Official UK procurement notice
Nexus Education Schools Trust - Catering and Cleaning Services
Authority: Nexus Education Schools Trust (Education)·On behalf of: Minerva Procurement Consultancy Services Limited
What is being bought2 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionCatering – Lot 1
Nexus Education Schools Trust is currently out to tender for the provision of a full daily catering service.
The contract is being offered for three years with the option to extend for a further two periods of 12 months. The contract commencement date is 01 August 2026.
The services at the Trust schools are currently outsourced.
The Contractor will be responsible for the provision of a full school food catering service for the pupils and staff at the schools. This will consist of breakfast and morning breaks at some sites and full lunch service for each school day on all sites.
Across the Trust of 12 schools, there are currently over 3700 pupils on roll for the academic year 2025/26. Of this figure, 1444 pupils are entitled to UIFSM and a further 328 to Free School Meals.
TUPE is expected to apply, details of which can be found in the tender documentation.
No members of the catering team are members of the Local Government Pension Scheme.
The Trust is keen to further increase uptake and continue the good work already in place for catering. It wishes to do so by working closely with the successful contractor in developing and continuously improving the service and partnership during the period of the contract and by introducing innovative and creative ideas as submitted in the tender process and ongoing.
The Trust is aware that there are always opportunities to improve and modernise. They are interested in ensuring that the caterers provide the best possible service, introducing new menu ideas and initiatives so that pupils are all eating and utilising the service regularly.
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Cleaning – Lot 2
The Trust is currently out to tender for the provision of a full daily cleaning service across 6 sites.
The contract is being offered for three years with the option to extend for a further two periods of 12 months. The contract commencement date is 01 September 2026.
The services at the Trust schools are currently a mix of in-house and outsourced provision.
The contract is for a full daily cleaning service during term time and periodic cleaning outside of term time.
TUPE is expected to apply, details of which can be found in the tender documentation.
Some members of the cleaning team (7) are members of the Local Government Pension Scheme and all details are in the tender documentation.
- The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 21 Nov 2027, 23:59 GMT.
- How the procedure runs: Preliminary Market Engagement No preliminary market engagement undertaken as requirements are simple, standard and in a mature supply market. Duty to Consider Lots As part of the initial project set up and approval stage of the tender process, Nexus Education Schools Trust discussed with Minerva Procurement Consultancy Services Limited the possibility of splitting the tender into more than one lot/contract. It was agreed with Nexus Education Schools Trust that lots would be the most appropriate option for this tender process in order to encourage participation by SMEs, due to the different geographical areas where the Trust schools are located and the nature of the two services required. Full details of the description of the process being used are contained within the documents accompanying this tender. Stage 1 Conditions of participation with evaluation Suppliers are invited to submit a Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) response. Submissions will be evaluated based on the criteria detailed in the PSQ documentation. A maximum of five suppliers per Lot will be taken forward to the Invitation to Tender stage of the process. Where less than five suppliers meet the minimum standards, only those that meet the minimum standards will be taken through to the Invitation to Tender stage. Where more than five suppliers per Lot meet the minimum standard, those suppliers with the highest scores will proceed to the Invitation to Tender stage. Stage 2 Invitation to Tender with evaluation Suppliers shortlisted to the Invitation to Tender (ITT) stage will be required to submit their final tender and will be evaluated on the criteria detailed in the ITT documentation. Envisaged shortlist of the three highest scoring bidders per Lot to be invited to: Stage 3 Presentation Day Stage 4 Assessment Summaries and Publication of Contract Award Notice (commencing 8 working day standstill period) Stage 5 Publication of Contract Details Notice Further details of the CFP can be found in the documentation accompanying this tender.
CPV: School catering services · School cleaning services
Lots and requirements (2)Procurement structure
2 lots · all with a published value (£10,740,000 together) · evaluation weights differ by lotLot #1Catering ServicesAwardedRenewalPublished value£8,580,000
The source published no individual description for this lot.
Lot #2Cleaning ServicesAwardedRenewalPublished value£2,160,000
The source published no individual description for this lot.
What it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Lots publish different evaluation splits; there is no single procedure weighting.
| Lot | Quality | Price | Split |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Catering Services | 90% | 10% | |
| 2 · Cleaning Services | 70% | 30% |
- Price carries 10–30 points depending on the lot. Read the split per lot below.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Competitive flexible procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Light touch regime
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Yes · next expected 21 Nov 2027
- First published
- 24 Dec 2025, 09:46 GMT
- Last source update
- 14 Oct 2026, 13:21 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 10 Jun 2026
- Authority reference
MPN-10342- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-086060- Latest notice
- Contract details notice (UK7)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05fd18Find a Tender
- How it runs
Preliminary Market Engagement
No preliminary market engagement undertaken as requirements are simple, standard and in a mature supply market.
Duty to Consider Lots
As part of the initial project set up and approval stage of the tender process, Nexus Education Schools Trust discussed with Minerva Procurement Consultancy Services Limited the possibility of splitting the tender into more than one lot/contract.
It was agreed with Nexus Education Schools Trust that lots would be the most appropriate option for this tender process in order to encourage participation by SMEs, due to the different geographical areas where the Trust schools are located and the nature of the two services required.
Full details of the description of the process being used are contained within the documents accompanying this tender.
Stage 1 Conditions of participation with evaluation
Suppliers are invited to submit a Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) response. Submissions will be evaluated based on the criteria detailed in the PSQ documentation. A maximum of five suppliers per Lot will be taken forward to the Invitation to Tender stage of the process. Where less than five suppliers meet the minimum standards, only those that meet the minimum standards will be taken through to the Invitation to Tender stage. Where more than five suppliers per Lot meet the minimum standard, those suppliers with the highest scores will proceed to the Invitation to Tender stage.
