Find a TenderAwardedContract award notice

Published 7 Oct 2025, 11:13 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Catering Services Framework - Light Touch

Authority: Ormiston Academies Trust (OAT) (Education)·Consortium: 2 public authorities

Framework agreement6 lotsServicesOpen procedureAbove thresholdLight touch regimeSME suitableAccelerated

Sectors: Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services (55) Delivery: North East (UKC)North West (UKD)Yorkshire & Humber (UKE)

+6 more

East Midlands (UKF)West Midlands (UKG)East of England (UKH)London (UKI)South East (UKJ)South West (UKK)

Framework ceiling (notional)£48,300,000total for 6 lots · framework ceiling, not attributable revenue

Submissions closed 29 Oct 2025awarded 12 Dec 2025

Awarded to Aspens Services Limited +7 more6 awards

Framework period 4 yrsends 31 Jan 2030 · starts 1 Feb 2026

What is being bought6 lots · detail below

Published requirement description

A Catering Services framework for the utilisation of up to 45 schools within a Multi-Academy-Trust environment.

The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 1 Oct 2029, 23:59 BST.

CPV: School catering services

How this framework works

From the published notice

Type: Closed framework
Call-offs: every call-off is a further competition among the appointed suppliers
Places: up to 7 suppliers · 15 bids received (2.1 per place) · 9 appointed (full)
Framework period: 4 yrs from 1 Feb 2026

Published description of the framework

Mini-competition between the suppliers on each applicable geographical lot.

Lots and requirements (6)Procurement structure

6 lots · all with a published value · same conditions of participation on every lot · evaluation weights differ by lot

Lot #1North RegionAwarded North West 4 yrsSMEPublished value£11,500,000

Catering Services in Regional Academies, as required. Additional information: Catering Services in Regional Academies, as required.

Contract period: 1 Feb 2026 – 31 Jan 2030 (4 yrs)Value: £11,500,000 exc. VAT · £13,800,000 inc. VAT

Delivery: North West · BirminghamEligibility: SME eligible

55524000 School catering services

Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)2

Economic & financial standing
See tender docs
Technical & professional ability
See tender docs

Lot #2Northeast RegionAwarded North East 4 yrsSMEPublished value£2,100,000

Catering Services in Regional Academies, as required. Additional information: Catering Services in Regional Academies, as required.

Contract period: 1 Feb 2026 – 31 Jan 2030 (4 yrs)Value: £2,100,000 exc. VAT · £2,520,000 inc. VAT

Delivery: North East · BirminghamEligibility: SME eligible

55524000 School catering services

Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)2

Economic & financial standing
See tender docs
Technical & professional ability
See tender docs

Lot #3Midlands RegionAwarded East Midlands, West Midlands 4 yrsSMEPublished value£14,600,000

Catering Services in Regional Academies, as required. Additional information: Catering Services in Regional Academies, as required.

Contract period: 1 Feb 2026 – 31 Jan 2030 (4 yrs)Value: £14,600,000 exc. VAT · £17,520,000 inc. VAT

Delivery: East Midlands, West Midlands · BirminghamEligibility: SME eligible

55524000 School catering services

Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)2

Economic & financial standing
See tender docs
Technical & professional ability
See tender docs

Lot #4East RegionAwarded East of England 4 yrsSMEPublished value£13,000,000

Catering Services in Regional Academies, as required. Additional information: Catering Services in Regional Academies, as required.

Contract period: 1 Feb 2026 – 31 Jan 2030 (4 yrs)Value: £13,000,000 exc. VAT · £15,600,000 inc. VAT

Delivery: East of England · BirminghamEligibility: SME eligible

55524000 School catering services

Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)2

Economic & financial standing
See tender docs
Technical & professional ability
See tender docs

Lot #5London Region (1)Awarded London 4 yrsSMEPublished value£3,000,000

Catering Services in Regional Academies, as required. Additional information: Catering Services in Regional Academies, as required.

