Tender

268100 - Catering - Events

DE MONTFORT UNIVERSITY

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

09 Mar 2026 at 14:12

Summary of the contracting process

De Montfort University, located in Leicester, is seeking suitable operators to provide diverse catering services across its campus events through a public procurement process. This tender, titled "Catering - Events", encompasses a range of services from small meetings to large conferences and dinners, structured within a Framework Agreement with distinct Lots. The university is inviting bids from businesses by 15 April 2026 as part of an open competition under a 'light-touch' regime, allowing electronic submissions. The procurement aims to reshape food and drink offerings on campus with selected suppliers responsible for catering services in varied capacities, following specified legal guidelines.

This tender presents a remarkable opportunity for catering businesses to expand their footprint by partnering with an esteemed academic institution. It seeks operators skilled in providing meeting refreshments, buffets, formal dinners, and engaging in contemporary food concepts like pop-ups and street food offerings. Small to medium enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations would be well-positioned to compete for this opportunity, particularly if they can provide flexible, high-quality catering solutions tailored to De Montfort University's diverse event needs. Catering businesses looking to enhance their market reach in educational and public event spaces will find this tender particularly beneficial.

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Notice Title

268100 - Catering - Events

Notice Description

EVENT CATERING De Montfort University (DMU) is reshaping food and drink at the heart of campus and is seeking good operators who can deliver a great experience. DMU hosts a wide range of academic, corporate, cultural, and public-facing events across its campus. The compact campus (135,870 SQM) is based in centre of Leicester and comprises circa. 32 buildings. Catering requirements vary in scale, complexity, and formality, ranging from small meetings and working lunches to large dinners, conferences, buffets, receptions, bars and pop-up food offerings. The purpose of this procurement is to establish a Framework Agreement (divided into distinct Lots) from which the University may call off services on a non-exclusive basis in accordance with its requirements. No guarantee of volume or value is given. Services to be provided may include, but are not limited to: * Meeting and conference refreshments * Buffets and informal dining * Formal Dinners & VIP Catering Additional services may be required from time to time: * Pop-Ups, Street Food & Contemporary Concepts * Bar & licensed hospitality services DMU understands that some interested parties may be unfamiliar with traditional tender processes. If you have any questions regarding the process or issues registering on the InTend portal, please email procurement@dmu.ac.uk.

Lot Information

Meeting and Conference Refreshments

Provision of light catering for meetings, seminars, and conferences for 30 - 600 attendees, between 8am - 5pm, Monday- Friday, however some evening and weekend provision may be required. The majority of services will be required across 10 core campus buildings, with the flexibility to support requirements across the whole campus. The operator will be responsible for supplying all necessary packaging and service materials required to support hospitality orders. If required and pre-booked, access to kitchen facilities may be granted, subject to availability and approval. Users are fully responsible for checking the condition of the kitchen and ensuring it is left as found. The anticipated volume is approximately 300-400 bookings per year.

Special Occasion Catering & Dinners - Large Scale

A fully managed catering solution for large events of between 50 and 500 attendees. The majority of events will be held during evening and weekends in our events centre, The Venue@DMU, with the flexibility to support requests in a handful of other locations across campus. The operator will be responsible for supplying all necessary staffing, crockery, cutlery and equipment to deliver a service to the highest standards. If required and pre-booked, access to kitchen facilities may be granted, subject to availability and approval. Users are fully responsible for checking the condition of the kitchen and ensuring it is left as found. The anticipated volume is approximately 30-40 events per year.

Formal Dinners & VIP Catering - Small Scale

A fully managed catering solution for intimate or high-profile events of up to 20 people. The majority of events will be held in our dedicated hospitality suite, 1 Richmond Street, with the flexibility to support requests in a handful of other locations across campus. The operator will be responsible for supplying all necessary staffing, crockery, cutlery and equipment to deliver a service to the highest standards. If required and pre-booked, access to kitchen facilities may be granted, subject to availability and approval. Users are fully responsible for checking the condition of the kitchen and ensuring it is left as found. The anticipated volume is approximately 10-15 bookings per year.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-066577
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020936-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - open competition
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services


CPV Codes

55520000 - Catering services

55523000 - Catering services for other enterprises or other institutions

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
9 Mar 20265 days ago
Submission Deadline
15 Apr 20262 months to go
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Jul 2026 - 31 Jul 2028 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DE MONTFORT UNIVERSITY
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LEICESTER
Postcode
LE1 9BH
Post Town
Leicester
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLF East Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLF2 Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLF21 Leicester
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Leicester
Electoral Ward
Castle
Westminster Constituency
Leicester South

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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