Stage 2 Invitation to Tender with evaluation
Suppliers shortlisted to the Invitation to Tender (ITT) stage will be required to submit their final tender and will be evaluated on the criteria detailed in the ITT documentation. Envisaged shortlist of the three highest scoring bidders per Lot to be invited to:
Stage 3 Presentation Day
Stage 4 Assessment Summaries and Publication of Contract Award Notice (commencing 8 working day standstill period)
Stage 5 Publication of Contract Details Notice
Further details of the CFP can be found in the documentation accompanying this tender.
How it was run
Official notice- Requests to participate (first stage)
- 23 Jan 2026, 17:00 GMT
- Submission deadline
- 23 Jan 2026, 17:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 12 Jan 2026, 17:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Full details of how to submit are contained within the documents accompanying this tender. in-tendhost.co.uk/minervapcs/aspx/Home ↗
Timeline
24 Dec 2025 → 14 Oct 2026 · 7 dates- Tender notice published309 days ago24 Dec 2025, 09:46 GMT
- Clarification questions by289 days ago12 Jan 2026, 17:00 GMT
- Submission deadline278 days ago23 Jan 2026, 17:00 GMT
- Assessment summaries sent141 days ago10 Jun 2026, 00:00 BST
- Award decision expected by140 days ago10 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST
- Contract starts89 days ago1 Aug 2026, 00:00 BST
- Latest notice published15 days ago14 Oct 2026, 13:21 BST
Notice history
5 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 24 Dec 2025- Tender notice published24 Dec 2025, 09:46 GMTUK4
- Contract award notice published10 Jun 2026, 23:16 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete10 Jun 2026, 23:16 BST
- Contract signature expected10 Jul 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
- Contract details notice published14 Oct 2026, 13:21 BSTUK7
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lot 1 · Catering Services1 award | |||
| Stir Food LtdNexus Education Schools Trust - Lot 1 - Catering Services1 Aug 2026 – 31 Jul 2029 · up to 31 Jul 2031Extensions: The duration detailed above includes the initial term of 3 years as well as the two optional contract extension periods of 12 months each. · Options: The contract will be awarded for an initial period of 3 years with two possible extensions of 12 months meaning a maximum contract length of 5 years. | £10,010,500 | 10 Jun 2026 | Awarded |
| Lot 2 · Cleaning Services1 award | |||
| Cleantec Services LimitedSMENexus Education Schools Trust - Lot 2 - Cleaning Services1 Sept 2026 – 31 Aug 2029 · up to 31 Aug 2031Extensions: The duration detailed above includes the initial term of 3 years as well as the two optional contract extension periods of 12 months each. · Options: The contract will be awarded for an initial period of 3 years with two possible extensions of 12 months meaning a maximum contract length of 5 years. | £2,211,750 | 10 Jun 2026 | Awarded |
Contracts
Nexus Education Schools Trust - Lot 2 - Cleaning Services · Cleantec Services LimitedSME
- Signed
- 1 Sept 2026
- Value
- £2,211,750
- Period
- 1 Sept 2026 – 31 Aug 2029 · up to 31 Aug 2031 with extensions
- Status
- active
- Extensions
- The duration detailed above includes the initial term of 3 years as well as the two optional contract extension periods of 12 months each.
- Options
- The contract will be awarded for an initial period of 3 years with two possible extensions of 12 months meaning a maximum contract length of 5 years.
Nexus Education Schools Trust - Lot 1 - Catering Services · Stir Food Ltd
- Signed
- 1 Aug 2026
- Value
- £10,010,500
- Period
- 1 Aug 2026 – 31 Jul 2029 · up to 31 Jul 2031 with extensions
- Status
- active
- Extensions
- The duration detailed above includes the initial term of 3 years as well as the two optional contract extension periods of 12 months each.
- Options
- The contract will be awarded for an initial period of 3 years with two possible extensions of 12 months meaning a maximum contract length of 5 years.
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Lot | Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Catering Services | 5final-stage tenders | 2 | 0 | — |
| 2 · Cleaning Services | 1final-stage tenders · 5 at stage one | 1 | 0 | — |
Who bid
- did not winHarrison Catering Services Ltd · South East England · 1
- did not winCompass Contract Services · West Midlands · 1
- did not winNourish Contract Catering · Greater London · 1
- did not winDolce Ltd · North West England · 1
- wonStir Food Limited · East of England · 1
- wonCleanTEC Services LimitedSME · East of England · 2
Bidders as named on the Procurement Act 2023 award notice. “Won” means the bidder holds an award on this notice.
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
2 public bodies on the noticeOther public bodies
- Minerva Procurement Consultancy Services LimitedProcess contact pointProcuring entityProcurement consultancy managing the tender process for Nexus Education Schools Trust
Bidders & participating suppliers
6 commercial parties on the notice · 2 awarded- CleanTEC Services LimitedAwarded supplier
- Compass Contract ServicesBidder / tenderer
- Dolce LtdBidder / tenderer
- Harrison Catering Services LtdBidder / tenderer
- Nourish Contract CateringBidder / tenderer
- Stir Food LimitedAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (7)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Signed contract Redacted legal agreement between Nexus Education Schools Trust and Stir Food Limited for the provision of catering services.
- Bidding documents and specifications All documents are being provided on publication of this Tender Notice. They will be hosted, and are freely available, on the In-tend portal for Minerva Procurement Consultancy Services Limited.
Notices published for this procedure
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender