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Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme 2026-2029

Cheshire East Council

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

25 Feb 2026 at 16:54

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

26 Nov 2025 at 14:04

UK4 - Tender Notice
Planning

07 Nov 2025 at 08:40

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Cheshire East Council has initiated a procurement process for the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme from 2026 to 2029. This initiative is rooted in providing school-aged children, including those eligible for SEND provisions, with enriching activities and healthy food during school holidays in Cheshire East. The procurement involves two lots: General HAF Provision and Specialist HAF Provision. The procurement follows an open procedure under the light-touch regime, aligning with the legal basis outlined in the UKPGA 2023/54. Important deadlines include the tender submission due by 9 January 2026, with an enquiry period ending on 19 December 2025. Providers are encouraged to participate, offering either general or specialist services in various locations within the UKD62 region, including Crewe.

This tender opens significant growth opportunities for businesses involved in children's services, nutrition education, and community engagement. SMEs and VCSE organisations are particularly welcomed, as the programme aims for wide geographical coverage and diverse service provision. Businesses in school meals, holiday camp services, social work, and educational activities without accommodation will find this tender well-suited to their capabilities. The structure allows for businesses to contribute to the local community, offering sessions that incorporate nutritional education and physical activities, catering to both universal and specialist demands including SEND. The renewal options depend on continued funding, creating potential long-term commitments for successful bidders.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme 2026-2029

Notice Description

Cheshire East Council is seeking to commission a number of providers to deliver face to face school holiday activities for young people in Cheshire East. The holiday activities and food (HAF) programme is a 'Department for Education' (DfE) initiative enabling local authorities to coordinate a programme that provides school age young people between the ages of 4 - 16, and up to age 18 for eligible SEND young people, with healthy food and enriching activities during the summer and winter holidays. These school holiday activities provide young people with: * positive and safe things to do and places to go * the opportunity to spend time with friends, to develop personally and socially, and reduce isolation * the chance to undertake new activities and have new experiences Cheshire East Council is flexible in its approach to service delivery, always seeking solutions that will offer quality outcomes and value for money and working with delivery partners who share our values and commitment to the success of this area of support. Cheshire East Council's Corporate Plan sets out clear priorities, and all providers will be required to contribute towards the corporate objectives and improve outcomes for the residents of Cheshire East. Tenders will be accepted under two LOTS - * LOT 1 is for providers who are offering general HAF provision. * LOT 2 is restricted to applications for specialist provision e.g., SEND, Teenagers. LOT 2 provides access to higher individual session costings to reflect the additional costing/provision that may be needed to support these groups of young people. Providers who are providing inclusive SEND provision within their wider offer (incurring no additional costs), please select LOT 1. For LOT 1 and LOT 2 provisions providers are expected to deliver the entirety of their programme in line with grant conditions. This includes exciting, enriching and physical activities for young people, which are expected to be face-to-face. Provisions need to be inclusive and meet additional needs where appropriate within the scope of their funding/expertise. Providers are also expected to provide nutritional education and food education in addition to supporting families with appropriate sign posting to other services and or making referrals where appropriate. October and February half term provision: Although the Department for Education has confirmed grant funding for the period April 2026 to March 2029, the associated grant conditions have not yet been received. Grant conditions may potentially allow, subject to funding availability and DfE approval, the delivery of a small-scale programme during the October and February half-term holidays. If approval for these periods is received, we would allow providers to offer programmes up to 10% of their total offer for each additional holiday.

Lot Information

General HAF Provision

General HAF Provision Providers who are providing inclusive SEND provision within their wider offer (incurring no additional costs), please select LOT 1. Further detail in APPENDIX A - Specification Please refer to Procurement Documents by expressing an interest in Project ID DN796612 at https://www.the-chest.org.uk/

Renewal: There are 3 x 12 months options to extend. These extensions are subject to DfE funding and associated grant conditions, and will be awarded at the sole discretion of the Council. The additional 3 years has been based on an assumption that DfE funding will continue for a further 3 years. However, this has not been suggested by the DfE and is therefore totally dependent on the DfE awarding grant funding beyond 2029.

Specialist HAF Provision.

