Tender

The Howard Academies Trust ~ Catering Tender

THE HOWARD ACADEMIES TRUST

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

04 Mar 2026 at 15:43

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Howard Academies Trust is seeking bids for their catering tender, encompassing nine schools, including four secondary schools, four primary schools, and one AP/SEN school across Kent, Medway, and Bexley, in the UK. With a total of £7,700,000 allocated for this project, the contract is set to commence on 1st November 2026 and conclude on 31st August 2029, with a possible extension of two years. Prospective bidders have until 5th June 2026 to submit their proposals, and enquiries must be made by 2nd April 2026. This tender is currently in the active stage, employing a competitive flexible procedure to ensure high-quality caterers with innovative, fresh, and nutritious offerings through locally sourced ingredients.

This contract offers a substantial growth opportunity for businesses in the school catering sector, particularly those adept at delivering varied and high-quality menu options that cater to diverse dietary needs. Companies equipped to handle large-scale service provision with a focus on seasonal and locally-sourced ingredients will find this tender favourable. Small and medium enterprises are encouraged to apply, showcasing how they can complement the Trust’s values of inclusivity and ambition through their catering solutions. As The Howard Academies Trust envisions expanding its educational services and student body, this contract presents an excellent chance to form a long-term partnership with significant potential for extension, aiding business expansion into new territories within the educational catering market.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

The Howard Academies Trust ~ Catering Tender

Notice Description

The Howard Academy Trust is a Multi Academy Trust, 9 schools, 4 of which are secondary schools (including 1 UTC), 4 primary schools (2 X 1 FE and 2 X 2 FE) and 1 AP/ SEN school. For the purposes of this tender all primary and secondary schools are included, but the AP/ SEN school is not. THAT educates around 5300 pupils and has a staff workforce of around 850. The Trust expects further growth within the period of the contract. Our schools are across 3 local authorities, albeit all in proximity as below: *Medway- Deanwood Primary School, Thames View Primary School, Temple Mill Primary School, Waterfront UTC and The Howard School *Kent- The Abbey School Faversham *Bexley- Hurstmere School Our Trust vision is "Working together to build a community of successful learners" and our values are: Inclusivity, Dignity, Respect and Ambition. To deliver our vision and values it is imperative that we appoint a caterer who delivers high quality meals across the Trust, ensuring pupils and particularly those that are free school meals receive a high quality, fresh, nutritious meal. A key focus of this tender is ensuring a consistent high quality food offer, that is financially viable whilst boosting uptake and quality, particularly in Medway schools, where this is generally underperforming. The Howard Academy Trust expects the successful contractor to enable the continued development of catering through the provision of an innovative, healthy food service, with fresh, seasonal, locally sourced ingredients being prepared on-site. The Trust expects the successful tenderer to evidence, through their bid, how they shall support and complement its values and support the principles of Every Child Matters. Our current student body is comprised of 73.9% males, 26.1% females. Our average Free School Meals is 23.8% with ever 6 being 24.3%. 20.5% of pupils have some level of SEN need. The successful contractor will build on a strong offer including current good quality, variety and uptake at The Abbey School and Hurstmere School. Whilst substantially improving uptake and quality across the primary schools and UTC, ensuring a high-quality consistent offer that meets the needs and tastes of a wide range of pupils, including those with dietary requirements. We welcome innovation and are keen to work in a highly collaborative way with the contractor to ensure the best offer possible for our pupils. Currently we have three caterers, all of whom have agreed to a termination date of 31/10/2026. This contract will therefore run for 2 years and 11 months from the start of Term 2 in the 2026/27 academic year which is 01/11/2026 (with the first day school day being 02/11/2026) running to 31/08/2029 with the option for the Trust to take out a plus two-year extensions. We would like to make clear that our intention is to form a lasting relationship with a successful caterer who we are determined to take the two-year extension with and hopefully to be in a strong position We have made substantial investment in our kitchens over the last two years with PS80k invested in equipment during 2024/25 and up to PS80k being further invested in 2025/26. We are looking for tenders that deliver a nil cost or better on a guaranteed performance basis. Please see PSQ Document for more information. For more information about this opportunity, please visit the Delta eSourcing portal at: https://www.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-Kent:-School-catering-services./JYP43RZYPB To respond to this opportunity, please click here: https://www.delta-esourcing.com/respond/JYP43RZYPB

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: +2 Please see PSQ Document for more information.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-066265
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/019620-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services

CPV Codes

55524000 - School catering services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£7,700,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£7,700,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
4 Mar 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
5 Jun 20263 months to go
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Nov 2026 - 31 Aug 2029 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
THE HOWARD ACADEMIES 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
KENT
Postcode
ME4 4FQ
Post Town
Rochester
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ4 Kent
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ41 Medway
Delivery Location
TLJ4 Kent
Local Authority
Medway
Electoral Ward
St Mary's Island
Westminster Constituency
Rochester and Strood

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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