Find a TenderRequests to participate open Tender notice
Published 30 Oct 2026, 12:00 GMT

Official UK procurement notice

Anglian Learning - Catering Tender

Authority: Anglian Learning (Public body)·On behalf of: RIVA Partnership Ltd

Two-stageServicesCompetitive flexible procedureAbove thresholdSME suitableVCSE suitable
Published estimate£18,650,000≈ £6.2m / year · £22,380,000 inc. VAT
Submission deadline 27 Nov 202612:00 GMT · 27 days left
Clarification cut-off 27 Nov 202612:00 GMT · questions to the authority
Contract term 3 yrsends 31 Jul 2030 · up to 31 Jul 2032 with extensions · starts 1 Aug 2027

What is being bought

Published requirement description

Anglian Learning is a successful multi-academy trust in East Anglia. We provide inclusive education and equal opportunities, celebrating our differences and supporting learners of all abilities and backgrounds.

Our academies consist of 14 primary, 8 secondary schools and 2 sixth forms, each retaining their unique identity and ethos. We value a culture of supportive, respectful relationships. Our people are empowered to embrace new ideas and think creatively as we Transform Together.

Further information regarding Anglian Learning can be obtained here: anglianlearning.org ↗

Tender information:

The successful tenderer will be required to provide excellent catering services to Anglian Learning, which includes the following locations:

Secondary

Bassingbourne Village College

Bottisham Village College

Howard Community Academy

Joyce Frankland Academy, Newport

Linton Village College

Sawston Village College

Soham Village College

Stour Valley Community School

The Netherhall School

The Oakes College Cambridge

Primary

Bottisham Community Primary School

Clare Community Primary School

Fen Ditton Community Primary School

Kennett Primary School

Linton Heights Junior School

Marleigh Primary School

Stapleford Community Primary School

The Icknield Primary School and Pippins Pre-School

The Meadow Primary School

The Pines Primary School and Pine Cones Pre-School

The Shade Primary School

The Weatheralls Primary School

Wimbish Primary Academy

The contract term being tendered is for three years, 1st August 2027 – 31st July 2030. There is an option for a further extension period for up to two additional years to 31st July 2032.

The contract offers an excellent opportunity to review and propose enhancements to the current catering services. This includes but is not limited to; breakfast, morning break, lunchtime and after school services, over the academic year, plus hospitality services upon request.

The Client is keen to secure a high quality catering service including fresh locally sourced ingredients prepared on site, with a menu design that is flexible to suit the requirements of the specific students. The Client is proud of their ‘family ethos’ and expects both a tightly managed service and a management style delivered by the successful contractor that supports, encourages and develops the catering staff. The client is committed to providing a nutritious menu that has a focus on foods that promote both brain health and physical health. The client are looking for a contractor that is committed to being a fundamental partner in their holistic mental health and wellbeing strategy.

The Client is not obliged to accept the lowest price submitted for this tender, rather they are keen to secure ‘best value’ from this contract and to deliver ‘best value’ to the students. Innovative and creative ideas as to how the services can be developed and value added, will be welcomed. The Client seeks a contractor that is keen to work in partnership and who will deliver to its highest abilities, at all times.

Competitive Flexible Procedure

This procurement will be run under the Competitive Flexible Procedure. This will follow a two stage approach, with stage 1 being the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ). Here a minimum of 5 candidates (or less, in the event less than 5 meet the minimum criteria) and a maximum of 10 candidates, will progress to stage 2. Any selection of tenderers will be based solely on the criteria set out for the procurement and a minimum score of 60% must be achieved. A score of 60% will not guarantee selection, rather, the highest scores will be successful.

Selected tenderers will then be invited to stage 2, the Invitation To Tender (ITT). Here, the evaluation of tender response will be set as 35% price and 65% quality.

Value of contract:

The annual value of the current contract is £3,730,000

Therefore the value of this contract is £18,650,000

The contract shall be a guaranteed performance contract with any hospitality requirements billed separately.

Additional requirements and information:

•The Client has a minimum requirement for a contractor’s employers' liability and public liability insurances of £10 million

•The minimum annual turnover that your company must have achieved to be considered for this opportunity is £5 million

•There are incumbent catering staff currently within the Local Government Pension Scheme

•The catering services are currently contracted to Impact Food Group (IFG)

•Please note this is a growing Trust and any other schools that may join the Trust during the tenure of this new catering contract may, at the Trust’s discretion, be added to this contract.