Specialist HAF Provision. (This may include a Teen offer and/or a SEND offer) LOT 2 provides access to higher individual session costings to reflect the additional costing/provision that may be needed to support these groups of young people. Further detail in APPENDIX A - Specification Please refer to Procurement Documents by expressing an interest in Project ID DN796612 at https://www.the-chest.org.uk/

Renewal: There are 3 x 12 months options to extend. These extensions are subject to DfE funding and associated grant conditions, and will be awarded at the sole discretion of the Council. The additional 3 years has been based on an assumption that DfE funding will continue for a further 3 years. However, this has not been suggested by the DfE and is therefore totally dependent on the DfE awarding grant funding beyond 2029.

Planning Information

Exciting New Cheshire East HAF Opportunity We are pleased to share exciting news from the Cheshire East Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Team. The HAF programme has been extended for a further three years, running from April 2026 to March 2029. As we look ahead, we are preparing to launch a new procurement opportunity that will enable us to work with a broad range of providers to deliver high-quality holiday experiences for children and young people across Cheshire East. About the HAF Programme The HAF programme is designed to support: • Children and young people in receipt of https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/schools/school-meals/free_school_meals.aspx • School-aged children from Reception to Year 11 (and up to age 18 for those with SEND) • Provision during Easter, summer, and winter school holidays • Access to enriching activities • Access to healthy meals Our Vision for the Future We aim to ensure the HAF programme is: • Widely accessible across Cheshire East • Inclusive and welcoming to children and young people of all abilities • Offering a vibrant and varied range of holiday experiences • Featuring diverse activities that cater to a broad spectrum of interests and needs, including sport, drama, art, nature, science, crafts, and IT We are keen to engage with as many providers as possible to help us realise this vision. Join Us at Our Engagement Events To support the procurement process, we will be hosting two online events: HAF Programme Pre-Tender Information Event Date: Wednesday 19 November Time: 4.00pm-5.00pm Purpose: To learn more about the upcoming procurement, ask questions, and explore how you can be involved. HAF Programme Clarification Drop-In Event Date: Wednesday 10 December Time: 4.00pm-5.00pm Purpose: An informal opportunity to ask further questions about the tender process. To register for either or both events follow the link below: https://forms.office.com/e/b07KpJ3n89 Please check your email for your invitation to the event. The email will come from cehaf@cheshireeast.gov.uk If you do not receive your link to the event within 2 days please contact cehaf@cheshireeast.gov.uk For more information about the current HAF programme, please visit: https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/schools/holiday-activities-and-food-programme-haf.aspx

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05dc4b
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/017098-2026
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, SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

15 - Food, beverages, tobacco and related products

55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

15894210 - School meals

55243000 - Children's holiday-camp services

85312000 - Social work services without accommodation

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£4,920,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£4,920,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
£4,255,051 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
25 Feb 20266 months ago
Submission Deadline
9 Jan 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
24 Nov 2025Expired
Award Date
25 Feb 20266 months ago
Contract Period
1 Apr 2026 - 31 Mar 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Cheshire East 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
CREWE
Postcode
CW1 2JZ
Postcode Area
Crewe
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLD North West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLD6 Cheshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLD62 Cheshire East
Delivery Location
TLD62 Cheshire East
Local Authority
Cheshire East
Electoral Ward
Crewe Central
Westminster Constituency
Crewe and Nantwich

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
27
Supplier Names

ACTIVE SPORTS GROUP INT LIMITED

ADV4NCE GROUP LIMITED

ALEXANDRA ACADEMY TRUST

ASM SPORTS (UK) LIMITED

CA ALTERNATIVE FUTURES LTD

CAUDWELL CHILDREN

CEDRUS CROWN STARS LTD

CHESHIRE YOUNG CARERS LTD

CREWE ALEXANDRA IN THE COMMUNITY LIMITED

CREWE YOUTH ZONE LTD

ENDORPHINS GROUP LTD

EVERYBODY HEALTH & LEISURE

MAKEEBO STUDENTS LIMITED

MULTIFLEX SCHOOL SPORTS LTD

NAR SPORTS LTD

OFJ SPRING TOPCO LIMITED

SANDBACH SCHOOL

SPORT WORKS LIMITED

SPORTS COACHING GROUP LIMITED

SPORTSCOOL CHESHIRE EAST LTD

Scholar Green County Primary School

St Mary's Catholic primary school, Middlewich

THE EDUCATION & COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP LTD

THE LEARNING PARTNERSHIP ACADEMIES TRUST

THE WINGATE SPECIAL CHILDRENS TRUST CIO

The Social Farm

WISHING WELL PROJECT

Further Information

Notice Documents

Notice URLs

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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