Find a TenderAwarded
Published 13 Nov 2024, 10:10 GMT

Official UK procurement notice

Tenterden Schools Trust - Catering Services

Official notice

Authority: Tenterden Schools Trust (Education)

ServicesRestricted procedureSME suitable
Published estimate£746,087exc. VAT
Submissions closed 13 Dec 2024awarded 7 May 2025
Awarded to Aspens Services Limited

What is being bought

Published requirement description

Tenterden Schools Trust is currently out to tender for the provision of a full daily catering service.The services at the Trust are a mix of outsourced provision with some schools receiving a delivered in service.The Contractor will be responsible for the provision of a full school food catering service for the pupils and staff at the Trust schools. This will consist of breakfast and morning breaks at some sites and full lunch service for each school day at all sites. The catering facilities at the schools include the main dining areas and servery, some sites also have a delivered in service.Across the Trust there are currently 2,573 pupils on roll for the academic year 2024/25. Of this figure, 209 pupils are entitled to UIFSM and a further 700 to Free School Meals. TUPE is expected to apply, details of which can be found in the tender documentation.Some members of the catering team are members of the LGPS and all details are in the tender documents.

  • Recurrence: Further notices will be published in 2027, 2028 or 2029 dependent on the exercising of contract extension options.

CPV: School catering services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1Tenterden Schools Trust is currently out to tender for the provision of a full daily…AwardedPublished value£746,087

Tenterden Schools Trust is currently out to tender for the provision of a full daily catering service.The services at the Trust are a mix of outsourced provision and delivered in services. The Contractor will be responsible for the provision of a full school food catering service for the pupils and staff at the Trust schools. This will consist of breakfast and morning breaks at some sites and full lunch service for each school day at all sites (delivered in service requirements - please refer to the tender documentation). The catering facilities at the school include the main dining areas and servery, plus some sites also have a hot and cold Grab and Go section.Across the Trust there are currently 2,573 pupils on roll for the academic year 2024/25. Of this figure, 209 pupils are entitled to UIFSM and a further 700 to Free School Meals. TUPE is expected to apply, details of which can be found in the tender documentation.Some members of the catering team are members of the Local Government Pension Scheme and all details are in the tender documentation.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.Please allow sufficient time to make your return as late returns will not be accepted.Any questions relating to this tender should be made via the correspondence section of this website. Additional information: The duration detailed above includes the initial term of 3 years as well as the 2 optional contract extension periods of 12 months each.

Delivery: South East · Full details in tender documentation
Extensions: The contract will be awarded for an initial period of 3 years with 2 possible extensions of 12 months meaning a maximum contract length of 5 years.Second stage: up to 5 candidates invited to tenderVariant bids: allowed

What it takes to win
i

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 more
How bids were scored
Quality: 90%Price: 10%
Published sub-criteria (2)
  • All criteria are stated only in the procurement documents: 90%
  • price: 10%
Published award criteria (2)
  • All criteria are stated only in the procurement documents: 90
  • Price: 10
What this means for your bid
  • Price carries 10 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 1 point. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.

Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record · publisher note attached
Procedure method
Restricted procedure
Legal basis
CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
Procurement category
Services
Notice status
Awarded
Procurement threshold
Unspecified in notice
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement

Yes · Further notices will be published in 2027, 2028 or 2029 dependent on the exercising of contract extension options.

First published
13 Nov 2024, 10:10 GMT
Last source update
5 Jun 2025, 11:24 BST
Authority reference
MPN-10302
FTS notice number
2025/S 000-030155
Classification (CPV)
School catering services
Delivery area
South East (UKJ4)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-04b608 Find a Tender
Review and risk notes
Review procedure

Tenterden Schools Trust incorporated a standstill period at the point information on the award of the contract was communicated to tenderers. That notification provided full information on the award decision. The standstill period, which was for a minimum of 10 calendar days, provided time for unsuccessful tenderers to challenge the award decision before the contract was entered into. The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 provide for aggrieved parties who have been harmed or are at risk of harm by a breach of the rules to take action in the High Court (England, Wales and Northern Ireland).

Publisher note: CPV code 55524000-9, falls within Schedule 3 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 as a Social and Other Specific Service, therefore the procurement procedure is governed by Section 7 of Part 2 (Regulations 74-77) of those Regulations.

How it was run

Official notice
Run through: In-tend · Who buys & how to bid on In-tend
Supplier login requiredLanguage: EN
Access & registration note: Free · one account per buying organisation's portal · reCAPTCHA on signup
Submission deadline
13 Dec 2024, 17:00 GMT
Submission channel
{"electronicSubmission","written"}
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

Timeline

13 Dec 2024 → 5 Jun 2025 · 3 dates
  1. Submission deadline
    13 Dec 2024, 17:00 GMT
  2. Invitations to tender expected
    8 Jan 2025
  3. Notice published
    5 Jun 2025, 11:24 BST

Notice history

1 event · 2 releases on Find a Tender
  1. Status changed to complete
    5 Jun 2025, 11:24 BST

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast
Awards 1
Awarded value £6,200,0431 contract exc. VAT
Bids received 41 from SMEs
Contracts signed 1latest 7 May 2025
Awarded toValueDateStatus
Aspens Services LimitedCatering Services£6,200,043 †—Awarded

Contracts

Bid statistics published by the authority

BidsSMEVCSEValid bid range
4bids · 4 electronic1——

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Tenterden Schools Trust

Contracting authorityEducationEducation InstituteEducation Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre, Ashford Road, Tenterden, Kent, TN30 6LT, Tenterden, South East, TN30 6LTContact name, email, phone Published organisation website ↗

Dispute resolution & review bodies

  • High CourtReview body London

Bidders & participating suppliers

1 commercial party on the notice
  • Aspens Services LtdAwarded supplier Ground Floor, Teme House, Whittington Hall, Whittington, Worcestershire, West Midlands

Official documents & specifications (2)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

  • Economic and financial selection criteriatenderEconomic and financial selection criteria
  • Technical selection criteriatenderTechnical selection criteria