Find a TenderOpen for tender Tender notice
Published 20 Oct 2026, 16:55 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Catering Tender - Murray Park Community School

Authority: Murray Park Community School (Education)·On behalf of: ACE Advice Limited

ServicesOpen procedureAbove thresholdSME suitable
Published estimate£2,500,000≈ £833k / year · £3,000,000 inc. VAT
Submission deadline 12 Feb 202712:00 GMT · 114d 0h left
Clarification cut-off 13 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

Interested suppliers will be evaluated against specific objectives detailed in the tender documents.

Selection Stage, shortlist Tender stage, shortlist presentation, and reference checking 4.

The evaluation of the shortlisting process will be based on the information submitted by the bidding companies, the highest scoring companies progressing to the next stage. Only those companies invited to tender will progress to the ITT stage.

CPV: School meals · School-meal services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1Renewal 3 yrsSMEPublished value£2,500,000
Contract period: 1 Aug 2027 – 31 Jul 2030 (3 yrs) · up to 31 Jul 2032 with extensionsValue: £2,500,000 exc. VAT · £3,000,000 inc. VAT
Delivery: East MidlandsEligibility: SME eligibleTurnover guideline: ~£1,665,146/yr≈ 2× annual value
Extensions: Two x one year contract extensions are available my mutual agreement between the school and the catering contractor.

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: 70%Price: 30%
Published award criteria (2)
  • Quality: Bidders are scored based on criteria contained in the tender documents
  • Price: Bidders are required to complete and submit a financial submission which is scored against criteria contained in the tender documentation.

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

What this means for your bid
  • Price carries 30 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
  • Turnover usually expected at this size: about £1,665,146 (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

Catering services (CPV 5552) in East Midlands, and who usually turns up

Murray Park Community School has too little published record in this market to describe on its own. Published market evidence for the same work stands beside whatever it has. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. 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
The marketCatering services (CPV 5552) · East Midlands
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.

Market: CPV 5552 · East Midlands, n=28
25%

Across this market, small firms won 25% of awards with a known supplier size.

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.

Here, local means registered in East Midlands.

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

Last 36 months.

Market: CPV 5552 · East Midlands, n=62
11%

Across this market, 11% of winners were registered in the delivery region.

How long to a decision?
i

How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.

Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.

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

Last 36 months.

Market: CPV 5552 · East Midlands, n=22
78 days

Half of these awards were announced within 78 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.

Market: CPV 5552 · East Midlands, n=40
20%

Across this market, at least 20% of awarded procurements had no recorded rival.

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.

The market60 lots with bid counts · CPV 5552 · East Midlands
8% had one bid
Market · select a colour for counts
1 bid8%
Market: 5 of 60 lots with published bid counts.
2–348%
Market: 29 of 60 lots with published bid counts.
4–633%
Market: 20 of 60 lots with published bid counts.
7+10%
Market: 6 of 60 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.

The market35 lots with estimate and award · CPV 5552 · East Midlands
11% below estimate
Market · select a colour for counts
Below estimate11%
Market: 4 of 35 lots with an estimate and award.
Within ±2%34%
Market: 12 of 35 lots with an estimate and award.
Above estimate54%
Market: 19 of 35 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£2.5m
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.

A forecast, not a list of bidders.

4expected bids7% single-bid risk
forecast from 40 past contests
Forecast chances for this lot
1 bid7%
Chance this lot gets 1 bid: 7%. This is a forecast.
2–335%
Chance this lot gets 2–3: 35%. This is a forecast.
4–650%
Chance this lot gets 4–6: 50%. This is a forecast.
7+8%
Chance this lot gets 7+: 8%. This is a forecast.
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.

Based on 23 comparable awards. Each lot reflects its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.

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

£2.5mMatches estimate (100% chance)
23 comparable awards
Forecast compared with the buyer’s estimate
Middle 50%£2.5m
The middle half of likely prices meets at £2,500,000.
Estimate£2.5m
The buyer published an estimate of £2,500,000 for this lot.

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.

SupplierThis buyer’s earlier contractLotAward valueWhy listed
Olive DiningEarlier contractCatering Services for Eastbury Community Schoolstarted Mar 2026—£1.2mMatched as the earlier contract

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.

SupplierWon in this categoryLive contractsAward vs estimate
Buyer regular9 wins in East Midlands7 panel places
£195m62 awards in 36m · last 4 months ago37 live · £128m
i

Public contracts this supplier still holds.

Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book.

Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity.

at estimate n=62
Earlier contract8 wins in East Midlands7 panel places
£48m48 awards in 36m · last 3 months ago10 live · £24m
i

Public contracts this supplier still holds.

Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book.

Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity.

8% above n=39
2 wins in East Midlands3 panel places
£158m35 awards in 36m · last 3 months ago20 live · £74m
i

Public contracts this supplier still holds.

Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book.

Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity.

at estimate n=33
1 win in East Midlands3 panel places
£28m11 awards in 36m · last 4 months ago2 live · £5.6m
i

Public contracts this supplier still holds.

Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book.

Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity.

25% above n=5
1 panel places
£17m13 awards in 36m · last 3 months ago10 live · £21m
i

Public contracts this supplier still holds.

Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book.

Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity.

13% above n=15
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
Open procedure
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Services
Notice status
Open for tender
Procurement threshold
Above threshold (FTS publication)
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement
Unspecified in notice
First published
20 Oct 2026, 16:55 BST
Last source update
20 Oct 2026, 16:55 BST
Award evaluation window
Submission end – 31 May 2027
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-099193
Latest notice
Tender notice (UK4)
Classification (CPV)
School mealsSchool-meal services
Delivery area
East Midlands (UKF11)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-078c3f Find a Tender

How to participate & submission route

Official notice Submit via portal
Submission portal named on this notice: portal not identified
Electronic submission allowedLanguage: EN
Requests to participate (first stage)
—
Tender submission deadline
12 Feb 2027, 12:00 GMT
Clarification deadline
13 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

bidiful-teamportal.app/p/aceadvice ↗.

Bidders express interest to [email protected] and are then given a link to BIDIFUL to access the tender document and submit their responses

Published estimate £2,500,000 excludes VAT (£3,000,000 including VAT).

Timeline

20 Oct 2026 → 1 Aug 2027 · 5 dates
  1. Tender notice published1 day ago
    20 Oct 2026, 16:55 BST
  2. Today
    21 Oct 2026
  3. Clarification questions byin 23 days
    13 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
  4. Submission deadlinein 114 days
    12 Feb 2027, 12:00 GMT
  5. Award decision expected byin 222 days
    31 May 2027, 23:59 BST
  6. Contract startsin 283 days
    1 Aug 2027, 00:00 BST

Notice history

1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender
  1. Tender notice published
    20 Oct 2026, 16:55 BST
    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

3 public bodies on the notice

Murray Park Community School

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PGRG-5566-NDVP Murray Road, Derby, East Midlands, DE3 9LLContact email, phone

Other public bodies

  • ACE Advice LimitedBeneficiary authority
  • ACE AdviceProcess contact pointProcuring entityCatering ConsultantGB-COH: 12873828GB-PPON: PBBX-5711-VBGM London, LondonContact name, email, phone

Official documents & specifications (2)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

Notices published for this procedure

  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender