---
title: "St John the Baptist Catholic MAT ~ Catering Tender"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-069470"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-069470"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-069470.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-069470.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Tender"
buyer: "ST JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHOLIC MAT"
published: "2026-05-08"
---

# St John the Baptist Catholic MAT ~ Catering Tender

Buyer: ST JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHOLIC MAT  
Current stage: Tender  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-069470

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## Summary

St John the Baptist Catholic MAT is currently initiating a procurement process for a Catering Tender, inviting competitive bids for the provision of catering services across its schools located in Norwich and surrounding regions, classified under the UKH15 region. This procurement falls under the "services" category, focusing on school catering services, with a competitive flexible procedure in place. The contract is set to commence on 1st January 2027 and will run until 31st December 2029, with a potential extension of up to two additional years. The estimated contract value is £5 million, and prospective suppliers have until 28th August 2026 to submit their tenders. The tender period allows for enquiries to be made until 5th June 2026, with an award decision anticipated by 12th October 2026.

This tender presents a significant business growth opportunity for suppliers specialising in school catering services, especially those who can offer innovative, healthy food solutions that align with emerging food trends seen in high street and retail environments. Businesses that focus on using fresh, locally sourced ingredients and can support educational initiatives around healthy eating may find this opportunity well-suited to their strengths. The procurement method prioritises quality over merely offering the lowest price, making it an ideal chance for companies capable of delivering high-quality catering services and innovative approaches within a public school setting. The engagement with nine schools also allows suppliers to build a substantial portfolio, leveraging the option to extend the contract and incorporate additional schools from the Trust in the future.

## Notice

The successful Supplier will be required to provide catering services for St John the Baptist Catholic MAT. The tender project is seeking to appoint a single Supplier whose initiative and innovation will be welcomed for the provision of catering service within the existing facilities for the 8 primary schools and 1 secondary school. There are other schools within the Trust, currently self -operating catering, which may well become part of the contract scope during this contract period and if this becomes the case, joining schools would be priced in the spirit of the primary and secondary models submitted. The Trust would wish the successful Supplier to review the current range of services offered, as well as to looking at the delivery of the current catering service and make recommendations accordingly. The contract being tendered is for three years in duration from 1st January 2027 to the 31st December 2029 with the option to extend for a further two years, the extension would only be for 1 year at a time and will operate as a guaranteed performance contract, with the successful Supplier offering the Trust a guaranteed return / cost per annum for the provision of catering services. Sovereignty of the cash tariff is to remain with the Trust for the duration of this contract. The Trust intends its' schools to be open for 190 days, however there are current consultations at an early stage which may end up reducing operational days ( via extension of the school day) - anything material available at the time of publishing will be included in the ITT documentation. The contract offered covers the scope for the provision of all catering services within the schools, which currently includes morning break, lunch, all hospitality and free issue requirements. The client would like to see innovative delivery of emerging food trends that are seen on the high street and in retail outlets that pupils and their families frequent and therefore need to be reflected in the school dining rooms. The ITT will capture detailed specifications for each school against which bidders can present confident proposals. Free School Meals and hospitality will be charged based on consumption at a rate agreed yearly in line with government funding with associated sales and costs included within the pricing models. The successful Supplier will be expected to maximise the sourcing of fresh produce on a local basis, as well as provide support on educating the pupils in healthy eating and where food comes from. Whilst the Trust prioritises value for money as a key objective of the competitive tender process, the governing body is not obliged to accept the lowest price. The T/O value of the current contract is PS1m per annum. The successful Supplier will be required to provide catering services for nine schools;; * Notre Dame High School, Surrey Street, Norwich, NR1 3PB * St Mary's RC Primary School, Kirkley Cliff Road, Lowestoft, NR33 0DG * St Benet's Catholic Primary, Ringsfield Road, Beccles, NR34 9PQ * St Edmund's Catholic Primary School, St Marys Street, Bungay, NR32 1AY * St Augustine's Catholic Primary School, 19 West End, Costessey, Norwich, NR8 5AG * St Mary & St Peter Catholic Primary School, East Anglian Way, Gorleston, NR31 6QY * Sacred Heart RC Primary School, Tollgate, Bretton, Peterborough, PE3 9XD * St Martha's Catholic Primary School, Field Lane, Kings Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 4AY * St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary, Jessop Road, Norwich, Norfolk, NR2 3QB The Trust expects the successful Supplier to enable the continued development of catering through the provision of an innovative, healthy food service, with fresh, seasonal, locally sourced ingredients being prepared on-site. Please see PSQ Document for more information. For more information about this opportunity, please visit the eSourcing portal at: https://litmustms.co.uk/tenders/UK-UK-Norwich:-School-catering-services./85P8RY7TK8 To respond to this opportunity, please click here: https://litmustms.co.uk/respond/85P8RY7TK8

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: 3+1+1 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/042404-2026 |
| Notice type | UK4 - Tender Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Competitive flexible procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Tender |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 8 May 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 28 Aug 2026 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 1 Jan 2027 - 31 Dec 2029 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £5,000,000 |
| Lots value | £5,000,000 |
| 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 | ST JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHOLIC MAT |
| Locality | NORWICH |
| Post town | Norwich |
| Postcode | NR1 3PB |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLH East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLH5 Norfolk |
| ITL 3 | TLH51 Norwich and East Norfolk |
| Local authority | Norwich |
| Electoral ward | Mancroft |
| Westminster constituency | Norwich South |
| Delivery location | TLH15 Norwich and East Norfolk |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services

### Codes

- 55524000 - School catering services

## Release History

- 8 May 2026 at 10:31 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/042404-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/042404-2026
  8th May 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://litmustms.co.uk/respond/85P8RY7TK8
- https://litmustms.co.uk/tenders/UK-UK-Norwich:-School-catering-services./85P8RY7TK8
- 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-069470. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-069470.json.