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Sullivan Upper School

Sullivan Upper School

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

27 Aug 2026 at 17:04

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

24 Jan 2026 at 19:20

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Sullivan Upper School is procuring food and catering services for its school operation in Holywood, Northern Ireland. The requirement covers the provision of food services, classified as catering services (CPV 55520000) and, at award stage, canteen and catering services (CPV 55500000). This is a public-sector service contract bought by Sullivan Upper School. The successful service provider will need to run or support catering provision for the school, rather than supply standalone goods or construction works. The opportunity is relevant to commercial caterers, school-meal providers, contract food-service operators and organisations experienced in delivering catering at an educational site. The procurement is treated as a service requirement above the applicable threshold and relates to one complete catering requirement.

The procurement has reached award stage and is marked complete. It used a selective competitive flexible procedure: organisations first submitted a pre-qualifying Supplier Questionnaire, after which shortlisted companies were invited to tender. Five bids reached the final stage, including two from SMEs. One lot was awarded to CATER LINK LIMITED on 29 May 2026, subject to a standstill period ending 8 September 2026. The awarded value is £2,121,165 gross in GBP. The planned contract period runs from 9 September 2026 to 30 June 2029, with a possible extension to 30 June 2031, subject to the client's absolute satisfaction. The original estimated lot value was £1,755,000 gross. Evaluation weighted quality at 82% and price at 18%.

This award shows sustained demand from Sullivan Upper School for managed education catering delivered at substantial contract scale. The successful supplier was CATER LINK LIMITED, a large catering business, indicating that bidders need credible operational capacity alongside a strong service-quality proposition. Quality dominated the evaluation, so relevant evidence should cover food standards, menu planning, nutrition, allergen control, food safety, staffing, service continuity and day-to-day management in a school environment. Suppliers should also be able to complete a pre-qualification process and develop a detailed tender response rather than compete on price alone. The process attracted five final-stage bids, including two SMEs, and the lot was identified as suitable for SMEs and voluntary, community or social enterprises. A future competitor would need demonstrable education-catering experience, resilient delivery arrangements and measurable quality performance.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Sullivan Upper School

Notice Description

Food services to Sullivan Upper School

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: The contract can be extended up to a further 2 years subject to the absolute satisfaction of the client.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-060de3
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/081960-2026
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
Large

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
£1,755,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£1,755,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
£2,121,165 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
27 Aug 20262 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
29 May 20263 months ago
Contract Period
9 Sep 2026 - 30 Jun 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
Sullivan Upper 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
HOLYWOOD
Postcode
BT18 9EP
Postcode Area
Northern Ireland
Country
Northern Ireland
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLN Northern Ireland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLN0 Northern Ireland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLN09 Ards and North Down
Delivery Location
TLN Northern Ireland
Local Authority
Ards and North Down
Electoral Ward
Loughview
Westminster Constituency
North Down

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Caterlink

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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