---
title: "South West Essex Community Education Trust ~ Catering Tender"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06780e"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06780e"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06780e.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06780e.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "SOUTH WEST ESSEX COMMUNITY EDUCATION TRUST"
published: "2026-07-02"
---

# South West Essex Community Education Trust ~ Catering Tender

Buyer: SOUTH WEST ESSEX COMMUNITY EDUCATION TRUST  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06780e

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## Summary

The procurement process titled "South West Essex Community Education Trust ~ Catering Tender" involves the South West Essex Community Education Trust seeking service providers for catering services at their educational facilities. The procurement is being conducted under a competitive flexible procedure in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023. The contract was awarded to Aspens Services Ltd for a gross amount of £1,375,000, with the contract running from 1st August 2026 to 31st July 2029 and an optional extension until 31st July 2031. This opportunity arose following the withdrawal of the Local Authority Catering service, with key operational locations including the three primary schools within the trust situated in Essex. The procurement reached the award stage on 2nd July 2026, with the standstill period concluding on 14th July 2026.

This tender provides significant opportunities for business growth, particularly for those operating in the school catering services industry. The procurement focuses on delivering innovative and bespoke catering solutions to enhance staple primary menu items, hence businesses with a creative approach to food services and experience in educational settings are well-suited to participate. With current catering sales revenue standing at approximately £275,000 per annum, there is ample room for organisations that can drive sales, increase customer uptake, and manage overheads effectively. The provisions for TUPW and LGPS membership further highlight the commitment to staff welfare, making it an attractive opportunity for companies prioritising employee benefits and welfare. This dynamic environment is ideal for firms that are adaptable and capable of delivering high-quality, consistent service across multiple locations.

## Notice

Please note that this PSQ is running concurrently alongside the ITT. You will need to register separately for both the PSQ and the ITT. If you have any questions around the PSQ or the ITT please use the message centre feature in the ITT section of LTMS. Please note that this PSQ is running concurrently alongside the ITT. You will need to register separately for both the PSQ and the ITT. If you have any questions around the PSQ or the ITT please use the message centre feature in the ITT section of LTMS. The successful Supplier will be required to provide cleaning services for South West Essex Community Education Trust. This procurement is being conducted under a concurrent competitive flexible procedure in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023. Suppliers must meet the minimum conditions of participation in the PSQ in order to progress to having their tenders scored. Sales value is currently PS275,000 per annum (see ITT data pack) SWECET formed in 2015 when a group of like-minded schools came together to form the South West Essex Community Education Trust. They were united in the belief that every young person needs and deserves an education that will maximise their future life chances and that this could be better achieved together. The founding schools and those schools that have joined since are all united by shared values and beliefs, but this is where the similarities end. We encourage each other to remain unique places of learning. We believe our schools' differences are an asset, allowing for creative thinking and sharing of best practice, raising standards across the Trust and providing exciting opportunities for our students. This opportunity has come to market after the recent withdrawal of the Local Authority Catering service, therefore the expectation will be that TUPW will apply and LGPS membership will be a feature of most employee's contract terms. The schools have consistent and dedicated teams performing the services currently. In scope for this project are the three primary schools in the Trust; Deneholm Primary School Stifford Clays Primary School Chadwell St Mary Primary School Current catering sales revenue is around PS275k per annum The Client would like to see innovative delivery of staple primary menu items, enhanced where appropriate with innovation and interest. There is a need to maximise sales and uptake to contribute against overheads - this can be achieved by offering a dynamic and bespoke food offering across all of the schools. Please see PSQ Document for more information

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: 3+2 Please see PSQ Document for more information.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/062346-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Competitive flexible procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 2 Jul 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 1 May 2026 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 9 Jun 2026 |
| Contract period | 31 Jul 2026 - 31 Jul 2029 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £1,375,000 |
| Lots value | £1,375,000 |
| Awards value | £1,375,000 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Pending |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | SOUTH WEST ESSEX COMMUNITY EDUCATION TRUST |
| Locality | ESSEX |
| Post town | Romford |
| Postcode | RM16 2QH |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLH East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLH3 Essex |
| ITL 3 | TLH32 Thurrock |
| Local authority | Thurrock |
| Electoral ward | Little Thurrock Blackshots |
| Westminster constituency | Thurrock |
| Delivery location | TLH3 Essex |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | ASPENS SERVICES |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services

### Codes

- 55524000 - School catering services

## Release History

- 2 Jul 2026 at 13:54 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/062346-2026
- 30 Mar 2026 at 14:25 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/029206-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/062346-2026
  2nd July 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/029206-2026
  30th March 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://swecet.org/
- 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-06780e. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06780e.json.