Contract period: 1 Feb 2026 – 31 Jan 2030 (4 yrs)Value: £3,000,000 exc. VAT · £3,600,000 inc. VAT

Delivery: London · BirminghamEligibility: SME eligible

55524000 School catering services

Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)2

Economic & financial standing
See tender docs
Technical & professional ability
See tender docs

Lot #6South RegionAwarded South East 4 yrsSMEPublished value£4,100,000

Catering Services in Regional Academies, as required.

Contract period: 1 Feb 2026 – 31 Jan 2030 (4 yrs)Value: £4,100,000 exc. VAT · £4,920,000 inc. VAT

Delivery: South East · BirminghamEligibility: SME eligible

55524000 School catering services

Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)2

Economic & financial standing
See tender docs
Technical & professional ability
See tender docs

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

Lots publish different evaluation splits; there is no single procedure weighting.

Lot	Quality	Price
1 · North Region	90%	10%
2 · Northeast Region	90%	10%
3 · Midlands Region	90%	10%
4 · East Region	90%	10%
5 · London Region (1)	90%	10%
6 · South Region	90%	10%

Conditions of participation · identical on every lot2

Economic & financial standing
See tender docs
Technical & professional ability
See tender docs

What this means for your bid

Price carries 10 points on every lot: a 10% discount moves about 1 point.
“Catering Services Framework - Light Touch” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, up to 7 suppliers, not a single contract: each call-off is a further competition, so the pricing contest starts after appointment.

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: Open 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: Framework agreement
Who may use this agreement: Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
Competition type: Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered: Yes (GPA)
Recurring procurement: Yes · next expected 1 Oct 2029
First published: 7 Oct 2025, 11:13 BST
Last source update: 19 Dec 2025, 14:14 GMT
Award evaluation window: Submission end – 12 Dec 2025
Authority reference: 103549
FTS notice number: 2025/S 000-062791
Accelerated: Light touch contract
Latest notice: Contract award notice (UK6)
Classification (CPV): School catering services
Delivery area: North East (UKC)North West (UKD)Yorkshire & Humber (UKE)East Midlands (UKF)West Midlands (UKG)East of England (UKH)London (UKI)South East (UKJ)
+1 more
South West (UKK)
Official registry OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05a964 Find a Tender

Review and risk notes

Risks: Please note: this tender opportunity was previously published in FTS as a F02 Contract Notice. See www.findtender ↗.
service.gov.uk/Notice/057924-2025.
Summary details:
F02: Contract notice
Notice identifier: 2025/S 000-057924
Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-059db4
Published 18 September 2025, 10:34pm

Publisher note: A voluntary eight-working-day standstill is being observed. This concludes at 4pm on 24 December, 2025

How it was run

Official notice

Run through: EU-Supply (CTM) · Who buys & how to bid on EU-Supply

Public notice page · account needed to bidElectronic submission allowedLanguage: EN

Access & registration note: Free · 5–10 minutes

Appointment period ends: 29 Oct 2025, 17:00 GMT
Clarification deadline: 23 Oct 2025, 17:00 BST
Submission channel: Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission: Allowed
Accepted languages: en

Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

uk.eu-supply.com/login.asp ↗

Timeline

7 Oct 2025 → 1 Feb 2026 · 7 dates

Tender notice published378 days ago
7 Oct 2025, 11:13 BST
Clarification questions by362 days ago
23 Oct 2025, 17:00 BST
Admission / appointment period ends356 days ago · period end, not a bid countdown
29 Oct 2025, 17:00 GMT
Assessment summaries sent313 days ago
12 Dec 2025
Award decision expected by312 days ago
12 Dec 2025, 23:59 GMT
Latest notice published305 days ago
19 Dec 2025, 14:14 GMT
Contract starts262 days ago
1 Feb 2026

