Tender

Nexus Education Schools Trust - Catering and Cleaning Services

NEXUS EDUCATION SCHOOLS TRUST

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

24 Dec 2025 at 09:46

Summary of the contracting process

The Nexus Education Schools Trust is currently inviting tenders for the provision of catering and cleaning services across multiple locations in the United Kingdom, specifically within the UKI4 and UKJ4 regions. This tender is split into two lots: Lot 1 covers catering services, while Lot 2 covers cleaning services. The procurement is at the tender stage, with the expression of interest deadline set for 23rd January 2026. The contracts are valued at a total of £12,888,000 GBP (gross) for both services and will commence on 1st August 2026 for catering and 1st September 2026 for cleaning, each with an initial period of three years and options for up to two one-year extensions. This selective procurement method is managed by Minerva Procurement Consultancy Services Limited, aiming to foster competition, particularly among SMEs, through a competitive flexible procedure.

This tender presents a substantial opportunity for businesses in the catering and cleaning sectors to establish a long-term relationship with a reputable educational trust. The provision of daily catering services for a large number of pupils, along with cleaning services across multiple sites, offers businesses the potential to secure a stable revenue stream. The tender is designed to encourage participation from small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by dividing it into lots and assessing quality and price with respective weights detailed in the tender documents. Companies specialising in innovative catering solutions or efficient cleaning processes are particularly well-suited to compete for these contracts, especially those that can propose creative ideas to enhance service delivery and align with the Trust’s goals of improvement and modernisation.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Nexus Education Schools Trust - Catering and Cleaning Services

Notice Description

Catering - Lot 1 Nexus Education Schools Trust is currently out to tender for the provision of a full daily catering service. The contract is being offered for three years with the option to extend for a further two periods of 12 months. The contract commencement date is 01 August 2026. The services at the Trust schools are currently outsourced. The Contractor will be responsible for the provision of a full school food catering service for the pupils and staff at the schools. This will consist of breakfast and morning breaks at some sites and full lunch service for each school day on all sites. Across the Trust of 12 schools, there are currently over 3700 pupils on roll for the academic year 2025/26. Of this figure, 1444 pupils are entitled to UIFSM and a further 328 to Free School Meals. TUPE is expected to apply, details of which can be found in the tender documentation. No members of the catering team are members of the Local Government Pension Scheme. The Trust is keen to further increase uptake and continue the good work already in place for catering. It wishes to do so by working closely with the successful contractor in developing and continuously improving the service and partnership during the period of the contract and by introducing innovative and creative ideas as submitted in the tender process and ongoing. The Trust is aware that there are always opportunities to improve and modernise. They are interested in ensuring that the caterers provide the best possible service, introducing new menu ideas and initiatives so that pupils are all eating and utilising the service regularly. ********************************** Cleaning - Lot 2 The Trust is currently out to tender for the provision of a full daily cleaning service across 6 sites. The contract is being offered for three years with the option to extend for a further two periods of 12 months. The contract commencement date is 01 September 2026. The services at the Trust schools are currently a mix of in-house and outsourced provision. The contract is for a full daily cleaning service during term time and periodic cleaning outside of term time. TUPE is expected to apply, details of which can be found in the tender documentation. Some members of the cleaning team (7) are members of the Local Government Pension Scheme and all details are in the tender documentation.

Lot Information

Catering Services

Nexus Education Schools Trust is currently out to tender for the provision of a full daily catering service. The contract is being offered for three years with the option to extend for a further two periods of 12 months. The contract commencement date is 01 August 2026. The services at the Trust schools are currently outsourced. The Contractor will be responsible for the provision of a full school food catering service for the pupils and staff at the schools. This will consist of breakfast and morning breaks at some sites and full lunch service for each school day on all sites. Across the Trust of 12 schools, there are currently over 3700 pupils on roll for the academic year 2025/26. Of this figure, 1444 pupils are entitled to UIFSM and a further 328 to Free School Meals. TUPE is expected to apply, details of which can be found in the tender documentation. No members of the catering team are members of the Local Government Pension Scheme. The Trust is keen to further increase uptake and continue the good work already in place for catering. It wishes to do so by working closely with the successful contractor in developing and continuously improving the service and partnership during the period of the contract and by introducing innovative and creative ideas as submitted in the tender process and ongoing. The Trust is aware that there are always opportunities to improve and modernise. They are interested in ensuring that the caterers provide the best possible service, introducing new menu ideas and initiatives so that pupils are all eating and utilising the service regularly.

Renewal: The duration detailed above includes the initial term of 3 years as well as the 2 optional contract extension periods of 12 months each.

Cleaning Services

The Trust is currently out to tender for the provision of a full daily cleaning service across 6 sites. The contract is being offered for three years with the option to extend for a further two periods of 12 months. The contract commencement date is 01 September 2026. The services at the Trust schools are currently a mix of in-house and outsourced provision. The contract is for a full daily cleaning service during term time and periodic cleaning outside of term time. TUPE is expected to apply, details of which can be found in the tender documentation. Some members of the cleaning team (7) are members of the Local Government Pension Scheme and all details are in the tender documentation.

Renewal: The duration detailed above includes the initial term of 3 years as well as the 2 optional contract extension periods of 12 months each.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05fd18
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/086060-2025
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
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

90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services


CPV Codes

55524000 - School catering services

90919300 - School cleaning services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£10,740,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
£10,740,000 £10M-£100M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
24 Dec 20255 days ago
Submission Deadline
12 Jan 20262 weeks to go
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Aug 2026 - 31 Aug 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
2027-11-21

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
NEXUS EDUCATION SCHOOLS TRUST
Additional Buyers

MINERVA PROCUREMENT CONSULTANCY SERVICES LIMITED

Contact Name
Maria Robinson
Contact Email
tenders@minervapcs.com
Contact Phone
01256467107

Buyer Location

Locality
BECKENHAM
Postcode
BR3 1RF
Post Town
Bromley
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ3 Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ37 North Hampshire
Delivery Location
TLI4 Inner London - East, TLJ4 Kent

Local Authority
Basingstoke and Deane
Electoral Ward
Norden
Westminster Constituency
Basingstoke

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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