•Please note that the successful tenderer will be required to pay 50% of the RIVA tender fee for this project directly to RIVA, upon their contract award.

•Lots have been considered for this tender but the Trust very much seeks consistency of service and management and economies of scale across all schools and therefore this tender is let Trust wide (not in lot’s)

•The client reserves the right not to appoint in conclusion of this project.

For more information about this opportunity, please visit the eSourcing portal at:

www.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-Cambri… ↗

To respond to this opportunity, please click here:

www.delta-esourcing.com/respond/7Y8E435Y73 ↗

  • How the procedure runs: This procurement will be run under the Competitive Flexible Procedure. This will follow a two stage approach, with stage 1 being the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ). Here a minimum of 5 candidates (or less, in the event less than 5 meet the minimum criteria) and a maximum of 10 candidates, will progress to stage 2. Any selection of tenderers will be based solely on the criteria set out for the procurement and a minimum score of 60% must be achieved. A score of 60% will not guarantee selection, rather, the highest scores will be successful. Selected tenderers will then be invited to stage 2, the Invitation To Tender (ITT). Here, the evaluation of tender response will be set as 35% price and 65% quality.

CPV: School catering services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1Renewal 3 yrsSMEVCSEPublished value£18,650,000
Contract period: 1 Aug 2027 – 31 Jul 2030 (3 yrs) · up to 31 Jul 2032 with extensionsValue: £18,650,000 exc. VAT · £22,380,000 inc. VAT
Delivery: East of EnglandEligibility: SME eligibleVCSE eligibleTurnover guideline: ~£12,421,989/yr≈ 2× annual value
Extensions: There is an option for a further extension period for up to two additional years to 31st July 2032.

Who is likely to bid for this lot ↓

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 are scored
Quality: 65%Price: 35%
Published award criteria (2)
  • Quality
  • Price

No conditions of participation were published on the notice; check the tender documents.

What this means for your bid
  • Price carries 35 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3.5 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
  • Turnover usually expected at this size: about £12,421,989 (twice the annual value).

Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula. Turnover is an indicative market norm (≈2× annual value), not a published condition.

Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid

How Anglian Learning buys Catering services (CPV 5552), and who usually turns up

Anglian Learning has little published record in this market. Frameworks and DPS are left out: they draw different bid counts. Whole-market view: Catering services (CPV 5552) →

1

How the contest usually goes

Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.

Question for the bid
This buyerAnglian Learning · all categories
The marketCatering services (CPV 5552) · East of England
What to do with it
How often do SMEs win?
i

How often small and medium firms win.

Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.

The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 0 of 1 known-size awards · market: CPV 5552 · East of England, n=37
0 of 119%

No small-firm winners recorded among this authority’s published awards in this sample.

How often do local suppliers win?
i

How often local firms win similar work.

Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.

Local means the winner is registered in the region where that award was delivered. The market figure counts awards delivered in East of England.

A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 1 of 1 known-location awards · market: CPV 5552 · East of England, n=47
1 of 119%

Most of this buyer’s recorded winners were registered in the region where that award was delivered.

How long to a decision?
i

How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.

Middle value in days from the bid deadline to the award date, on competitions that published both.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: no decision dates published · market: CPV 5552 · East of England, n=20
—87 days

Half of these awards have an award date within 87 days of the bid deadline.

How often single-bid or direct?
i

How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.

Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.

The market share is a minimum: some awards have no bid count.

Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 1 procurement with awards; rival share unknown · market: CPV 5552 · East of England, n=49
—8%

Awards are recorded, but published direct routes and bid counts do not establish this buyer’s share.

How many bids did past lots attract?

i

How many bids past lots received.

Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.

Past bids do not predict this tender.

Last 36 months.

This buyerNo bid counts published
The market43 lots with bid counts · CPV 5552 · East of England
5% had one bid
Market · select a colour for counts
1 bid5%
Market: 2 of 43 lots with published bid counts.
2–333%
Market: 14 of 43 lots with published bid counts.
4–647%
Market: 20 of 43 lots with published bid counts.
7+16%
Market: 7 of 43 lots with published bid counts.

How did awards compare with estimates?

i

Where winning prices landed against estimates.

Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.

Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.

Last 36 months.

