Oakwood Park Grammar School - Catering Tender

OAKWOOD PARK GRAMMAR SCHOOL

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

27 May 2026 at 10:35

Tender

19 Dec 2025 at 16:05

Summary of the contracting process

Oakwood Park Grammar School in Maidstone, Kent, is the contracting authority behind a recently awarded catering contract, designed to supply top-quality school catering services. The process was facilitated under the Competitive Flexible Procedure, culminating in an award to Culinera Limited on 27 May 2026. The contract, valued at approximately £1,523,760 over a potential five-year maximum term, includes an initial three-year period starting from 01 August 2026 and an option for a two-year extension. The procurement focuses on providing fresh, locally sourced meals tailored to the needs of the school's students, blending quality service with innovative menu design. Key evaluation criteria prioritized quality over price, as reflected by the 65% weighting on quality in the tender assessment.

This contract presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in catering and food services, particularly those with experience in educational settings. Companies that can offer a high standard of service with local ingredient sourcing, creativity in menu planning, and a collaborative approach to service delivery will be well-suited to bid for such opportunities in the sector. The requirement for a minimum annual turnover of £1 million and robust liability insurance also suggests that established small to medium-sized enterprises can leverage this opportunity to expand their portfolio within the public sector catering domain. Businesses with innovative ideas and a readiness to form strategic partnerships will likely thrive in fulfilling the needs of Oakwood Park Grammar School's catering services.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Title

Oakwood Park Grammar School - Catering Tender

Notice Description

Oakwood Park Grammar School (OPGS) is a boys' grammar school with academy status located in Maidstone, Kent, serving boys from ages 11 - 16 with a co-educational 6th form. At OPGS, we hold firm on our responsibility to deliver a broad and balanced curriculum, an exceptional standard of teaching and learning and a wider range of extra-curricular opportunities. We have high standards of behaviour and our pupils are 'polite and courteous,' contributing significantly to our consistently positive learning environment. Further information regarding the School can be obtained here: https://www.opgs.org/ Tender information: The successful tenderer will be required to provide excellent catering services to Oakwood Park Grammar school, which has 1086 pupils and 86 teaching and support staff. The contract term being tendered for 3 years, from 01/08/2026 - 31/07/2029. There is an option for a further extension period for up to two additional years to 31/07/2031. The contract offers an excellent opportunity to review and propose enhancements to the current catering services at the School. This includes but is not limited to; breakfast, morning break, lunchtime and after school services, over the academic year, plus hospitality services upon request. The school is keen to secure a high quality catering service including fresh locally sourced ingredients prepared on site, with a menu design that is flexible to suit the requirements of the school's specific students. The school is proud of its 'family ethos' and expects both a tightly managed service and a management style delivered by the successful contractor that supports, encourages and develops the catering staff. The school is not obliged to accept the lowest price submitted for this tender, rather the school is keen to secure 'best value' from this contract and to deliver 'best value' to its students. Innovative and creative ideas as to how the services can be developed and value added, will be welcomed. The school seeks a contractor that is keen to work in partnership and who will deliver to its highest abilities, at all times. Competitive Flexible Procedure This procurement will be run under the Competitive Flexible Procedure. This will follow a two stage approach, with stage 1 being the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ). Here a minimum of 5 candidates (or less, in the event less than 5 meet the minimum criteria) and a maximum of 10 candidates, will progress to stage 2. Any selection of tenderers will be based solely on the criteria set out for the procurement and a minimum score of 60% must be achieved. Selected tenderers will then be invited to stage 2, the Invitation To Tender (ITT). Here, the evaluation of tender response will be set as 35% price and 65% quality. Value of contract: The annual value of the current contract is PS304,752 (the total sales including fsm, in the last contract year) Therefore the value of this contract is PS1,523,760 (above total x 5 as this contract is for a maximum of 5 years) The contract shall be a guaranteed performance contract with any hospitality requirements billed separately. Additional requirements and information: *The school has a minimum requirement for a contractor's employers' liability and public liability insurances of PS5 million *The minimum annual turnover that your company must have achieved to be considered for this opportunity is PS1 million *There are not incumbent catering staff currently within the Local Government Pension Scheme *The catering services are currently contracted to Independent Catering

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: There is an option for a further extension period for up to two additional years to 31/07/2031.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05fac5
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/049526-2026
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, VCSE
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
£1,523,760 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£1,523,760 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
£1,938,355 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
27 May 20264 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
23 Jan 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
26 May 20264 weeks ago
Contract Period
31 Jul 2026 - 31 Jul 2029 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
OAKWOOD PARK GRAMMAR SCHOOL
Additional Buyers

RIVA PARTNERSHIP LTD

Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
MAIDSTONE
Postcode
ME16 8AH
Post Town
Rochester
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ2 Surrey, East and West Sussex
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ25 West Surrey
Delivery Location
TLJ4 Kent

Local Authority
Waverley
Electoral Ward
Farnham Moor Park
Westminster Constituency
Farnham and Bordon

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

CULINERA

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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