D3 Tenders | Potential outsourcing of School Canteen Service

Notice Information

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Notice Title

Potential outsourcing of School Canteen Service

Notice Description

Background to the School Strathearn School is an all girls' grammar located at 188 Belmont Road, Belfast BT4 2AU. The school was this year ranked the top grammar in Northern Ireland in the Sunday Times Parent Power Report. As a Voluntary Grammar School, the school is managed by its Board of Governors, which acts as the employing authority for staff. The school has a greater level of autonomy and self-governance over its budget and maintenance than schools in the Education Authority Controlled sector. Current Canteen Provision Enrolment at the school is 823, approximately 50% of whom choose a canteen lunch. Of these, the number of pupils in receipt of free school meals is 58. All pupils and c.120 members of staff have access to canteen facilities at the following times: - Breakfast: 8.15 - 8.45am - Break: 10.50 - 11.05am - Lunch: 12.20 - 1.45pm The school is willing to consider any extension of these times that a supplier may seek, for example for the provision of hot drinks. There is a separate servery in the Sixth Form Centre, which is located adjacent to the canteen, and there may be demand from these pupils (as yet untested) during study periods. In addition, enrolment in the Preparatory Department is currently 120. Prep pupils are served lunch in the canteen at the earlier time of 11.45am and approximately 50% choose a canteen lunch. The canteen operates a cashless biometric system whereby pupils pay using their fingerprint. Education Authority (EA) funding for Free School Meal pupils is received at PS3.34 per meal. For Prep pupils, a set lunch cost (currently PS3.05 per meal) is billed to parents on a termly basis. In its current configuration the canteen provides seating for c.375 pupils. The Sixth Form Centre accommodates pupils in L6/U6 (c.200). Sixth form pupils are also allowed to leave the school grounds at lunchtime. Pupils are encouraged to eat their lunch in the canteen, including those with a packed lunch. The school has modern, well-maintained equipment and facilities and will work with the operator to improve aesthetics or facilitate any changes to the existing configuration of the canteen. In addition, catering is provided for internal events such as meetings, Prizegiving, Open Morning etc. where requested. Summary turnover data can be obtained by contacting the Bursar at mferguson448@c2ken.net. Requirement The school canteen service is currently run in-house, and the Board of Governors wishes to explore the opportunity to outsource a fully managed catering service to a commercial operator, ideally from the start of the 2026/27 academic year. The reasons for this move are as follows: - The forecast financial position for canteen operations is unsustainable in the current operating environment of unstable and reduced operating income (in real terms) from the Department of Education (DE). The school is seeking to increase operational efficiencies and innovation in order to improve value for money and service delivery to its pupils. - A survey of pupils undertaken in February 2026 was completed by 351 pupils and indicates scope for improvement in terms of variety of food on offer and waiting times. The survey responses are available by contacting the Bursar at mferguson448@c2ken.net. - The school finds it difficult to recruit canteen staff. There is a current vacant position for a Cook (currently being covered on a temporary basis through an agency) and nine staff employed (one Canteen Supervisor and eight Canteen Assistants). Whilst current staff will be required to transfer to the operator under the TUPE regulations, there is an opportunity for the operator to recruit for the vacant position. Information to support the TUPE process will be provided in the tender documentation. - The school would benefit from an operator's input in relation to staff training, management of allergens, meeting nutritional standards and accounting for best practice in relation to service provision. - There is an opportunity for the operator to supply vending services on site, should this prove attractive. There is also scope to supply ingredients to the Home Economics department, if this presents as a viable proposition.

Planning Information

Purpose This questionnaire is issued as part of a pre‑procurement market engagement exercise to understand likely market capacity and interest and to help refine a potential future tender for outsourced school canteen provision. Responses will be used to inform the procurement approach and specification; this is not a tender and responses will not be scored. Furthermore, completion of the questionnaire is not a pre-requisite for a subsequent tender response. For the avoidance of doubt, this is the scoping phase of the project and is not part of a formal procurement process. Questionnaire Please provide responses to the questions below in Word document format and keep responses concise, referencing evidence/attachments where helpful. Please clearly mark any commercially sensitive information. Responses are requested by 12pm on Tuesday 5th May and should be emailed to mferguson448@c2ken.net 1. Sector experience a. Please provide a brief overview of your school catering offer, including an approximate number of education sites served and typical site sizes. b. What were the main challenges experienced in your last post-primary school mobilisation and how were they mitigated? 2. Service delivery a. How do you typically design menus to maximise uptake while meeting the Department of Education's Nutritional Standards for School Lunches? b. How do you typically manage queuing, service speed and peak time congestion? c. What mechanisms do you typically offer to keep pupil pricing affordable over the contract term? d. What KPI reporting do you typically provide in a post-primary setting? e. If footfall is below expectations, what levers do you typically use (e.g. offer changes, marketing, adjustment to operating hours)? 3. Facilities, equipment and lifecycle maintenance a. What minimum facilities/equipment specification do you need to operate safely and efficiently? b. What assumptions do you typically make about who funds/maintains the following: - kitchen equipment replacement; - smallwares; - planned maintenance; - utilities; - cleaning of kitchen/dining areas? 4. Market interest a. Have you delivered a concession contract in a school setting? If yes, what were the key success factors? b. Are you a provider on any catering frameworks that the school may be able to use? c. Would you be interested in bidding for this opportunity? If maybe or no, what are the main barriers? d. What contract length and extension options are most attractive to you? e. What mobilisation lead time do you typically require from award to go live? f. What would you want to see in the tender pack to make this opportunity attractive and what would stop you bidding?

Notice Details

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Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID: ocds-h6vhtk-068cc2
Publication Source: Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice: https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/038574-2026
Current Stage: Planning
All Stages: Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type: UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type: Standard
Procurement Category: Services
Procurement Method: Not Specified
Procurement Method Details: Not specified
Tender Suitability: Not specified
Awardee Scale: Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions: 55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services
CPV Codes: 55500000 - Canteen and catering services

Notice Value(s)

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

Notice Dates

Publication Date: 28 Apr 20264 days ago
Submission Deadline: Not specified
Future Notice Date: 5 May 20262 days to go
Award Date: Not specified
Contract Period: 31 Aug 2026 - 31 Aug 2028 2-3 years
Recurrence: Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status: Planning
Lots Status: Planning
Awards Status: Not Specified
Contracts Status: Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

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Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer: STRATHEARN SCHOOL BELFAST
Contact Name: Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email: Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone: Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality: BELFAST
Postcode: BT4 2AU
Post Town: Northern Ireland
Country: Northern Ireland
Major Region (ITL 1): TLN Northern Ireland
Basic Region (ITL 2): TLN0 Northern Ireland
Small Region (ITL 3): TLN06 Belfast
Delivery Location: TLN Northern Ireland
Local Authority: Belfast
Electoral Ward: Belmont
Westminster Constituency: Belfast East

Further Information

Notice Documents

https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/038574-2026
28th April 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

Notice URLs

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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Download

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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