This buyerNo estimate-and-award pairs published
The market28 lots with estimate and award · CPV 5552 · East of England
11% below estimate
Market · select a colour for counts
Below estimate11%
Market: 3 of 28 lots with an estimate and award.
Within ±2%21%
Market: 6 of 28 lots with an estimate and award.
Above estimate68%
Market: 19 of 28 lots with an estimate and award.
2

Assess each lot
i

What past awards tell you about each lot.

See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.

No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.

Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list

Lot #1CPV 555236 monthsSME suitablePublished estimate£19m
Expected competition
i

How many bids this lot may attract.

The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.

Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative. The bar shows 43 past lots.

A forecast, not a list of bidders.

—No model forecast yet5% chance of a single bid
Past bids on 43 similar lots
1 bid5%
2 of 43 similar past lots received 1 bid (5%).
2–333%
14 of 43 similar past lots received 2–3 (33%).
4–647%
20 of 43 similar past lots received 4–6 (47%).
7+16%
7 of 43 similar past lots received 7+ (16%).
Comparable past lots usually drew 4 bids.
Commercial price forecast
i

Where the award price may land.

The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.

No comparable awards for this lot yet.

A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.

—No model forecast yet
No comparable awards on record for this lot’s category yet. The published estimate is £19m, and the forecast stays empty until the market has a record to read.

Who has supplied this buyer on similar work?
i

Who has done similar work for this buyer.

Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.

A past supplier may not bid again.

No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.

Who could compete for this lot?
i

Who could compete for this lot?

Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.

None is confirmed as a bidder.

Restricted route (Stage 2 ITT / Shortlist): Bidding is restricted to invited candidates who qualified at Stage 1. Uninvited suppliers cannot participate in this round.

Candidate suppliers for this notice have not been worked out yet, so this is not a verdict that nobody fits.

About this data
  • Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
  • Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
  • Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
  • Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.

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
Requests to participate open
Procurement threshold
Above threshold (FTS publication)
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Yes (GPA, CPTPP)
Recurring procurement
Unspecified in notice
First published
30 Oct 2026, 12:00 GMT
Last source update
30 Oct 2026, 12:00 GMT
Award evaluation window
Submission end – 15 Mar 2027
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-103142
Latest notice
Tender notice (UK4)
Classification (CPV)
School catering services
Delivery area
East of England (UKH1)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-079489 Find a Tender
How it runs

This procurement will be run under the Competitive Flexible Procedure. This will follow a two stage approach, with stage 1 being the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ). Here a minimum of 5 candidates (or less, in the event less than 5 meet the minimum criteria) and a maximum of 10 candidates, will progress to stage 2. Any selection of tenderers will be based solely on the criteria set out for the procurement and a minimum score of 60% must be achieved. A score of 60% will not guarantee selection, rather, the highest scores will be successful.

Selected tenderers will then be invited to stage 2, the Invitation To Tender (ITT). Here, the evaluation of tender response will be set as 35% price and 65% quality.

How to participate & submission route

Official notice Submit via Delta eSourcing
Submission portal named on this notice: Delta eSourcing · Who buys & how to bid on Delta
Public notice page · account needed to bidElectronic submission allowedLanguage: EN
Access & registration note: Free Select account; no DUNS asked at signup
Requests to participate (first stage)
27 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
Tender submission deadline
27 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
Clarification deadline
27 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release
Published estimate £18,650,000 excludes VAT (£22,380,000 including VAT).

Timeline

30 Oct 2026 → 1 Aug 2027 · 5 dates
  1. Tender notice published12h ago
    30 Oct 2026, 12:00 GMT
  2. Today
    31 Oct 2026
  3. Clarification questions byin 27 days
    27 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
  4. Submission deadlinein 27 days
    27 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
  5. Award decision expected byin 135 days
    15 Mar 2027, 23:59 GMT
  6. Contract startsin 273 days
    1 Aug 2027, 00:00 BST

Notice history

1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender
  1. Tender notice published
    30 Oct 2026, 12:00 GMT
    UK4

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Nothing awarded yet
Awards (0)
No award published
Contracts (0)
No contract published
Bid statistics
No aggregate bid statistics published

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

2 public bodies on the notice

Anglian Learning

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PVHJ-2289-GZNV Bottisham Village College, Lode Road, Bottisham, Cambridge, East of England, CB25 9DLContact name, email, phone

Other public bodies

  • RIVA Partnership LtdProcuring entityProcurement Consultancy supporting the Contracting AuthorityGB-PPON: PPWL-9222-MYRJ Farnham, South EastContact name, email, phone

Official documents & specifications (1)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure

  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender