Planning

AT1467 Holiday Activity Food Programme for Children

LUTON COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

17 Jan 2026 at 11:19

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Luton Council is currently in the planning stage of a procurement process for the "AT1467 Holiday Activity Food Programme for Children," focused on the services industry category within Luton, United Kingdom. This initiative is backed by a £6,000,000 grant from the Department for Education and aims to manage and deliver holiday activities and food services for children on free school meals. The procurement process invites potential suppliers to engage, with a supplier engagement event scheduled on 30 January 2026 via Microsoft Teams, and interested parties must express their interest by emailing Caroline Sturman at Luton Council by 29 January 2026. The programme's service period is set to commence on 1 July 2026 and will continue through 30 June 2029, with possible renewal options available until 2031.

This tender presents substantial opportunities for business growth, particularly for SMEs and VCSEs with capabilities in service management, coordination, promotion, and community engagement. Businesses with experience in children’s holiday services, catering, staffing, and training are well-suited to compete. The contract requires managing partnerships with external community service providers, making it ideal for entities looking to expand their network and influence in public sector programmes. This is a promising prospect for businesses aiming to strengthen their portfolio in publicly funded initiatives while contributing to local community welfare.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

AT1467 Holiday Activity Food Programme for Children

Notice Description

To commission an active partnership to manage. deliver and commission external providers to run a Holiday Activity & Food programme for children who receive free school meals. Grant funded from the DfE. 1. Management - co-ordination, promotion, booking and reporting. 2. Main Provider - running costs, staffing, training, marketing, equipment and catering. 3. External community Providers commissioned and sub-contracted by Main Provider.

Planning Information

Luton Council are hosting a supplier engagement event to provide further details for the Holiday Activity and Food Programme for children who receive free school meals in Luton. This is a grant funded project from the Department for Education and is to include management and delivery. One of the main objectives is to support children’s health and wellbeing, provide access to nutritious meals in school holidays and promote physical activity and healthy lifestyles. Service must be undertaken in Luton and the provider must undertake the management, co-ordination, promotion, booking, reporting, staffing, training, marketing, equipment and catering. If you would like to attend the supplier engagement event to take place on Friday 30 January 2026 @ 12 noon -1pm via Microsoft Teams then please email Caroline.Sturman@luton.gov.uk before 10am on Thursday 29 January 2026 and you will be sent an invite

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06083a
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/004139-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services

CPV Codes

55243000 - Children's holiday-camp services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£5,000,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
17 Jan 20262 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
20 Feb 20262 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
30 Jun 2026 - 30 Jun 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
LUTON COUNCIL
Contact Name
Caroline Sturman
Contact Email
caroline.sturman@luton.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LUTON
Postcode
LU1 2BQ
Post Town
Luton
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH2 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH21 Luton
Delivery Location
TLH21 Luton
Local Authority
Luton
Electoral Ward
Central
Westminster Constituency
Luton South and South Bedfordshire

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

Download

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. 

{
    "tag": [
        "compiled"
    ],
    "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-06083a-2026-01-17T11:19:38Z",
    "date": "2026-01-17T11:19:38Z",
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-06083a",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PWCV-4283-GVPW",
            "name": "Luton Council",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PWCV-4283-GVPW"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "Town Hall",
                "locality": "Luton",
                "postalCode": "LU1 2BQ",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKH21"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "name": "Caroline Sturman",
                "email": "caroline.sturman@luton.gov.uk"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ],
            "details": {
                "url": "http://www.luton.gov.uk",
                "classifications": [
                    {
                        "id": "publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment",
                        "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
                        "description": "Public authority - sub-central government"
                    }
                ]
            }
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-PPON-PWCV-4283-GVPW",
        "name": "Luton Council"
    },
    "planning": {
        "milestones": [
            {
                "id": "engagement",
                "type": "engagement",
                "description": "Luton Council are hosting a supplier engagement event to provide further details for the Holiday Activity and Food Programme for children who receive free school meals in Luton. This is a grant funded project from the Department for Education and is to include management and delivery. One of the main objectives is to support children's health and wellbeing, provide access to nutritious meals in school holidays and promote physical activity and healthy lifestyles. Service must be undertaken in Luton and the provider must undertake the management, co-ordination, promotion, booking, reporting, staffing, training, marketing, equipment and catering. If you would like to attend the supplier engagement event to take place on Friday 30 January 2026 @ 12 noon -1pm via Microsoft Teams then please email Caroline.Sturman@luton.gov.uk before 10am on Thursday 29 January 2026 and you will be sent an invite",
                "dueDate": "2026-01-30T23:59:59+00:00",
                "status": "scheduled"
            }
        ],
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "004139-2026",
                "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
                "noticeType": "UK2",
                "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/004139-2026",
                "datePublished": "2026-01-17T11:19:38Z",
                "format": "text/html"
            }
        ]
    },
    "tender": {
        "id": "DN802695",
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "2023/54",
            "scheme": "UKPGA",
            "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
        },
        "title": "AT1467 Holiday Activity Food Programme for Children",
        "description": "To commission an active partnership to manage. deliver and commission external providers to run a Holiday Activity & Food programme for children who receive free school meals. Grant funded from the DfE. 1. Management - co-ordination, promotion, booking and reporting. 2. Main Provider - running costs, staffing, training, marketing, equipment and catering. 3. External community Providers commissioned and sub-contracted by Main Provider.",
        "items": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "additionalClassifications": [
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "55243000",
                        "description": "Children's holiday-camp services"
                    }
                ],
                "deliveryAddresses": [
                    {
                        "region": "UKH21",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    }
                ],
                "relatedLot": "1"
            }
        ],
        "value": {
            "amountGross": 6000000,
            "amount": 5000000,
            "currency": "GBP"
        },
        "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
        "specialRegime": [
            "lightTouch"
        ],
        "aboveThreshold": true,
        "lots": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "suitability": {
                    "sme": true,
                    "vcse": true
                },
                "contractPeriod": {
                    "startDate": "2026-07-01T00:00:00+01:00",
                    "endDate": "2029-06-30T23:59:59+01:00",
                    "maxExtentDate": "2031-06-30T23:59:59+01:00"
                },
                "hasRenewal": true,
                "status": "planning"
            }
        ],
        "communication": {
            "futureNoticeDate": "2026-02-20T23:59:59+00:00"
        },
        "status": "planning"
    },
    "language": "en"
}