Tender

Fun and Food Programme for Children in Receipt of Benefits-related Free School Meals (Summer 2026)

DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

08 May 2026 at 13:48

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Durham County Council is seeking providers for their "Fun and Food Programme for Children in Receipt of Benefits-related Free School Meals (Summer 2026)" under an open procurement method. The contract, focusing on services, covers a range of activities and supportive measures for school-aged children, funded by the Department for Education. Interested providers must comply with various standards, including food provision, enrichment activities, and physical and healthy lifestyle promotion. The procurement process is currently in the tender stage, and proposals must be submitted by 5th June 2026. The programme will operate during the summer holidays from 20th July to 31st August 2026 in County Durham, with contracts valued at £600,000 GBP potentially extendable to the Christmas period based on performance.

This tender represents significant opportunities for businesses involved in education, health, or community services to expand their offerings and grow within the local market. Particularly, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs) may find this contract suitable due to its scalability and the possibility of extension based on successful service delivery. The potential to provide a beneficial community service adds value and attractiveness for companies focused on social good. Interested businesses should carefully consider the requirements and standards outlined in the tender documents available at www.open-uk.org.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Fun and Food Programme for Children in Receipt of Benefits-related Free School Meals (Summer 2026)

Notice Description

The Council wishes to seek multiple Providers to deliver the Fun and Food programme to Children in Receipt of Benefits-related Free School Meals within the boundaries of County Durham. This project utilises Department for Education (DfE) funding which is for school aged children in receipt of benefits related free school meals. All providers must meet DfE framework of standards as below: * Food Provision * Enrichment Activities * Physical Activities * Increasing Awareness of Healthy Eating, healthy lifestyles, and positive behaviours * Signposting and referrals and supporting families * Safeguarding * Policies and Procedures Please note - sessions do not need to be exclusively for children in receipt benefits-related Free School Meals, alternative funding may be sourced by the organisation to fund children ineligible for DfE funding i.e parents/carers may be charged for sessions by the activity organisation. Providers will be asked to bid and submit a proposal for the Summer Holidays 2026. Successful Providers' contracts, as delivered under the Summer 2026 holiday provision, may be extended/varied to cover delivery in the Christmas school holiday period. At the sole discretion of the Council, providers will be identified and approached for Christmas delivery, this is likely to be dependent on successful achievement from Summer 2026 delivery under this contract and Commissioners professional judgement. If Successful Providers meet the threshold that the Commissioner deems as successful delivery, they will be emailed a proposal form for completion for the next school holiday period. The same evaluation criteria will be applied to the subsequent proposals. There is also a possibility that DCC may acquire funding from different sources that may be used for main school holidays, half term holidays or funding for participants to attend that are not in receipt of Benefits-related Free School Meals. Where this is the case successful providers will be updated regarding the scope of delivery. Further details of the requirements are set out in the tender documents which can be accessed free of charge at www.open-uk.org

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: Successful Providers' contracts, as delivered under the Summer 2026 holiday provision, may be extended/varied to cover delivery in the Christmas school holiday period. At the sole discretion of the Council, providers will be identified and approached for Christmas delivery, this is likely to be dependent on successful achievement from Summer 2026 delivery under this contract and Commissioners professional judgement. If Successful Providers meet the threshold that the Commissioner deems as successful delivery, they will be emailed a proposal form for completion for the next school holiday period. The same evaluation criteria will be applied to the subsequent proposals.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0694db
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/042590-2026
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
Below threshold - open competition
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services

85 - Health and social work services

92 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services

98 - Other community, social and personal services

CPV Codes

80000000 - Education and training services

85000000 - Health and social work services

92000000 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services

98000000 - Other community, social and personal services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£600,000 £500K-£1M
Lots Value
£600,000 £500K-£1M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
8 May 20266 days ago
Submission Deadline
5 Jun 20263 weeks to go
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
19 Jul 2026 - 31 Aug 2026 1-6 months
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
DURHAM COUNTY 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
DURHAM
Postcode
DH1 5WB
Post Town
Durham
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLC North East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLC41 Durham
Delivery Location
TLC14 Durham
Local Authority
County Durham
Electoral Ward
Framwellgate and Newton Hall
Westminster Constituency
City of Durham

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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