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The Fenland Cluster - Catering Tender

Townley Primary School & Pre-School

This public procurement record has 4 releases in its history.

Award

02 Jul 2026 at 13:10

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

01 Jul 2026 at 11:17

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

04 Jun 2026 at 11:32

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

19 Jan 2026 at 16:05

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The public procurement process for the Fenland Cluster Catering Tender is managed by Townley Primary School & Pre-School in Cambridgeshire, with support from RIVA Partnership Ltd as the procurement consultancy. The procurement targets the provision of bespoke catering services across five schools within Cambridgeshire, including Townley Primary School, Friday Bridge Community Primary School, Beaupre Community Primary School, Benwick Primary School, and Manea Community Primary School. The contract, valued at £802,500 for a three-year term beginning 20th July 2026 and extendable to 2031, follows a Competitive Flexible Procedure. The tender encompasses services that include breakfast, lunch, and hospitality set against a backdrop of fresh, locally-sourced ingredients aiming to deliver 'best value' rather than lowest price. The recently completed tender stage resulted in the award of the contract to Stir Food Ltd.

For businesses, this tender process presents lucrative opportunities, particularly for suppliers in the school catering industry within the region. Companies offering innovative solutions with a robust approach to quality management are encouraged to participate, as the evaluation criteria heavily weigh quality at 65% over price. Businesses with a focus on fresh, local produce and those capable of flexible menu designs tailored to specific student requirements stand a strong chance of securing this contract. The need for a turnover of at least £500,000 and required insurances creates a competitive environment ideal for established SMEs. Stir Food Ltd, an SME itself, illustrates the feasibility for smaller enterprises to succeed amidst competitive bidding processes.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

The Fenland Cluster - Catering Tender

Notice Description

The successful tenderer will be required to provide excellent catering services to all 5 schools. The contract term being tendered is for three years, 20th July 2026 - 19th July 2029. There is an option for a further extension period for up to two additional years to 19th July 2031. The contract offers an excellent opportunity to review and propose enhancements to the current catering services at the schools. 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 schools are 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 schools' specific students. The schools expect both a tightly managed service and a management style delivered by the successful contractor that supports, encourages and develops the catering staff. The schools are not obliged to accept the lowest price submitted for this tender, rather they are keen to secure 'best value' from this contract and to deliver 'best value' to their students. Innovative and creative ideas as to how the services can be developed and value added, will be welcomed. The schools seek a contractor that is keen to work in partnership and who will deliver to its highest abilities, at all times. Whilst the objective is to secure one catering contractor to service all 5 schools, each school reserves the right to take its own appointment decision. 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 PS160,500 Therefore the value of this contract is PS802,500 (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 PS500,000 *There are not any incumbent catering staff currently within the Local Government Pension Scheme *The catering services are currently contracted to Aspens Services and Lunchtime UK.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: There is an option for a further extension period for up to two additional years to 19th July 2031.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-060915
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/062241-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details 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
£802,500 £500K-£1M
Lots Value
£802,500 £500K-£1M
Awards Value
£1,046,495 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
£1,046,495 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
2 Jul 20262 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
4 Jun 20263 months ago
Contract Period
20 Jul 2026 - 19 Jul 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Townley Primary School & Pre-School
Additional Buyers

Beaupre Community Primary School

Benwick Primary School

Friday Bridge Community Primary School

Manea Community Primary School

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

Buyer Location

Locality
CAMBRIDGESHIRE
Postcode
PE14 9NA
Postcode Area
Peterborough
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH4 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH42 Cambridgeshire CC
Delivery Location
TLH12 Cambridgeshire CC
Local Authority
Fenland
Electoral Ward
Elm & Christchurch
Westminster Constituency
North East Cambridgeshire

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Stir Food Ltd

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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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