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Reach South Academy Trust ~ Catering Tender

Reach South Academy Trust

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

03 Sep 2026 at 11:51

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

20 Jan 2026 at 12:05

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Reach South Academy Trust procured school catering services for 17 schools across Plymouth, Bournemouth, Dursley, Salisbury, Calne and Exeter, plus a new-build school in Gloucestershire. The requirement covers all catering services in the schools, including hospitality and free-issue catering. The schools include primary academies, specialist schools, a UTC and other education settings. Delivery is distributed across five geographical areas: Plymouth, Exeter, Bournemouth, Salisbury, and Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. This is a multi-site education catering requirement for an academy trust, suited to providers able to manage food service operations across a dispersed group of schools and maintain consistent standards across different locations and school types.

The procurement is complete and awards have been made following an open competitive flexible procedure. Five lots were awarded separately. Chartwells won Plymouth for £4,856,600 gross, Exeter for £1,095,895 gross, Salisbury for £286,075 gross, and Gloucestershire & Wiltshire for £1,195,415 gross. Forerunner Personal Catering Limited won Bournemouth for £1,165,125 gross. Award decisions were dated 1 July 2026. The planned contract period for each lot starts on 1 August 2026 and ends on 31 July 2029, with two possible 12-month extensions to a maximum end date of 31 July 2031. The tender closed on 17 April 2026, with enquiries accepted until 16 February 2026. Evaluation weighted quality at 70% and price at 30%. Each lot was suitable for SMEs, and six bids were received for each lot, including three SME bids.

This award shows sustained demand from Reach South Academy Trust for outsourced catering across a sizeable, geographically dispersed school estate. A credible future competitor would need experience delivering school catering, hospitality and free-issue services, with the operational capacity to serve multiple schools across Plymouth, Exeter, Bournemouth, Salisbury, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. The requirement places greater emphasis on quality than price, so suppliers should be able to demonstrate strong food quality, service standards, safeguarding and education-sector operating procedures, alongside competitive cost control. The successful suppliers included both a large national catering business and an SME, indicating that different operating models can compete where they can evidence reliable multi-site delivery, suitable management resources and the ability to maintain consistent performance across varied educational settings.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Reach South Academy Trust ~ Catering Tender

Notice Description

The successful contractor will be required to provide catering services for 17 Schools within Reach South Academy Trust: 1.Drake Primary Academy, 1 Johnston Terrace Ope, Keyham, Plymouth, PL2 2EN 2.Goosewell Primary Academy, Goosewell Road, Plymstock, Plymouth, PL9 9HD 3.High Street Primary Academy, High Street, Stonehouse, Plymouth, PL1 3SJ 4.Hill View Primary Academy, Hill View Road, Ensbury Park, Bournemouth, BH10 5BD 5.Malmesbury Park Primary Academy, Lowther Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH8 8LU 6.Marlborough Primary School, Morice Square, Devonport, Plymouth, Devon, PL1 4NJ 7.Millbay Academy, The Red House, 22 Millbay Road, Millbay, Plymouth, PL1 3EG 8.Morice Town Primary Academy, Charlotte Street, Devonport, Plymouth, PL2 1RJ 9.The Peak Academy, Drake Lane Cam, Dursley, GL11 5HD 10.Pilgrim Primary Academy, Oxford Street, Plymouth, Devon, PL1 5BQ 11.Salisbury Academy for Inspirational Learning (SAIL), Wilton Road, Salisbury, SP2 7EU 12.Stoke Damerel Primary Academy, Collingwood Road, Stoke, Plymouth, Devon, PL1 5PA 13.Stuart Road Primary Academy, Palmerston Street, Stoke, Plymouth, Devon, PL1 5LL 14.The Springfields Academy, Curzon Street, Calne, Wiltshire, SN11 ODS 15.Thomas Hall School, Cowley Bridge Road, Exeter, EX4 5AD 16.UTC Plymouth, Park Avenue, Devonport, Plymouth, PL1 4RL 17.A new build school, currently known as Gloucestershire Academy For Inspirational Learning (GAIL) in Wheatridge East, Abbeydale, Gloucestershire. Trust's website: https://www.reachsouth.org/ The contract covers the scope for the provision of all catering services within the Schools, which is inclusive of all hospitality and free issue requirements. The duration of the contract being offered is for an initial three-year period commencing on 01 August 2026, with the potential to then extend for a further two 12-month periods. This extension will be granted by mutual consent and on the same terms and conditions as the original contract without the right to further extend beyond the full five years. Please see PSQ Document.

Lot Information

Plymouth

Renewal: 1+1 Please see PSQ Document for more information.

Exeter

Renewal: 1+1 Please see PSQ Document for more information.

Bournemouth

Renewal: 1+1 Please see PSQ document for more information.

Salisbury

Renewal: 1+1 Please see PSQ Document for more information.

Gloucestershire & Wiltshire

Renewal: 1+1 Please see PSQ Document for more information.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0609d3
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083403-2026
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
Awardee Scale
Large, 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
£8,599,110 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£8,599,110 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
£8,599,110 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
3 Sep 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
17 Apr 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
1 Jul 20263 months ago
Contract Period
16 Sep 2026 - 31 Jul 2029 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Reach South Academy 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
PLYMOUTH
Postcode
PL1 4RL
Postcode Area
Plymouth
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK4 Devon
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK41 Plymouth
Delivery Location
TLK1 Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bristol/Bath area, TLK2 Dorset and Somerset, TLK4 Devon, TLK41 Plymouth
Local Authority
Plymouth
Electoral Ward
Devonport
Westminster Constituency
Plymouth Sutton and Devonport

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
2
Supplier Names

Compass Contract Services (UK) Ltd

FORERUNNER PERSONAL CATERING LIMITED (03913390)

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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