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Town Hall Sole Caterer

Oxford City Council

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

18 Sep 2026 at 08:33

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

20 Apr 2026 at 16:49

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Oxford City Council procured a sole catering service for Oxford Town Hall. The appointed caterer is expected to provide high-quality, commercially competitive food and hospitality services across the premises, enhancing the council’s reputation and delivering an excellent customer experience across all service areas. The requirement is classified as catering services (CPV 55520000) and falls within the services category. Delivery is at Oxford Town Hall in Oxford. This is a concession-style requirement for a single catering operator, rather than a supply-only contract, so relevant businesses are likely to include experienced venue caterers, hospitality operators and food service companies able to manage the full catering offer at a civic events venue. The council is the contracting authority and buyer.

The procurement is complete and has been awarded, with The Curious Food Group Limited selected as supplier. The award is recorded as pending, with a standstill period ending on 29 September 2026. The award date is 16 September 2026. The award value is £1,200,000 excluding VAT (£1,500,000 including VAT). The recorded contract period runs from 1 February 2027 to 31 January 2030, with an option to extend through two additional 12-month periods, up to 31 January 2032. It used an open competitive flexible procedure, with three stages: participation and pass/fail checks, specification and pricing responses, then tasting demonstrations. Four bids reached the final stage. Evaluation weighted quality at 70% and price at 30%.

This award demonstrates a substantial, recurring requirement for a venue caterer able to operate as Oxford Town Hall’s sole catering provider. A credible future competitor would need to deliver consistently high-quality catering, competitive commercial pricing and a strong customer experience across all service areas, while managing the operational demands of a civic events venue. The evaluation gives quality considerably greater importance than price, so evidence of service standards, menu quality, delivery arrangements and customer outcomes would be central. The process also used bidder tasting demonstrations, making practical food quality and presentation important alongside written responses. Suppliers should be prepared for pass/fail participation checks, detailed specification answers and transparent pricing. The competition attracted four final-stage bids, including four SMEs, indicating that suitably capable smaller hospitality businesses can compete.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Town Hall Sole Caterer

Notice Description

The provision of Catering Services at Oxford Town Hall (the Premises). The Caterer shall deliver high-quality, commercially competitive catering that enhances the reputation of Oxford City Council and provides an excellent customer experience across all service areas.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: Option to extend by two additional periods of 12 months

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0686c1
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/088457-2026
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
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services

CPV Codes

55520000 - Catering services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£1,200,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£1,200,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
£1,200,000 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
18 Sep 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
18 May 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
16 Sep 20261 months ago
Contract Period
1 Feb 2027 - 31 Jan 2030 3-4 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
Oxford City Council
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
OXFORD
Postcode
OX1 1BX
Postcode Area
Oxford
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ14 Oxfordshire CC
Delivery Location
TLJ14 Oxfordshire CC
Local Authority
Oxford
Electoral Ward
Holywell
Westminster Constituency
Oxford West and Abingdon

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

The Curious Food Group Limited

Further Information

Notice Documents

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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