Award

Cleaning Contract - Direct Award following mutual contract termination

SOUTHBOROUGH CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

23 Mar 2026 at 16:42

Summary of the contracting process

Southborough Church of England Primary School located in Tunbridge Wells has awarded a direct contract for cleaning services, classified under 'School cleaning services' within the services industry category. The contract was established following the mutual termination of a previous agreement, creating extreme urgency. The procurement process, dated 23rd March 2026, was initiated through Regulation 32(2)(c) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, under a negotiated procedure without prior publication due to unforeseen circumstances. The contract, valued at £212,520, was signed on 2nd March 2026 and covers regions across the UK from UKC to UKK.

This tender presents a significant opportunity for businesses specialising in school cleaning services, accommodating urgent and essential service provision. The contract highlights quality, delivery, customer services, and added value as major award criteria, making it suitable for companies who excel in these areas. Kent Gurkha Company Ltd, an SME based in Maidstone, secured the award, demonstrating a favourable environment for small and medium-sized enterprises to deliver high-quality cleaning services quickly. Businesses capable of meeting stringent hygiene and operational standards and experienced in urgent service delivery would be well-positioned to benefit from similar procurement opportunities in the education sector.

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Notice Title

Cleaning Contract - Direct Award following mutual contract termination

Notice Description

Southborough CE Primary school has awarded a direct award contract for cleaning services with a justification of extreme urgency.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Southborough CE Primary school has awarded a direct award contract for cleaning services with a justification of extreme urgency.

Options: 1 year plus 1 year

Procurement Information

Cleaning Services - Direct Award under Regulation 32(2)(c) PCR 2015 Short Description - The School has awarded a contract for the provision of cleaning services through the negotiated procedure without prior publication, in accordance with Regulation 32(2)(c) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. Description of the Procurement - This contract provides essential daily cleaning services required to maintain statutory health, safety, and hygiene standards across the School site. The previous cleaning contract ended unexpectedly by mutual termination, creating an urgent operational need for immediate continuity of cleaning services. Due to the essential nature of cleaning for the safe functioning of an educational environment, the School was required to secure replacement service provision without delay. Justification for Use of the Negotiated Procedure Without Prior Publication (Reg. 32) - The School relied on Regulation 32(2)(c) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, which permits a contracting authority to award a contract without prior publication where: The need for services is extremely urgent, The urgency has been brought about by events unforeseeable by the contracting authority, The circumstances are not attributable to the contracting authority, and The time limits for a standard procurement procedure cannot be complied with. The previous cleaning contract was mutually terminated, which constitutes an unforeseeable event not caused by the School. This resulted in an immediate and critical requirement to maintain legally compliant hygiene standards to ensure the safety of pupils, staff, and visitors. Government guidance confirms that direct awards made under Regulation 32 require a contract award notice but may be lawfully awarded without prior publication of a contract notice. Given the operational urgency and statutory duties of the School, there was no time to run a competitive tendering process, even on accelerated timescales. Accordingly, the use of Regulation 32(2)(c) was lawful and necessary.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0671e9
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026470-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services


CPV Codes

90919300 - School cleaning services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£212,520 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
23 Mar 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
2 Mar 20261 months ago
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Cancelled
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
SOUTHBOROUGH CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY 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
TUNBRIDGE WELLS
Postcode
TN4 0JY
Post Town
Tonbridge
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ4 Kent
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ46 West Kent
Delivery Location
TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLE Yorkshire and The Humber, TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLI London, TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England)

Local Authority
Tunbridge Wells
Electoral Ward
Southborough & Bidborough
Westminster Constituency
Tunbridge Wells

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

KENT GURKHA

Further Information

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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