---
title: "DHSC: Pilot Testing for School Food Standards"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-c9dc9461-f631-4963-9223-e33805c7f5de"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-c9dc9461-f631-4963-9223-e33805c7f5de"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-c9dc9461-f631-4963-9223-e33805c7f5de.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-c9dc9461-f631-4963-9223-e33805c7f5de.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE (DHSC)"
published: "2025-08-28"
---

# DHSC: Pilot Testing for School Food Standards

Buyer: DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE (DHSC)  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-c9dc9461-f631-4963-9223-e33805c7f5de

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## Summary

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in the United Kingdom has recently completed the procurement process for a project titled "Pilot Testing for School Food Standards". This initiative falls under the service category of survey analysis services (CPV code 79311300) and involves assessing updated school food standards across English schools. The procurement method utilised is selective, specifically a call-off from a dynamic purchasing system. The contract was awarded to Verian Group UK Limited, a large-scale supplier, with a budget amounting to £134,185. The contract period initiated on 4th August 2025 and will continue until 4th April 2026. The procurement and award processes have concluded, with the award status marked as "active" on 27th August 2025.

This tender provides significant opportunities for businesses involved in survey analysis services, particularly those specialising in nutrition, education, or food supply sectors. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs) are encouraged due to the specific suitability criteria mentioned. Companies with expertise in implementing and understanding regulatory standards within educational environments may find this project particularly aligned with their business growth strategies. By collaborating on such pilot projects, businesses can showcase their capability to handle large-scale implementation of policy changes, paving the way for future opportunities in governmental projects.

## Notice

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) wishes to pilot updated School Food Standards in a sample of schools in England. This pilot seeks to understand whether the updated standards are feasible for caterers and schools to implement and to highlight any unintended consequences. The pilot will explore cost, acceptability and nutritional implications of introducing menus based on updated standards.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/dd5cf6e5-5331-4ad1-a696-60115e564d0b |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Dynamic |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Selective |
| Procurement method details | Call-off from a dynamic purchasing system |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 28 Aug 2025 |
| Submission deadline | 10 Jul 2025 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 26 Aug 2025 |
| Contract period | 3 Aug 2025 - 4 Apr 2026 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £134,185 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £134,185 |
| 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 OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE (DHSC) |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Post town | South West London |
| Postcode | SW1H 0EU |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLI London |
| ITL 2 | TLI3 Inner London - West |
| ITL 3 | TLI35 Westminster and City of London |
| Local authority | Westminster |
| Electoral ward | St James's |
| Westminster constituency | Cities of London and Westminster |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | VERIAN GROUP |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

### Codes

- 79311300 - Survey analysis services

## Release History

- 28 Aug 2025 at 15:19 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/dd5cf6e5-5331-4ad1-a696-60115e564d0b

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/dd5cf6e5-5331-4ad1-a696-60115e564d0b
  28th August 2025 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/a398eb33-5801-49fe-9e93-29262938195c
  RM6126-Draft-Order-Form-SFS Piloting FINAL_Redacted

## 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-c9dc9461-f631-4963-9223-e33805c7f5de. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-c9dc9461-f631-4963-9223-e33805c7f5de.json.