Notice history

6 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 7 Oct 2025

Tender notice published
7 Oct 2025, 11:13 BST
UK4
Status changed to complete
12 Dec 2025, 11:36 GMT
Buyer details updated
12 Dec 2025, 11:36 GMT
Contract award notice published
19 Dec 2025, 14:14 GMT
UK6
Buyer details updated
19 Dec 2025, 14:14 GMT
Contract signature expected
5 Jan 2026, 23:59 GMT
scheduled

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast

Suppliers appointed 9admitted to the panel · see the list ↓

Bids received 154 from SMEs

Named bidders 12published on the award notice

Contracts signed 8latest 12 Dec 2025

Awarded to	Value	Date	Status
Lot 1 · North Region1 award
Aspens Services Limited, CaterLink Limited (Trading as Caterlink), Compass Contract Services (U.K.) Limited, trading as ESS Government ServicesSME, Derbyshire County Council Catering Service (Local Government Authority), LUNCHTIME COMPANY LTD, TAYLOR SHAW LIMITED +1 more6 Jan 2026 – 5 Jan 2030	£11,500,000	12 Dec 2025	Awarded
Lot 2 · Northeast Region1 award
Aspens Services Limited, CaterLink Limited (Trading as Caterlink), Compass Contract Services (U.K.) Limited, trading as ESS Government ServicesSME, LUNCHTIME COMPANY LTD, MIQUILL CATERING LIMITEDSME, TAYLOR SHAW LIMITED +1 more6 Jan 2026 – 5 Jan 2030	£2,100,000	12 Dec 2025	Awarded
Lot 3 · Midlands Region1 award
Aspens Services Limited, CaterLink Limited (Trading as Caterlink), Compass Contract Services (U.K.) Limited, trading as ESS Government ServicesSME, LUNCHTIME COMPANY LTD, MIQUILL CATERING LIMITEDSME, TAYLOR SHAW LIMITED +1 more6 Jan 2026 – 5 Jan 2030	£14,600,000	12 Dec 2025	Awarded
Lot 4 · East Region1 award
Aspens Services Limited, CaterLink Limited (Trading as Caterlink), Compass Contract Services (U.K.) Limited, trading as ESS Government ServicesSME, LUNCHTIME COMPANY LTD, MIQUILL CATERING LIMITEDSME, TAYLOR SHAW LIMITED +1 more6 Jan 2026 – 5 Jan 2030	£13,000,000	12 Dec 2025	Awarded
Lot 5 · London Region (1)1 award
Aspens Services Limited, CaterLink Limited (Trading as Caterlink), Compass Contract Services (U.K.) Limited, trading as ESS Government ServicesSME, LUNCHTIME COMPANY LTD, MIQUILL CATERING LIMITEDSME, TAYLOR SHAW LIMITED +1 moreLot 5 - London Region6 Jan 2026 – 5 Jan 2030	£3,000,000	12 Dec 2025	Awarded
Lot 6 · South Region1 award
Aspens Services Limited, CaterLink Limited (Trading as Caterlink), Compass Contract Services (U.K.) Limited, trading as ESS Government ServicesSME, LUNCHTIME COMPANY LTD, MIQUILL CATERING LIMITEDSME, TAYLOR SHAW LIMITED +1 more6 Jan 2026 – 5 Jan 2030	£4,100,000	12 Dec 2025	Awarded

8 suppliers are admitted to this framework without individual award values or dates, see the supplier list below.

Contracts

All 7 of these contracts carry the same published figure, £48,300,000, the framework's maximum for the whole notice, not each contract's own value. They are not eleven separate sums.

