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Catering Tender Illuminate Minds Trust

ILLUMINATE MINDS TRUST

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

08 Sep 2026 at 16:56

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

07 Jan 2026 at 12:13

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Illuminate Minds Trust bought school catering services for pupils, staff and visitors. The requirement covers the provision and operation of food and canteen services, classified as catering services. Delivery was structured as a single requirement covering locations across England, with the awarded service associated with the South East. The buying organisation is Illuminate Minds Trust, based at Pelham Primary School in Bexleyheath. This is relevant to contract caterers and food-service operators able to serve education settings, provide meals and refreshments for pupils and adults, and manage delivery across more than one location. The requirement is service-based rather than a supply-only purchase, so businesses would need to consider their ability to run an ongoing catering operation for a school trust and its users.

The procurement is complete and has been awarded following a selective competitive flexible procedure. Suppliers first completed a questionnaire before shortlisted businesses were invited to tender. Three final-stage bids were received, all from SMEs. The contract was awarded on 2 June 2026 to Independent Catering Ltd for £1,759,765 gross. The planned contract period runs from 18 September 2026 to 31 August 2029, with an option to extend to 31 August 2031. The original estimated value was £1,715,000 gross. The single lot was evaluated on quality at 80% and cost at 20%. An award standstill period was scheduled to end on 17 September 2026, with contract signature due on 18 September 2026.

This award shows a substantial, multi-year requirement for education catering across a school trust, with quality carrying four times the weight of cost in evaluation. Businesses well placed for a future requirement would be established contract caterers or specialist school-food operators able to provide reliable daily food services for pupils, staff and visitors across multiple locations. Credibility would come from strong operational capacity, consistent food quality, dependable staffing and logistics, and experience of managing catering in education settings. SMEs were able to compete successfully: all three final-stage bids came from SMEs, and the lot was explicitly suitable for both SMEs and voluntary, community or social enterprises. A credible competitor would therefore need demonstrable service quality as well as competitive pricing.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Catering Tender Illuminate Minds Trust

Notice Description

Food services for pupils, staff and visitors.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: Subject to absolute client satisfaction the contract can be extended up to 5 years.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0600e5
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085099-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
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

55500000 - Canteen and catering services

55520000 - Catering services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£1,715,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£1,715,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
£1,759,765 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
8 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
2 Jun 20263 months ago
Contract Period
18 Sep 2026 - 31 Aug 2029 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
ILLUMINATE MINDS TRUST
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
BEXLEYHEATH
Postcode
DA7 4HL
Postcode Area
Dartford
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI5 Outer London - East and North East
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI51 Bexley and Greenwich
Delivery Location
TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLE Yorkshire and The Humber, TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLI London, TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England)
Local Authority
Bexley
Electoral Ward
Bexleyheath
Westminster Constituency
Bexleyheath and Crayford

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Independent Catering

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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