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WNC Bar and Catering Concessions Contracts - Lot 1 Bar & Alcohol and Lot 2 Christmas Parties

West Northamptonshire Council

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

02 Sep 2026 at 16:30

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Tender

04 Jun 2026 at 15:47

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

West Northamptonshire Council procured catering concession services for events at its corporate buildings in Northamptonshire. The requirement was divided into two related services: a bar and alcohol contractor for council events, and a sole caterer for Christmas parties. The bar contractor must supply alcohol and bar services and work closely with caterers appointed through the Council’s catering frameworks. The Christmas parties service covers the provision of food. Both requirements are catering services, with delivery in the West Northamptonshire area. The Council encouraged suppliers to bid only for the lots suited to their service, while allowing suppliers to be considered for both. The opportunity was suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises.

The procurement is complete and contracts were awarded to Unbuttoned LTD trading as Portfolio Events for both Lot 1, Bar & Alcohol, and Lot 2, Christmas Parties. The Council used an open competition for below-threshold concession services. The tender submission deadline was 3 July 2026 at 12:00. Each lot was evaluated using 70% mandatory and lot-specific quality and 30% price. Lot 1 was valued at £154,000 excluding VAT (£184,800 gross), and Lot 2 at £102,000 excluding VAT (£122,400 gross). The contract was signed on 27 August 2026, starts on 1 September 2026 and runs to 31 August 2028, with two optional 12-month extensions allowing a maximum end date of 31 August 2030.

This award indicates recurring demand from West Northamptonshire Council for managed bar, alcohol and event catering services at its corporate buildings, including Christmas parties. A credible future competitor would need to provide either bar and alcohol operations, event food catering, or both, and coordinate effectively with other caterers working under the Council’s catering frameworks. The requirements show that quality capability was more important than price in evaluation, so suppliers should be able to evidence reliable service delivery, suitable menus or event packages, customer coordination and operational planning. The qualification requirements also point to the need for appropriate insurance, financial standing, legal capacity, technical ability, subcontractor management, health and safety, business continuity and GDPR arrangements. Relevant personnel may require DBS checks and a personal licence, alongside HACCP, modern slavery and equality compliance.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

WNC Bar and Catering Concessions Contracts - Lot 1 Bar & Alcohol and Lot 2 Christmas Parties

Notice Description

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) currently operates a Catering Framework for the provision of a bar service and catering for events at its corporate buildings. The Bar & Alcohol and Christmas Parties Lots was re-tendered due to the termination of the existing contracts which were previously procured during 2024 under the 'WNC Bar and Catering Framework Agreement_WNC00000395'. The re-tendered contracts for Lot 1 and 2 will sit outside of the existing Framework under two new separate contracts for a period of 24 months + 12 months + 12 months optional extension. Customer requirements are divided into Lots and caterers are encouraged to only bid for the Lots that best suit the service that they provide, although there is no limit to the amount of Lots that caterers can be included on. WNC is seeking a sole caterer to provide food for Christmas Parties (Lot 2) and is also seeking to appoint a sole Contractor to supply alcohol and bar service (Lot 1) as per customer requirements . The successful Contractor must be prepared to work closely with all caterers on the Council's Catering Frameworks. Procurement procedure - The services fall within Concession type services and are 'below' the PA 2023 Concessions Threshold. Mobilisation Period - Due to the existing contracts terminating on 31/08/2026 a mobilisation period will commence prior to the formal contract start date and will be to discuss menu choices with the successful contractor and to also provide customers with the details of the successful Lot 1 contractor to enable customers to book their events in ready for the commencement of the new contract(s) in September 2026.

Lot Information

Bar & Alcohol

Renewal: 12 + 12 months

Christmas Parties

Renewal: 12 + 12 months

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06ade4
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083197-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - open competition
Tender Suitability
SME
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
£256,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
£256,000 £100K-£500K
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£256,000 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
2 Sep 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
3 Jul 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Sep 2026 - 31 Aug 2028 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
West Northamptonshire 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
NORTHAMPTON
Postcode
NN1 1ED
Postcode Area
Northampton
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLF East Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLF2 Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLF24 West Northamptonshire
Delivery Location
TLF24 West Northamptonshire
Local Authority
West Northamptonshire
Electoral Ward
Castle
Westminster Constituency
Northampton North

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Unbuttoned LTD

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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