Successful Bidder 1
Signed
12 Dec 2025
Value
ceiling above
Status
active
Successful Bidder 2
Signed
12 Dec 2025
Value
ceiling above
Status
active
Successful Bidder 3
Signed
12 Dec 2025
Value
£11,500,000
Status
active
Successful Bidder 4
Signed
12 Dec 2025
Value
ceiling above
Status
active
Successful Bidder 5
Signed
12 Dec 2025
Value
ceiling above
Status
active
Successful Bidder 6
Signed
12 Dec 2025
Value
ceiling above
Status
active
Successful Bidder 7
Signed
12 Dec 2025
Value
ceiling above
Status
active
Successful Bidder 8
Signed
12 Dec 2025
Value
ceiling above
Status
active

Bid statistics published by the authority

Lot	Bids	SME	VCSE	Valid bid range
1 · North Region	10final-stage tenders · 14 at stage one	7	1	—
2 · Northeast Region	9final-stage tenders · 13 at stage one	1	1	—
3 · Midlands Region	10final-stage tenders · 14 at stage one	8	1	—
4 · East Region	9final-stage tenders · 13 at stage one	8	1	—
5 · London Region (1)	10final-stage tenders · 14 at stage one	1	1	—
6 · South Region	10final-stage tenders · 14 at stage one	1	1	—
Whole notice	15bids · 15 electronic · 15 from abroad	4	—	—

Who bid

wonLUNCHTIME COMPANY LTDSME · East of England · 1, 3, 4
wonCOMPASS CONTRACT SERVICES (U.K.) LIMITEDSME · West Midlands · 1, 3, 4
wonDerbyshire County Council Catering Service · East Midlands · 1
wonTAYLOR SHAW LIMITEDSME · North West England · 1, 3, 4
wonASPENS-SERVICES LIMITEDSME · Greater London · 1, 3, 4
wonCATER LINK LIMITEDSME · South East England · 1, 3, 4
wonVERTAS GROUP LIMITEDVCSE · East of England · 1, 3, 4
wonMIQUILL CATERING LIMITEDSME · West Midlands · 3, 4
did not winALLIANCE IN PARTNERSHIP LIMITEDSME · Greater London · 1, 3, 4
did not winINNOVATE SERVICES LIMITED · South East England · 1, 3
wonMIQUILL CATERING LIMITEDSME · West Midlands · 1
did not winCULINERA LIMITEDSME · South East England · 3, 4

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 notice

ORMISTON ACADEMIES TRUST

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-COH: 06982127 · GB-PPON: PPDM-7666-ZGTN Unit G.05b - Assay Studios, Birmingham, West Midlands, B3 1SFContact email

Consortium members and other public bodies

Ormiston Academies Trust (OAT)Contracting authorityCentral purchasing bodyBody governed by public lawEducation06982127 Birmingham , West MidlandsContact name, email, phone

Dispute resolution & review bodies

The Royal Courts of Justice Mediation bodyReview contact point London

Framework contractors & participating bidders

20 commercial parties on the notice · 16 awarded

ALLIANCE IN PARTNERSHIP LIMITEDBidder / tendererGB-COH: 03577003GB-PPON: PZGW-1122-LBTG One Southampton Row, London, London, WC1B 5HA
ASPENS-SERVICES LIMITEDFramework contractorGB-COH: 06561073GB-PPON: PJZY-1355-VRGY International House 10 Beaufort Court, London, London, E14 9XLContact email, phone
ASPENS-SERVICES LIMITEDFramework contractorPJZY-1355-VRGY International House, 10 Beaufort Court, London, London, E14 9XLContact email, phone
CATER LINK LIMITEDFramework contractorGB-COH: 03732298GB-PPON: PWPW-6942-JXBP 300 Thames Valley Park Drive, Reading, South East, RG6 1PTContact email, phone
CATER LINK LIMITEDFramework contractorPWPW-6942-JXBP 300 Thames Valley Park Drive, Reading, South East, RG6 1PTContact email, phone
COMPASS CONTRACT SERVICES (U.K.) LIMITEDFramework contractorGB-COH: 02114954GB-PPON: PTWW-9172-LVMX Parklands Court, 24 Parklands, Rubery, Birmingham, West Midlands, B45 9PZContact email, phone
COMPASS CONTRACT SERVICES (U.K.) LIMITEDFramework contractorPTWW-9172-LVMX Parklands Court, 24 Parklands, Rubery, Birmingham,, West Midlands, B45 9PZContact email, phone
CULINERA LIMITEDBidder / tendererGB-COH: 12382186GB-PPON: PVDZ-2227-RCRT Rose House, Old Saw Mill Place, Little Chalfont, Amersham, South East, HP66FA
Derbyshire County Council Catering ServiceFramework contractorPVRR-4896-HZCR County Hall, Matlock, East Midlands, DE4 3AG,Contact email, phone
Derbyshire County Council Catering ServiceFramework contractorGB-PPON: PVRR-4896-HZCR County Hall, Matlock, East Midlands, DE4 3AGContact email, phone

