA Primary School and St John's CEVA Primary School, recently completed a tendering process for catering services. This contract, valued at over £1.7 million, was awarded to ASPENS-SERVICES LIMITED following an open procurement procedure. Located in Ipswich, United Kingdom, the services fall under the 'School Catering Services' category. The contract period is from 1st April 2026 to 31st March 2029, with the possibility to renew up to 31st March 2031. The procurement process reached its award stage in February 2026, with strategic procurement discussions initiated in July 2025. The formal tendering process commenced in October 2025, with the final award confirmed in February 2026.

This tender provides substantial opportunities for businesses in the catering sector, particularly those capable of offering high-quality, cost-effective services. The procurement allows for electronic submissions, advocating for small and medium enterprises and voluntary community and social enterprises to engage. Businesses adept in school catering services will find this contract alignment beneficial due to the structured quality assessment criteria, giving weight to price, quality, and social value. Furthermore, the contract's five-year span with options for extension presents a significant recurring revenue opportunity for businesses focused on long-term growth within the school catering industry.

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Notice Title

Catering Services for St Margarets CEVA Primary School and St Johns CEVA Primary School

Notice Description

Suffolk County Council on behalf of St Margarets CEVA Primary School and St Johns CEVA Primary have appointed a supplier for the provision of Catering Services for St Margarets CEVA Primary School and St Johns CEVA Primary School. The VAT included is 20% Standard Rate however in some circumstances VAT may be exempt or chargeable at a different rate.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: There is an option to extend the contract for up to a further two years (24 months)

Planning Information

The purpose of this preliminary market engagement notice is to identify any suppliers who may be able to provide the required school catering services. This event will be held over Microsoft Teams on Monday 21st July 2025 at 10.30am. There will be a short presentation followed by any questions. If you are unable to attend this Microsoft Teams event the slides, questions and answers from the event will be shared to all suppliers who expressed an interest. To express an interest in this event, please email procurement4schools@suffolk.gov.uk by 4pm Friday 18th July 2025. Depending on the level of interest, we reserve the right to undertake further market engagement and/or change our approach to the procurement.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0559ac
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/012820-2026
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
SME, VCSE
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
£1,500,550 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£1,500,550 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
£1,453,603 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
12 Feb 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
17 Nov 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
24 Sep 2025Expired
Award Date
10 Feb 20261 weeks ago
Contract Period
31 Mar 2026 - 31 Mar 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
2028-10-01

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
ST MARGARET'S CEVA PRIMARY SCHOOL
Additional Buyers

ST JOHN'S CEVA PRIMARY SCHOOL

SUFFOLK COUNTY COUNCIL

Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
office@st-johns.suffolk.sch.uk, premisesmanager@stmargarets.org, procurementbusinesssupport@suffolk.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
IPSWICH
Postcode
IP4 2BT
Post Town
Ipswich
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH6 Suffolk
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH62 Ipswich
Delivery Location
TLH14 Suffolk CC

Local Authority
Ipswich
Electoral Ward
Gipping
Westminster Constituency
Ipswich

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

ASPENS-SERVICES

Further Information

Notice Documents

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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