--- title: "268100 - Catering - Events" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-066577" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-066577" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-066577.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-066577.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Tender" buyer: "DE MONTFORT UNIVERSITY" published: "2026-03-09" --- # 268100 - Catering - Events Buyer: DE MONTFORT UNIVERSITY Current stage: Tender OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-066577 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-066577) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-066577.json) ## Summary De Montfort University, located in Leicester, is seeking suitable operators to provide diverse catering services across its campus events through a public procurement process. This tender, titled "Catering - Events", encompasses a range of services from small meetings to large conferences and dinners, structured within a Framework Agreement with distinct Lots. The university is inviting bids from businesses by 15 April 2026 as part of an open competition under a 'light-touch' regime, allowing electronic submissions. The procurement aims to reshape food and drink offerings on campus with selected suppliers responsible for catering services in varied capacities, following specified legal guidelines. This tender presents a remarkable opportunity for catering businesses to expand their footprint by partnering with an esteemed academic institution. It seeks operators skilled in providing meeting refreshments, buffets, formal dinners, and engaging in contemporary food concepts like pop-ups and street food offerings. Small to medium enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations would be well-positioned to compete for this opportunity, particularly if they can provide flexible, high-quality catering solutions tailored to De Montfort University's diverse event needs. Catering businesses looking to enhance their market reach in educational and public event spaces will find this tender particularly beneficial. ## Notice EVENT CATERING De Montfort University (DMU) is reshaping food and drink at the heart of campus and is seeking good operators who can deliver a great experience. DMU hosts a wide range of academic, corporate, cultural, and public-facing events across its campus. The compact campus (135,870 SQM) is based in centre of Leicester and comprises circa. 32 buildings. Catering requirements vary in scale, complexity, and formality, ranging from small meetings and working lunches to large dinners, conferences, buffets, receptions, bars and pop-up food offerings. The purpose of this procurement is to establish a Framework Agreement (divided into distinct Lots) from which the University may call off services on a non-exclusive basis in accordance with its requirements. No guarantee of volume or value is given. Services to be provided may include, but are not limited to: * Meeting and conference refreshments * Buffets and informal dining * Formal Dinners & VIP Catering Additional services may be required from time to time: * Pop-Ups, Street Food & Contemporary Concepts * Bar & licensed hospitality services DMU understands that some interested parties may be unfamiliar with traditional tender processes. If you have any questions regarding the process or issues registering on the InTend portal, please email procurement@dmu.ac.uk. ### Lot Information Meeting and Conference Refreshments Provision of light catering for meetings, seminars, and conferences for 30 - 600 attendees, between 8am - 5pm, Monday- Friday, however some evening and weekend provision may be required. The majority of services will be required across 10 core campus buildings, with the flexibility to support requirements across the whole campus. The operator will be responsible for supplying all necessary packaging and service materials required to support hospitality orders. If required and pre-booked, access to kitchen facilities may be granted, subject to availability and approval. Users are fully responsible for checking the condition of the kitchen and ensuring it is left as found. The anticipated volume is approximately 300-400 bookings per year. Special Occasion Catering & Dinners - Large Scale A fully managed catering solution for large events of between 50 and 500 attendees. The majority of events will be held during evening and weekends in our events centre, The Venue@DMU, with the flexibility to support requests in a handful of other locations across campus. The operator will be responsible for supplying all necessary staffing, crockery, cutlery and equipment to deliver a service to the highest standards. If required and pre-booked, access to kitchen facilities may be granted, subject to availability and approval. Users are fully responsible for checking the condition of the kitchen and ensuring it is left as found. The anticipated volume is approximately 30-40 events per year. Formal Dinners & VIP Catering - Small Scale A fully managed catering solution for intimate or high-profile events of up to 20 people. The majority of events will be held in our dedicated hospitality suite, 1 Richmond Street, with the flexibility to support requests in a handful of other locations across campus. The operator will be responsible for supplying all necessary staffing, crockery, cutlery and equipment to deliver a service to the highest standards. If required and pre-booked, access to kitchen facilities may be granted, subject to availability and approval. Users are fully responsible for checking the condition of the kitchen and ensuring it is left as found. The anticipated volume is approximately 10-15 bookings per year. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020936-2026 | | Notice type | UK4 - Tender Notice | | Procurement type | Framework | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Open | | Procurement method details | Below threshold - open competition | | Tender suitability | SME, VCSE | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Tender | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 9 Mar 2026 | | Submission deadline | 15 Apr 2026 | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 31 Jul 2026 - 31 Jul 2028 | | 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 | Active | | Lots status | Active | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | DE MONTFORT UNIVERSITY | | Locality | LEICESTER | | Post town | Leicester | | Postcode | LE1 9BH | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLF East Midlands (England) | | ITL 2 | TLF2 Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | | ITL 3 | TLF21 Leicester | | Local authority | Leicester | | Electoral ward | Castle | | Westminster constituency | Leicester South | | Delivery location | Not specified | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services ### Codes - 55520000 - Catering services - 55523000 - Catering services for other enterprises or other institutions ## Release History - 9 Mar 2026 at 14:12 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020936-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020936-2026 9th March 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender - https://in-tendhost.co.uk/demontfort/aspx/Home ## Notice URLs - http://www.dmu.ac.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-066577. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-066577.json.