---
title: "PP-10173 Co-op Academies Trust Catering"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05dfce"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05dfce"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05dfce.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05dfce.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "THE CO-OPERATIVE ACADEMIES TRUST"
published: "2026-05-18"
---

# PP-10173 Co-op Academies Trust Catering

Buyer: THE CO-OPERATIVE ACADEMIES TRUST  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05dfce

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## Summary

The Co-operative Academies Trust has recently concluded an extensive procurement process to appoint suppliers for the provision of catering services across its multi-academy trust network, comprising 38 academies located in West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, and Staffordshire. Detailed in the tender PP-10173, this initiative, first announced in November 2025, has reached the award stage as of May 2026, with contracts set to commence on 1 September 2026. The procurement method employed was a competitive flexible procedure, segmented into five lots, each corresponding to a specific geographic location within the UK. This contract will initially cover a period of three years, with potential extensions up to two additional years at the discretion of the Trust.

This tender represents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in catering services, particularly those skilled in managing large-scale educational sector food provision. Companies with expertise in delivering nutritious and diverse meal options while adhering to government standards in nutrition stand to benefit greatly. The competitive procedure tailored to include a careful selection process, targeting both large service providers and SMEs with the capability to handle the substantial service requirements, thus fostering business growth for firms capable of innovating within operational and service delivery in the school catering realm.

## Notice

Co-op Academies Trust is a multi-academy trust with schools located in West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, and Staffordshire. Their portfolio of schools includes around 38 academies across these areas, serving primary, secondary, and special schools, as well as a college of which 32 will be involved in this tender. The trust currently receives catering provision from the local authority as well as other privately owned incumbents. At the sole discretion of the Trust any future schools that the Trust may incorporate into the Trust will also be added to the contract. Any additional schools will co-terminate to the end same end date of the initial contract. The proposed contract will be for the outsourced provision of catering services to the Client. It is the Client's expectation that the Successful Bidder shall be responsible for the operation of the catering function including employment and management of staff, supply of foodstuffs, consumables and light equipment where required and preparing and serving appropriate meals. The Supplier will also be expected to provide hospitality at certain school events both during and outside of school core hours. The Client will retain responsibility for payment of utilities and the operation and maintenance of core catering equipment and facilities. The Successful bidder will provide a range of good quality, nutritious, attractively presented meals for pupils and staff, that comply with Government's minimum nutritional and food based standards for the educational sector. Meals should reflect growth in healthy eating trends and promote uptake. The Successful Bidder shall establish effective management and operational level communication systems at all levels regarding the catering service with customers that include; School management, parents, and pupils. In addition, the Successful Bidder will also be responsible for all legal and health and safety & food safety requirements in delivering the catering services. Further information on the Client's requirements can be found in the tender package. The Contract period will be for 3 years initially, with the option to extend for two further one-year periods at the discretion of the Client. The Contract is split into Lots.

### Lot Information

Lot 1 - Greater Manchester

Renewal: Option to extend for two further one-year periods at the discretion of the Client

Lot 2 - West Yorkshire 1

Renewal: Option to extend for two further one-year periods at the discretion of the Client

Lot 3 - West Yorkshire 2

Renewal: Option to extend for two further one-year periods at the discretion of the Client

Lot 4 - Staffordshire

Renewal: Option to extend for two further one-year periods at the discretion of the Client

Lot 5 - Merseyside

Renewal: Option to extend for two further one-year periods at the discretion of the Client

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/045387-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Selective |
| Procurement method details | Competitive flexible procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | Large, SME |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 18 May 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 1 Dec 2025 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 14 May 2026 |
| Contract period | 31 Aug 2026 - 31 Aug 2029 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £31,930,000 |
| Lots value | £31,930,000 |
| Awards value | £31,800,067 |
| 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 | THE CO-OPERATIVE ACADEMIES TRUST |
| Additional buyers | PLACE GROUP LTD |
| Locality | MANCHESTER |
| Post town | Manchester |
| Postcode | M60 0AG |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK3 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly |
| ITL 3 | TLK30 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly |
| Local authority | Cornwall |
| Electoral ward | Penzance Promenade |
| Westminster constituency | St Ives |
| Delivery location | TLD3 Greater Manchester, TLD7 Merseyside, TLE4 West Yorkshire, TLG2 Shropshire and Staffordshire |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 3 |
| Supplier names | CATER LINK; MELLORS CATERING SERVICES; MIQUILL CATERING |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 15894210 - School meals
- 55523100 - School-meal services
- 55524000 - School catering services

## Release History

- 18 May 2026 at 13:30 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/045387-2026
- 12 Nov 2025 at 15:27 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/073264-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/045387-2026
  18th May 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/073264-2025
  12th November 2025 - Tender notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://in-tendhost.co.uk/placegroup/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-05dfce. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05dfce.json.