--- title: "School Catering Services for East Sussex County Council" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0508eb" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0508eb" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0508eb.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0508eb.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Award" buyer: "EAST SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL" published: "2026-03-04" --- # School Catering Services for East Sussex County Council Buyer: EAST SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL Current stage: Award OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0508eb [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0508eb) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0508eb.json) ## Summary The procurement process for school catering services in East Sussex is being conducted by East Sussex County Council. The council aims to appoint a qualified service provider to deliver school meal services to educational establishments within the region after the current contract expires on 31st July 2026. The new arrangement is expected to commence on 1st August 2026 and will be worth approximately £10.4 million per annum, serving 138 schools. Key objectives include ensuring high-quality, value-for-money service provision, with the added commitment of social value initiatives. The procurement follows an open procedure under the legal framework provided by UK legislation. The award for this contract was decided on 2nd March 2026, with Compass Contract Services (U.K.) Limited winning the bid. The contract period extends till 31st July 2031, with possible extensions until 2033. This tender offers significant opportunities for businesses in the catering industry to contribute to a substantial and impactful service within the public sector. Providers who can deliver not only high-quality meals but also demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvement, social value, and environmental initiatives stand to benefit greatly. This procurement is particularly suited to large-scale catering enterprises capable of handling the volume and logistics of providing approximately 15,000 meals daily across numerous schools. The openness of the tender process and the emphasis on quality and price in award criteria make it a promising opportunity for established companies to expand their market presence in the educational sector within East Sussex. ## Notice East Sussex County Council Council is seeking to appoint a qualified and suitable service provider for the provision of school meal services to educational establishments in the East Sussex area. The current contract expires on 31st July 2026. The County Council is legally required to provide access to a free school meal service for maintained schools (including provision of Key Stage 1 meals currently funded through Universal Infant Free School Meal funding from the DfE); therefore, arrangements will need to be made to continue to provide this service from 1st August 2026. The contracts are worth approximately PS10.4 million per annum and currently used by 138 schools, serving approximately 15,000 meals per day. The objectives of this procurement are to put in place a high quality, value for money service provision whilst also gaining commitment from the provider to undertake continuous improvement and offer environmental and social value initiatives, to further enhance the service. ### Lot Information Lot 1 Renewal: Optional extension period of 1+1 years from 01.08.2031-31.07.2033. ### Planning Information We will be sending out a survey on Monday 30th June for providers to complete by Friday 18th July. Once we have received your feedback, we will ask you to attend a meeting to discuss our requirements further on either Wednesday 23rd July or Tuesday 29th July. These will be held virtually with individual providers. Please register your interest by providing your email to Hannah.Phillips@eastsussex.gov.uk by Friday 27th June and we will contact you with the survey on Monday 30th June. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/019300-2026 | | Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Open | | Procurement method details | Open procedure | | Tender suitability | Not specified | | Awardee scale | Large | | All stages | Planning, Tender, Award | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 4 Mar 2026 | | Submission deadline | 17 Nov 2025 | | Future notice date | 6 Oct 2025 | | Award date | 2 Mar 2026 | | Contract period | 31 Jul 2026 - 31 Jul 2031 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £72,800,000 | | Lots value | £72,800,000 | | Awards value | £72,800,000 | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Complete | | Lots status | Complete | | Awards status | Active | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | EAST SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL | | Locality | LEWES | | Post town | Brighton | | Postcode | BN7 1UE | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) | | ITL 2 | TLJ2 Surrey, East and West Sussex | | ITL 3 | TLJ22 East Sussex CC | | Local authority | Lewes | | Electoral ward | Lewes Priory | | Westminster constituency | Lewes | | Delivery location | TLJ22 East Sussex CC | ## Supplier | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Number of suppliers | 1 | | Supplier names | COMPASS CONTRACT SERVICES (U.K. | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services ### Codes - 55524000 - School catering services ## Release History - 4 Mar 2026 at 09:37 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/019300-2026 - 6 Oct 2025 at 09:15 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/062398-2025 - 18 Jun 2025 at 09:53 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/033189-2025 - 29 Apr 2025 at 09:54 - Planning - UK1 - Pipeline Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/017529-2025 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/019300-2026 4th March 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/062398-2025 6th October 2025 - Tender notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/033189-2025 18th June 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/017529-2025 29th April 2025 - Pipeline notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - http://www.hcl.co.uk - https://caterlinkltd.co.uk/ - https://supplierlive.proactisp2p.com - https://www.compass-group.co.uk/ - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents ## 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-0508eb. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0508eb.json.