---
title: "Free School Meals (FSM) Expansion Evaluation"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-9a8f621d-f2a1-4752-8b7f-6923ce98a923"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-9a8f621d-f2a1-4752-8b7f-6923ce98a923"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-9a8f621d-f2a1-4752-8b7f-6923ce98a923.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-9a8f621d-f2a1-4752-8b7f-6923ce98a923.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Department for Education"
published: "2026-09-30"
---

# Free School Meals (FSM) Expansion Evaluation

Buyer: Department for Education  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-9a8f621d-f2a1-4752-8b7f-6923ce98a923

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-9a8f621d-f2a1-4752-8b7f-6923ce98a923)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-9a8f621d-f2a1-4752-8b7f-6923ce98a923.json)

## Summary

The Department for Education commissioned an evaluation of the expansion of free school meals. This is research and evaluation work, within the broader field of research and development and related consultancy. The procurement describes the requirement only as “FSM Expansion Evaluation”; it does not set out specific research questions, methods, outputs or delivery locations. The buyer is the Department for Education. The listed delivery coverage spans the United Kingdom, Europe, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, British Overseas Territories and the rest of the world, so the work is not confined to a single local area.

The procurement is complete and has been awarded. Alma Economics was selected through a call-off from a framework agreement, using a selective process. The award date was 25 September 2026 and the awarded value is £599,200. The contract runs from 25 September 2026 to 31 December 2031. The tender deadline was 27 July 2026. The available procurement details do not describe the evaluation criteria or explain how bids were assessed, and do not identify separate lots. The award is active. The buyer is the Department for Education, and the selected supplier is Alma Economics.

This award shows demand from the Department for Education for research and evaluation focused specifically on the expansion of free school meals, delivered through a framework call-off. Suppliers competing for a similar requirement would need credible research and evaluation capability relevant to education policy and free school meals, as well as the capacity to deliver work with the wide geographic coverage listed for this contract. The selected supplier is identified as an SME and voluntary, community or social enterprise, and the procurement was marked suitable for both SMEs and such organisations. These details indicate that smaller suppliers and social enterprises could be relevant competitors, although no particular accreditation, staffing profile, research method or prior experience requirement is stated. The scope is narrowly focused on evaluating this policy expansion, rather than general education consultancy.」}-vesmorescence of? Wait JSON has weird closing quote? At end string ends 「 and curly quote? I output

## Notice

FSM Expansion Evaluation

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/52979075-b770-4ec0-a5c7-028005d30eb1 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Framework |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Selective |
| Procurement method details | Call-off from a framework agreement |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 30 Sep 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 25 Sep 2026 |
| Contract period | 25 Sep 2026 - 31 Dec 2031 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £599,200 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Department for Education |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Postcode area | South East London |
| Postcode | SE1 3PL |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLI London |
| ITL 2 | TLI4 Inner London - East |
| ITL 3 | TLI44 Lewisham and Southwark |
| Local authority | Southwark |
| Electoral ward | London Bridge & West Bermondsey |
| Westminster constituency | Bermondsey and Old Southwark |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | Alma Economics |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

## Release History

- 30 Sep 2026 at 16:04 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/52979075-b770-4ec0-a5c7-028005d30eb1

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/52979075-b770-4ec0-a5c7-028005d30eb1
  30th September 2026 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/75e3c2f7-7687-4b5b-a769-42922ef0b784
  n/a

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-9a8f621d-f2a1-4752-8b7f-6923ce98a923. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-9a8f621d-f2a1-4752-8b7f-6923ce98a923.json.