---
title: "Howard Primary School Catering Tender"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05489f"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05489f"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05489f.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05489f.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "HOWARD PRIMARY SCHOOL"
published: "2026-05-14"
---

# Howard Primary School Catering Tender

Buyer: HOWARD PRIMARY SCHOOL  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05489f

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## Summary

The Howard Primary School in Croydon, United Kingdom, has completed its procurement process for the catering services at its primary school. The tender, titled "Howard Primary School Catering Tender," falls under the industry category of services, specifically school catering services. The procurement process was managed by Cohesion Consulting Ltd, acting as a procurement consultant. The contract, valued at approximately £680,000 over an initial three-year period with potential extensions, began in January 2026 and is slated to run through December 2028, with renewal options extending up to 2030. The "Competitive Flexible" method was employed in this procurement, which included a procurement-specific questionnaire and an invitation to tender stages. This process adheres to the Light Touch Regime regulations and was awarded to Compass Contract Services (UK) Limited, trading as Pabulum Ltd, a large-scale supplier located in Birmingham.

This tender presents substantial opportunities for businesses that can provide high-quality catering services, exhibit proactive management, and maintain excellent service standards. Ideal candidates for such tenders would be large-scale service providers experienced in managing school catering operations, ensuring high meal uptake and maintaining consistently high food quality. Businesses looking to expand their footprint in the educational sector, particularly those proficient in adhering to rigorous performance requirements outlined in the contract, will find this tender beneficial. By securing similar contracts, such businesses can bolster their reputation and gain substantial turnover while meeting the critical needs of educational institutions. Furthermore, companies that can demonstrate the ability to meet contract expectations may enjoy the prospect of extended tenure options.

## Notice

Howard Primary School is a primary school in Croydon in the London Borough of Croydon with a student population of approximately 405 aged between 4 and 11 years of age. There is one busy main restaurant, equipped with a modern, well-maintained kitchen, serving as the hub of its catering provision. The School Office Manager, in collaboration with the Headteacher and Senior Leadership Team (SLT), is committed to enhancing the school's catering services. As part of this commitment, the school is tendering its catering contract to secure a provider that can deliver the very best service for every student at the school. The new contract will commence on 1st of August 2025 for an initial three-year term, with an option to extend for a further two years, subject to satisfactory performance and client agreement on budgets and service levels. The projected turnover for the three-year contract is expected to be circa PS680,000. This contract is designed to reward proactive management, ensuring high meal uptake, consistently high food quality and tangible contract support. The School, alongside CCL, expects the successful Contractor to reasonably guarantee their financial proposal and maintain excellent service standards. The procurement process follows a two stage 'Competitive Flexible' approach, beginning with a Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) stage followed by an Invitation to Tender (ITT) stage after shortlisting. This process is managed under the Light Touch Regime, and the School reserves the right to refine the award criteria throughout. The School Office Manager and SLT has outlined key priorities for this tender, including: A TUPE-compliant bid with recommendations for service equipment, serving points, staffing levels and a bespoke food concept to drive sales and uptake. In short, the School seeks a trusted catering partner who can deliver their promises, achieve their sales targets, deliver their service enhancements in full. If bidders fail to demonstrate their ability to meet expectations, the school reserves the right to revert to an 'insourced' solution or post no award. Any investment proposals will need to be consistent with ESFA guidelines.

### Lot Information

Lot LOT-0001

Renewal: The contract can be extended for 2 x 1 years or 1 x 2 years based on satisfactory performance and mutual agreement.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/044615-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Selective |
| Procurement method details | Competitive flexible procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 14 May 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 16 Jul 2025 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 11 Nov 2025 |
| Contract period | 1 Jan 2026 - 31 Dec 2028 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £660,000 |
| Lots value | £660,000 |
| Awards value | £561,000 |
| Contracts value | £561,000 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | HOWARD PRIMARY SCHOOL |
| Additional buyers | COHESION CONSULTING LTD |
| Locality | CROYDON |
| Post town | Croydon |
| Postcode | CR0 1DT |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ4 Kent |
| ITL 3 | TLJ46 West Kent |
| Local authority | Tunbridge Wells |
| Electoral ward | Park |
| Westminster constituency | Tunbridge Wells |
| Delivery location | TLI6 Outer London - South |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | COMPASS CONTRACT SERVICES (UK) LIMITED TRADING AS PABULUM |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services

### Codes

- 55524000 - School catering services

## Release History

- 14 May 2026 at 16:35 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/044615-2026
- 12 Nov 2025 at 15:51 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/073282-2025
- 13 Jun 2025 at 13:38 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/032322-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/044615-2026
  14th May 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/073282-2025
  12th November 2025 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/032322-2025
  13th June 2025 - Tender notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.cohesionconsulting.co.uk
- http://www.howard.croydon.sch.uk
- http://www.pabulum-catering.co.uk
- https://in-tendhost.co.uk/cohesionconsulting/aspx/Home
- 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-05489f. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05489f.json.