Tender

South West Essex Community Education Trust ~ Catering Tender

SOUTH WEST ESSEX COMMUNITY EDUCATION TRUST

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

30 Mar 2026 at 14:25

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The South West Essex Community Education Trust is inviting tenders for its "Catering Tender" within the United Kingdom. This procurement process is situated in Essex, focusing on catering services for three primary schools: Deneholm Primary School, Stifford Clays Primary School, and Chadwell St Mary Primary School. The tender, currently in the active stage, employs an open competitive flexible procedure and is governed under the Procurement Act 2023. With a procurement method encouraging innovation, the Trust is seeking dynamic and bespoke food offerings to maximise sales and uptake. Interested parties must register separately for the pre-qualification questionnaire (PSQ) and the invitation to tender (ITT), with submissions closing on 1st May 2026, while award notifications will be completed by 15th June 2026.

This tender presents a growth opportunity for enterprises in the catering industry, particularly those capable of delivering creative and customisable menus. Suitable for SMEs, the contract's estimated value is £1,375,000, including a renewal option with a three-plus-two-year extension. Businesses with expertise in school catering services are well-positioned to compete, especially those with experience in innovative service delivery and fulfilling public sector contracts. The engagement will offer exposure to stable clientele across schools supported by a consistent set of employees, fostering sustainable business expansion within the sector. Successful bidders will need to navigate the expectations outlined by TUPW and LGPS membership for employment contracts, ensuring alignment with local authority expectations and client needs.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

South West Essex Community Education Trust ~ Catering Tender

Notice Description

Please note that this PSQ is running concurrently alongside the ITT. You will need to register separately for both the PSQ and the ITT. If you have any questions around the PSQ or the ITT please use the message centre feature in the ITT section of LTMS. Please note that this PSQ is running concurrently alongside the ITT. You will need to register separately for both the PSQ and the ITT. If you have any questions around the PSQ or the ITT please use the message centre feature in the ITT section of LTMS. The successful Supplier will be required to provide cleaning services for South West Essex Community Education Trust. This procurement is being conducted under a concurrent competitive flexible procedure in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023. Suppliers must meet the minimum conditions of participation in the PSQ in order to progress to having their tenders scored. Sales value is currently PS275,000 per annum (see ITT data pack) SWECET formed in 2015 when a group of like-minded schools came together to form the South West Essex Community Education Trust. They were united in the belief that every young person needs and deserves an education that will maximise their future life chances and that this could be better achieved together. The founding schools and those schools that have joined since are all united by shared values and beliefs, but this is where the similarities end. We encourage each other to remain unique places of learning. We believe our schools' differences are an asset, allowing for creative thinking and sharing of best practice, raising standards across the Trust and providing exciting opportunities for our students. This opportunity has come to market after the recent withdrawal of the Local Authority Catering service, therefore the expectation will be that TUPW will apply and LGPS membership will be a feature of most employee's contract terms. The schools have consistent and dedicated teams performing the services currently. In scope for this project are the three primary schools in the Trust; Deneholm Primary School Stifford Clays Primary School Chadwell St Mary Primary School Current catering sales revenue is around PS275k per annum The Client would like to see innovative delivery of staple primary menu items, enhanced where appropriate with innovation and interest. There is a need to maximise sales and uptake to contribute against overheads - this can be achieved by offering a dynamic and bespoke food offering across all of the schools. Please see PSQ Document for more information For more information about this opportunity, please visit the eSourcing portal at: https://litmustms.co.uk/tenders/UK-UK-Essex:-School-catering-services./D93539GQ4U To respond to this opportunity, please click here: https://litmustms.co.uk/respond/D93539GQ4U

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: 3+2 Please see PSQ Document for more information.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06780e
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/029206-2026
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
£1,375,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£1,375,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
30 Mar 20264 days ago
Submission Deadline
1 May 20264 weeks to go
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Jul 2026 - 31 Jul 2029 3-4 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
SOUTH WEST ESSEX COMMUNITY EDUCATION 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
ESSEX
Postcode
RM16 2QH
Post Town
Romford
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH3 Essex
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH32 Thurrock
Delivery Location
TLH3 Essex
Local Authority
Thurrock
Electoral Ward
Little Thurrock Blackshots
Westminster Constituency
Thurrock

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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