Show 10 more suppliers

INNOVATE SERVICES LIMITEDBidder / tendererGB-COH: 06420662GB-PPON: PNYZ-2989-TBLQ St Andrews House, Woking, South East, GU21 6EB
LUNCHTIME COMPANY LTDFramework contractorGB-COH: 03452446GB-PPON: PGNW-4538-VPLM 10 Barnwell House, Cambridge, East of England, CB5 8UUContact email, phone
LUNCHTIME COMPANY LTDFramework contractorPGNW-4538-VPLM 10 Barnwell House, Cambridge, East of England, CB5 8UUContact email, phone
MIQUILL CATERING LIMITEDFramework contractorGB-COH: 06886456GB-PPON: PJPT-7655-VPNG Suite 109 79 Friar Street, Worcester, West Midlands, WR1 2NTContact email, phone
MIQUILL CATERING LIMITEDFramework contractorPJPT-7655-VPNG Suite 109 79 Friar Street, Worcester, West Midlands, WR1 2NTContact email, phone
MIQUILL CATERING LIMITEDBidder / tendererGB-PPON: PJPT-7655-VPNG Suite 109 79 Friar Street, Worcester, West Midlands, WR1 2NT
TAYLOR SHAW LIMITEDFramework contractorGB-COH: 06576188GB-PPON: PYWJ-2955-LJDH The Courtyard, Macclesfield, North West, SK11 6ETContact email, phone
TAYLOR SHAW LIMITEDFramework contractorPYWJ-2955-LJDH The Courtyard, Macclesfield, North West, SK11 6ETContact email, phone
VERTAS GROUP LIMITEDFramework contractorGB-COH: 07728211GB-PPON: PZCV-5891-GQYM 2 Friars Bridge Road, Ipswich, East of England, IP1 1RRContact email, phone
VERTAS GROUP LIMITEDFramework contractorPZCV-5891-GQYM 2 Friars Bridge Road, Ipswich, East of England, IP1 1RRContact email, phone

Official documents & specifications (8)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

Bidding documents and specifications tenderBidding documents and specificationsZIP

Notices published for this procedure

Contract award notice awardContract award noticeUK6Contract award notice on Find a Tender19 Dec 2025, 14:14 GMT
Contract award notice awardContract award noticeUK6Contract award notice on Find a Tender19 Dec 2025, 14:14 GMT
Contract award notice awardContract award noticeUK6Contract award notice on Find a Tender19 Dec 2025, 14:14 GMT
Contract award notice awardContract award noticeUK6Contract award notice on Find a Tender19 Dec 2025, 14:14 GMT
Contract award notice awardContract award noticeUK6Contract award notice on Find a Tender19 Dec 2025, 14:14 GMT
Contract award notice awardContract award noticeUK6Contract award notice on Find a Tender19 Dec 2025, 14:14 GMT
Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender7 Oct 2025, 11:13 BST

What is being bought6 lots · detail below

How this framework works

Lots and requirements (6)Procurement structure

What it takes to winiHow 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).

Procedure terms & legal framework

How it was run

Timeline

Notice history

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Framework contractors & participating bidders

Official documents & specifications (8)

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).