---
title: "School Meals Catering Service"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05a424"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05a424"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05a424.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05a424.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "LONDON BOROUGH OF MERTON"
published: "2025-09-29"
---

# School Meals Catering Service

Buyer: LONDON BOROUGH OF MERTON  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05a424

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## Summary

The London Borough of Merton is in the planning stage of a procurement process for the provision of catering services to pupils and staff in primary, special, and secondary schools within the borough. The process seeks to commence in September 2026, with an engagement milestone set for 17 October 2025. The procurement falls under the services category, specifically 'school catering services' (CPV: 55524000), and is considered above threshold. The contract period is anticipated to start on 3 August 2026 and end on 2 August 2029, with an option to extend until 2 August 2031. The procurement is being managed through a soft market testing phase, inviting potential suppliers to engage by responding to a questionnaire referenced DN792355. The location of the procurement is Morden, London, UK, and further details can be accessed via the London Tenders portal.

This tender offers substantial opportunities for businesses specialising in school catering services, especially those capable of handling large-scale contracts across multiple school types, including primary, special, and secondary schools. Given the light touch regime and the sizeable scope of the contract, businesses that can demonstrate efficiency, high service quality, and prior experience in educational catering stand well-positioned to benefit. The extended contract period with renewal options further enhances the potential for sustained business growth, making this a valuable opportunity for catering companies looking to establish or expand their presence within the public sector.

## Notice

The London Borough of Merton ("the Council") is seeking to undertake a procurement exercise for the provision of catering services for pupils and staff within our primary, special and secondary schools from September 2026. The Council currently provides school catering services for 35 out of 43 primary schools, 3 special schools and 2 secondary schools within the Borough - these are commissioned through central contracts - one for primary and special schools and one for secondary schools.

### Planning Information

The London Borough of Merton (“the Council”) is seeking to undertake a procurement exercise for the provision of catering services for pupils and staff within our primary, special and secondary schools from September 2026.
The Council would like to discuss the provision of School Meals Catering Services. A soft market testing questionnaire can be accessed via the London Tenders portal (ref: DN792355). There are a set of questions at the end of the document for which we are seeking responses from providers such as yourselves.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/060547-2025 |
| Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 29 Sep 2025 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 17 Oct 2025 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 2 Aug 2026 - 2 Aug 2029 |
| 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 | Planning |
| Lots status | Planning |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | LONDON BOROUGH OF MERTON |
| Locality | MORDEN |
| Post town | Sutton |
| Postcode | SM4 5DX |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLI London |
| ITL 2 | TLI6 Outer London - South |
| ITL 3 | TLI63 Merton, Kingston upon Thames and Sutton |
| Local authority | Merton |
| Electoral ward | Merton Park |
| Westminster constituency | Wimbledon |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services

### Codes

- 55524000 - School catering services

## Release History

- 29 Sep 2025 at 13:49 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/060547-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/060547-2025
  29th September 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- 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-05a424. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05a424.json.