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RBGKEW1455 - Catering Services - Kew Gardens

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, KEW

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

25 Aug 2026 at 16:26

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

06 Mar 2026 at 10:22

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew procured day-visitor catering services for Kew Gardens in Richmond. The requirement covers the operation of six fixed outlets: The Orangery Restaurant, The Pavilion Bar & Grill, Family Kitchen & Shop, Botanical Brasserie, Victoria Plaza Café and Brentford Gate Kiosk. It also includes mobile catering across the gardens. This is a commercial concession: the appointed caterer operates the relevant areas and pays Kew a percentage of sales turnover, supported by a fixed annual minimum guaranteed sum. The opportunity is a single catering package rather than separate outlet contracts. It is suited to an operator able to manage varied visitor-facing food and beverage facilities across a major public attraction, with responsibility for both service delivery and commercial performance.

The procurement has been awarded following an open competitive flexible procedure under the concession regime. Four bids were received and one reached the final stage. Searcy Tansley & Company Ltd was selected for the single package on 25 August 2026; the award is pending the standstill period ending 4 September 2026. The awarded value is £26.81 million excluding VAT (£32.172 million gross), against an estimated procurement value of £100 million. The contract is scheduled to run from 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2033, with potential extensions to 30 October 2036. Evaluation used 1,000 points: quality and social value covered service design, assurance, demand management, staffing, experience, sustainability and governance; commercial scoring covered guaranteed return, concession and capital investment.

This outcome shows that Kew’s catering requirement is substantial, multi-outlet and commercially structured around visitor demand, turnover and guaranteed returns. A credible future competitor would need proven experience operating high-volume visitor catering, with an operating model and staffing plan capable of handling peak demand and customer flow across fixed and mobile facilities. The evaluation also signals the importance of consistent quality assurance, service design and inclusivity, business continuity, environmental sustainability and measurable improvement. Suppliers would need to demonstrate effective governance, performance management and partnership working with Kew, alongside a financially sustainable commercial proposition and capacity for capital investment. Practical operating evidence, references and the ability to support site-based assessment would strengthen credibility when this requirement next reaches the market.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

RBGKEW1455 - Catering Services - Kew Gardens

Notice Description

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is seeking Tenders for the provision of our Day Visitor Catering contract which comprises a single tender package for the operation of six fixed catering outlets, namely The Orangery Restaurant, The Pavilion Bar & Grill, Family Kitchen & Shop, Botanical Brasserie, Victoria Plaza Cafe, Brentford Gate Kiosk and mobile catering within Kew Gardens. The contract will operate on a fully commercial concession basis wherein the appointed Caterer, under a contract for the relevant areas, shall pay a percentage of sales turnover to the Client by way of a turnover based commission supported by a fixed annual minimum guaranteed sum.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: Contract term 7 years with potential extensions upto 3 years

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0663cd
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080988-2026
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
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services

CPV Codes

55520000 - Catering services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£100,000,000 £100M-£1B
Lots Value
£100,000,000 £100M-£1B
Awards Value
£26,810,000 £10M-£100M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
25 Aug 20263 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
5 May 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
25 Aug 20263 weeks ago
Contract Period
1 Nov 2026 - 31 Oct 2033 Over 5 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
ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, KEW
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
RICHMOND
Postcode
TW9 3AQ
Postcode Area
Twickenham
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI7 Outer London - West and North West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI75 Hounslow and Richmond upon Thames
Delivery Location
TLI75 Hounslow and Richmond upon Thames
Local Authority
Richmond upon Thames
Electoral Ward
Kew
Westminster Constituency
Richmond Park

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Searcy Tansley & Company Ltd

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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