Award

Darlington Catering

STUDENT LOANS COMPANY

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

06 Feb 2026 at 14:56

Summary of the contracting process

The Student Loans Company, a central government authority in the United Kingdom, has completed the procurement process for a catering service at their Darlington office, located at Memphis Building, Lingfield Point, DL1 1AS. This tender sought an experienced supplier to provide high-quality, reasonably priced food for 1,600 employees and visitors, with a focus on innovation and cost efficiency. The procurement was conducted through a limited method below the threshold for competition, classified under "services" and specific to the catering industry (CPV code 55520000). The contract, titled "Darlington Catering," was awarded to The Street Coffee Co Cafe Limited on 30th January 2026, with the service set to commence on 1st March 2026 and possibly extending until 28th February 2031.

This tender presents significant opportunities for SMEs in the catering industry, especially those capable of innovative service delivery and maintaining high-quality standards. Businesses adept at providing professional and creative hospitality services, particularly for meetings, are well-suited to pursue similar contracts with government bodies. Given the central government context and the emphasis on service variety and cost efficiency, SMEs like The Street Coffee Co Cafe Limited stand to benefit through such engagements, potentially leveraging them to expand their portfolio and reputation within the public sector.

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Notice Title

Darlington Catering

Notice Description

Student Loans Company Limited are seeking to appoint an experienced catering supplier to operate within our offices at Memphis, Lingfield Point, Darlington, DL1 1AS. The supplier should offer the 1,600 SLC employees based at this site and any visitors an excellent variety and quality of food that is reasonably priced and served efficiently. The supplier will provide regular new innovative ideas to ensure that the offers remains fresh, meets employee needs and is more cost efficient than the surrounding competition, the supplier should also provide a professional, creative and excellent standard of hospitality catering service for meetings as required. The successful supplier will need to be ready to commence the above services by the 1st of March 2026.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-064a4e
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/011039-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - limited competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services


CPV Codes

55520000 - Catering services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£1,242,202 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
6 Feb 20262 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
30 Jan 20263 weeks ago
Contract Period
1 Mar 2026 - 28 Feb 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
STUDENT LOANS COMPANY
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
commercial_governance@slc.co.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
DARLINGTON
Postcode
DL1 1RW
Post Town
Darlington
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLC North East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLC3 Tees Valley
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLC33 Darlington
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Darlington
Electoral Ward
Red Hall & Lingfield
Westminster Constituency
Darlington

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

THE STREET COFFEE CO CAFE

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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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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