---
title: "Framework Agreement for Catering Services at Blackdown Education Partnership Schools"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-077907"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-077907"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077907.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077907.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "Blackdown Education Partnership"
published: "2026-09-23"
---

# Framework Agreement for Catering Services at Blackdown Education Partnership Schools

Buyer: Blackdown Education Partnership  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-077907

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## Summary

Blackdown Education Partnership, a multi-academy trust with 13 schools in Devon and Somerset, plans to procure catering services for six secondary schools; three of those schools also provide services to primary sites. The schools currently use a mix of contracted catering and externally supported in-house services. The work is school catering, delivered across the trust’s participating school sites in Devon and Somerset. The procurement is planned as a framework agreement. Red Box Consultancy Services is supporting the process, including market engagement and preparation of the tender materials.

The process is at the planning stage: the trust has set out its intention to procure, but has not yet issued an invitation to tender. It expects to release the tender documents and open bookings for site visits from the week commencing 5 October 2026. Site visits are expected in November 2026, with exact dates to be confirmed. The buyer expects bids by 5 January 2027, shortlist decisions on 13 January and presentations for shortlisted bidders on 21 January. The new contract is planned to start on 12 April 2027, for an initial three-year term, with two optional 12-month extensions. No procurement method, evaluation basis or contract value is stated in the available planning information.

The procurement is marked as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises, so smaller catering businesses may be eligible to compete. It is likely to interest suppliers able to provide catering across multiple secondary-school sites, including schools that also serve primary pupils. The mix of existing contracted and externally supported in-house arrangements may be relevant to suppliers experienced in taking on different service models. The planned site visits are intended to let contractors see the service and meet the client, providing an early chance to understand the operating environment and prepare for the tender. The available planning information does not set out specific accreditations, staffing requirements, capacity thresholds or experience criteria, so suppliers should look for these in the tender materials when released.

## Notice

Blackdown Education Partnership are a Multi Academy Trust of 13 Schools based in Devon & Somerset. This tender will include six secondary schools, three of which deliver to Primary sites. The schools currently have a mixture of contracted services (4 Secondaries) and externally supported in-house services (2 Secondaries). The new contract will commence from Mon 12th April 2027, following the Easter break. Key Dates: Market Engagement - Aug & Sept 2026 Red Box Data Gathering- Aug & Sept 2026 ITT release date- Est. Early October 2026 Contractor Site visits- November across several days, exact dates TBC Bid Deadline- 5th Jan 2027 Shortlisting announced- 13th Jan 2027 Presentations- 21st Jan between 9.30 - 3.30 pm Contract start date- Mon 12th April (after Easter break)

### Planning Information

Contractors are invited to register interest in this procurement through Red Box Tender Portal, where all communication, documents and bids will be managed. If you are not already registered with Red Box, please email admin@redboxcs.com to request registration.
We expect the ITT and supporting documents to be released and site visit bookings to open from W/C 5th October.
Site visits will be held in November, giving contractors the opportunity to see service and meet the client. You must book onto these visits via the Red Box Portal.
The deadline for bids will be 3pm January 5th 2027, with shortlisting on the 13th January 2027 and presentations for the shortlisted bidders on the 21st January 2027.
New contract start date will be 12th April 2027, for a 3 year initial term and 2 x 12 month optional extensions.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/090342-2026 |
| Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice |
| Procurement type | Framework |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 23 Sep 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 12 Apr 2027 - 12 Apr 2030 |
| 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 | Blackdown Education Partnership |
| Locality | DEVON |
| Postcode area | Exeter |
| Postcode | EX15 3AG |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK4 Devon |
| ITL 3 | TLK43 Devon CC |
| Local authority | Mid Devon |
| Electoral ward | Lower Culm |
| Westminster constituency | Tiverton and Minehead |
| Delivery location | TLK23 Somerset CC, TLK4 Devon |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services

### Codes

- 55524000 - School catering services

## Release History

- 23 Sep 2026 at 18:17 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/090342-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/090342-2026
  23rd September 2026 - 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-077907. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077907.json.