Official UK procurement notice
Embrace Multi Academy Trust - Provision of Outsourced Catering Service
Authority: Embrace Multi Academy Trust (Public body)·On behalf of: PHP LAW LLP
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThis tender opportunity was issued by Embrace Multi Academy Trust (the Trust). The contract will be for the provision of Outsourced Catering Service (the Service) to the Trust. The Trust was seeking a Contractor to provide a high-quality service, whilst delivering value for money for the school, parents and pupils using the Services.
The Contract will include all food and staff provision to support the delivery of the service requirement.
- The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 13 Jan 2031, 23:59 GMT.
- No preliminary market engagement: The justification is that the requirements are not complex, or niche and the Contracting Authority already has an understanding of what they want the service to deliver and the market is known.
CPV: Catering services · School catering services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedRenewalPublished value£3,000,000
- Economic & financial standing
A financial appraisal will be based upon a credit check. Insurances Employer Liability £10m Public Liability - £10m Product Liability - £2m
- Technical & professional ability
Provide 3 relevant previous contract examples To constitute a pass, the contract examples provided shall be relevant to the requirement, with a sufficient level of detail that provides confidence in the Tenderer’s established past experience in similar and relevant projects/contracts. The contracts must be within the education sector and similar complexity and working on more than one site within the contract.
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).
Published sub-criteria (12)
- Proposed Service Model: 12.5%
- Service Model Case Study: 5%
- Menu Planning & Development: 10%
- Food Offering: 7.5%
- Allergy Management: 7.5%
- Contractor Staff: 5%
- Account Management: 2.5%
- Contract Management: 5%
- Contract Mobilisation & Risk Management: 2.5%
- Guaranteed Position Assessment: 30%
- Guaranteed Position Approach: 10%
- Sustainability: 2.5%
Published award criteria (12)
- Proposed Service Model: Quality
- Service Model Case Study: Quality
- Menu Planning & Development: Quality
- Food Offering: Quality
- Allergy Management: Quality
- Contractor Staff: Quality
- Account Management: Quality
- Contract Management: Quality
- Contract Mobilisation & Risk Management: Quality
- Sustainability: Quality
- Guaranteed Position Assessment
- Guaranteed Position Approach
- Economic & financial standing
A financial appraisal will be based upon a credit check. Insurances Employer Liability £10m Public Liability - £10m Product Liability - £2m
- Technical & professional ability
Provide 3 relevant previous contract examples To constitute a pass, the contract examples provided shall be relevant to the requirement, with a sufficient level of detail that provides confidence in the Tenderer’s established past experience in similar and relevant projects/contracts. The contracts must be within the education sector and similar complexity and working on more than one site within the contract.
- Price carries 40 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 4 points. 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- 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
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Yes · next expected 13 Jan 2031
- First published
- 19 Jan 2026, 19:15 GMT
- Last source update
- 14 Oct 2026, 12:05 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 27 Apr 2026
- Authority reference
EMMAT01.16- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-004563- Latest notice
- Contract details notice (UK7)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-060954Find a Tender- Contract terms summary
One invoice per month Invoicing for UIFSM & FSM based on actual meals taken, broken down by school
- Risks
Financial Inflation and Rising Costs: Food price inflation, energy bills, and wage increases. Caterers locked into long-term contracts may struggle to remain profitable, risking service quality or contract withdrawal. Staffing Challenges Recruitment Difficulties: Shortages of skilled catering staff, especially in rural or low-income areas. Difficulty attracting and retaining staff due to limited pay and benefits. Training Gaps: Inadequate training in food safety, allergens, and safeguarding can lead to compliance issues. Reputational and Compliance Risks Non-compliance with School Food Standards can result in reputational damage and regulatory scrutiny. Non-compliance with the tender specification or compliance requirement
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 26 Feb 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 26 Feb 2026
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
19 Jan 2026 → 14 Oct 2026 · 7 dates- Tender notice published281 days ago19 Jan 2026, 19:15 GMT
- Clarification questions by244 days ago26 Feb 2026
- Submission deadline243 days ago26 Feb 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Assessment summaries sent190 days ago21 Apr 2026, 00:00 BST
- Award decision expected by183 days ago27 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST
- Contract starts88 days ago1 Aug 2026
- Latest notice published13 days ago14 Oct 2026, 12:05 BST
Notice history
6 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 19 Jan 2026- Tender notice published19 Jan 2026, 19:15 GMTUK4
- Contract award notice published21 Apr 2026, 08:10 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete21 Apr 2026, 08:10 BST
- Buyer details updated21 Apr 2026, 08:10 BST
- Contract signature expected1 May 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
- Contract details notice published14 Oct 2026, 12:05 BSTUK7
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aspens Services Limited1 Aug 2026 – 31 Jul 2029 · up to 31 Jul 2031Extensions: Two further one year extensions (3+1+1) · Options: The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid. To include additional schools | £3,000,000 | 20 Apr 2026 | Awarded |
Contracts
Embrace Multi Academy Trust - Provision of Outsourced Catering Service · Aspens Services Limited
- Signed
- 8 Oct 2026
- Value
- £3,000,000
- Period
- 8 Oct 2026 – 31 Jul 2029 · up to 31 Jul 2031 with extensions
- Status
- active
- Extensions
- Two further one year extensions (3+1+1)
- Options
- The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid. To include additional schools
6 agreed KPIs: Meal Uptake · Meal Delivery Timeliness · Food Quality Compliance …
- Meal Uptake, 95% in accordance with proposed rate set
- Meal Delivery Timeliness, 95% of meals delivered on time
- Food Quality Compliance, 98% of meals meeting the agreed quality standards
- Customer Satisfaction, 90% positive feedback from students and staff.
- Nutritional Standards, 95% compliance with nutritional guidelines.
- Health and Safety Compliance, 100% adherence to health and safety regulations.
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2final-stage tenders | 1 | 0 | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
2 public bodies on the noticeConsortium members and other public bodies
- PHP LAW LLPProcess contact pointProcuring entityPublic authority - sub-central governmentProcurement Consultant
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- ASPENS-SERVICES LIMITEDAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender