---
title: "Invitation to Tender (Framework Agreement) to Manage Catering Services at Northern Star Academies Trust"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05082e"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05082e"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05082e.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05082e.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "NORTHERN STAR ACADEMIES TRUST"
published: "2025-07-21"
---

# Invitation to Tender (Framework Agreement) to Manage Catering Services at Northern Star Academies Trust

Buyer: NORTHERN STAR ACADEMIES TRUST  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05082e

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## Summary

The Northern Star Academies Trust, a public body situated in Skipton, United Kingdom, has concluded an open procurement procedure for managing catering services across its network of 15 schools in North Yorkshire. The procurement process culminated in the award phase on 21 July 2025, with Aspens Services Limited being chosen as the supplier. The initiative was designed as a framework agreement for school catering services, classified under CPV code 55524000, focusing on primary and secondary school meals. The contract was signed on 21 July 2025, confirming the provision of inclusive and nutritious meal options tailored to diverse student demographics. The process, initially active from 28 April 2025, followed an open procedure, ensuring competitive bidding with qualitative and cost-effective evaluation criteria.

This tender opens avenues for businesses specialising in school catering services, particularly those focused on innovative and customer-centric solutions, to expand their reach within the educational sector. Firms adept at providing flexible menus, engaging food education initiatives, and utilising seasonal and locally sourced produce will find strategic growth opportunities. Moreover, businesses equipped with robust management capabilities for delivering high-quality services and engaging proactively with the school trust will be well-suited to compete. The contract also emphasizes social value and community engagement, positioning businesses with such ethos in a favourable stance for future competitive tenders. The potential for two optional 12-month extensions further enhances the opportunity for sustained business development.

## Notice

Provision of catering service for a Trust of 15 Schools including 2 Secondaries, across North Yorkshire.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

The Northern Star Academies Trust wish to be at the forefront of school catering and as such require a modern, branded offer that reflects the leading trends in the industry whilst adapting to a diverse demographic of customers. At this time, the Trust's wish is to commence a catering contract, with a partner who shares their vision for a customer-focused service that attracts the maximum number of students. The meals that are to be provided must be appealing to customers, inclusive, imaginative, provide excellent value for money and be nutritionally balanced to encourage all students to make an educated choice. The School's objectives for the new contract are as follows:- * A catering service that is professionally managed and works in partnership with Business & Operations Leadership. * A strong Contractor & Group/Area Manager who will develop and lead the team to deliver exceptional customer service, a consistently high-quality food offer and spend a substantial amount of time on site at the outset to undertake this. * A Contractor who is proactive in their relationship management with the School/Trust. * Flexible menus to fit local demographics * Food education initiatives, pupil engagement and improved social dining experience * Seasonal, locally sourced produce prioritised. * Food and drinks that look appetising and are attractively presented. * A service that is professionally merchandised and marketed with discretion and to the mutual benefit of the Trust and the Contractor. * Natasha's Law (2021): Full allergen labelling on all pre-packed food. * HMC Halal Compliance where required. * To work with Schools to develop a social dining ethos leading to a higher number of students and staff using the facilities. * A Contractor that adopts a flexible and proactive approach to all Trust activities, specifically involving student engagement at Primary & Secondary level within food education and skills development. A Contractor that is dedicated to supporting our local communities through Social Value enterprise and engagement activities. * A Contractor that operates using the optimum level of staffing.

Options: 2x optional extensions of 12 months each

Renewal: 2x 1 year optional extensions

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/041615-2025 |
| Notice type | Tender Notice |
| Procurement type | Framework |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 21 Jul 2025 |
| Submission deadline | 30 May 2025 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 20 Jul 2025 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Cancelled |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | NORTHERN STAR ACADEMIES TRUST |
| Locality | SKIPTON |
| Post town | Bradford |
| Postcode | BD23 1QN |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLE Yorkshire and The Humber |
| ITL 2 | TLE2 North Yorkshire |
| ITL 3 | TLE22 North Yorkshire |
| Local authority | North Yorkshire |
| Electoral ward | Skipton North & Embsay-with-Eastby |
| Westminster constituency | Skipton and Ripon |
| Delivery location | TLE Yorkshire and The Humber, TLE2 North Yorkshire |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | ASPENS SERVICES |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 15 - Food, beverages, tobacco and related products
- 55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services

### Codes

- 15894210 - School meals
- 55524000 - School catering services

## Release History

- 21 Jul 2025 at 11:32 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/041615-2025
- 28 Apr 2025 at 10:05 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/017240-2025

## Notice URLs

- http://www.redboxportal.com/
- https://redboxcs.com/
- https://www.nsat.org.uk/

## 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-h6vhtk-05082e. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05082e.json.