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Find a TenderAwardedContract award notice
Published 11 Jun 2025, 10:27 BST

Official UK procurement notice

GWR Catering Service - Service Centre Operations & Delivery, and Catering Products & Supply

Official notice

Authority: FIRST GREATER WESTERN LIMITED (Public body)

GoodsCompetitive flexible procedureAbove thresholdUtilitiesSME suitable
Sectors: Food, beverages, tobacco and related products (15)Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services (55) Delivery: South West (UKK)
Published estimate£54,000,000≈ £18m / year · £54,000,000 inc. VAT · 2 value updates7.8% above published estimate
Submissions closed 13 Oct 2025awarded 23 Mar 2026
Award (standstill) to DHL SUPPLY CHAIN LIMITED
Contract term 3 yrsends 31 Mar 2029 · up to 31 Mar 2031 with extensions · starts 1 Apr 2026

What is being bought

Published requirement description

GWR require Catering Services to be delivered across the network, which will be run under one contract. The catering service has two core functions the supplier is to deliver for this contract.

  1. Service Centre Operations and Delivery:

The supplier must be able to supply logistics operations and staff management to all GWR catered fleet.

  1. Catering Products and Supply:

The supplier must be able to supply all of GWR catering products, packaging and ancillary equipment.

Route Details

GWR manage many stations on the route with catered first-class lounges in Paddington, Cardiff, Penzance, and Truro as part of the logistics supply.

Currently trains do not run on Christmas Day or Boxing Day, although some elements of the Service will be required on these days.

GWR run:

  • 254 catered trains a day Monday - Friday,
  • 280 catered trains on Saturday and
  • 210 catered trains on a Sunday.
  • How the procedure runs: Procedure: This Procurement is being conducted in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023 using the Competitive Flexible Procedure. There will be two stages to this procurement. Stage 1 - Conditions of Participation (a minimum of the three highest scoring tenderers will be invited to submit a tender in stage 2). Due to the nature and technical requirements of the contract opportunity, the Client will be using certain mandatory Conditions of Participation with pass/fail criteria that all Tenderers must pass in order for their tender submission to be accepted and evaluated. These Conditions of Participation will relate to: Legal capacity, Financial capacity, and Technical ability. Stage 2 - Invitation to Tender A minimum of the three highest scoring tenderers from stage 1 will be invited to submit a tender through stage 2. Stage 2 will be have the following weighting criteria: Quality: 50% Price: 40% Commercial T&Cs: 5% Presentation: 5% The evaluation criteria is detailed in GWRs e-procurement portal Wax.

CPV: Catering services · Food, beverages, tobacco and related products

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1AwardedRenewal 3 yrsSMEPublished value£54,000,000
Contract period: 1 Apr 2026 – 31 Mar 2029 (3 yrs) · up to 31 Mar 2031 with extensionsValue: £54,000,000 exc. VAT · £54,000,000 inc. VAT
Delivery: South WestEligibility: SME eligible
Extensions: Potential Future Enhancements and Contract Expansion. GWR is tendering for Great Western Railway Catering and Logistics with an estimated initial contract value of £46 million over 5 years. In addition to the core service, GWR may seek to enhance or expand the service during the contract term. Notice Great Western Railway (GWR) reserves the right to introduce enhancements, modifications, or extensions to the scope of services or deliverables during the lifetime of the contract. These changes may arise due to evolving operational requirements, technological advancements, regulatory updates, or strategic priorities. Any such adjustments will be subject to mutual agreement between the parties and may be formalised through contract variation procedures, in accordance with the Procurement Act 23. The enhancements expected during the lifetime of this contract are detailed below. Future Enhancements The service enhancement GWR anticipates taking place during the lifetime of the contract is that of the enhanced First-Class offer which will aim to improve the First-Class offer on services to improve service delivery and set new benchmarks (through improved customer satisfaction). The enhanced offer aims to drive sustainable growth for GWR through revenue and loyalty. GWR want to improve the First-Class experience by enhancing both the quality and consistency of the catering services. This will include improving GWRs food offering and ensuring that a high standard of service is available throughout the day, every day, both on-board and within the station lounges, over the next five years (2025 - 2030). The First-Class Lounge proposition is a 'Premium' catering product offering, such as the introduction of enhanced choice meal options and will include a review of GWRs Pullman service, and the Standard Class catering proposition. GWR want to introduce an enhanced onboard catering experience on the High-Speed Services (HSS) routes in the form of a hot breakfast option. GWR also want to further enhance customer service provision with proactive promotion of the product, including menu cards for customers. The aims are to: • Enhanced Customer Satisfaction • Increased loyalty and reduced complaints: • Strengthened brand reputation: • Improved employee engagement: • Step change towards a national railway: Enhanced Proposition The proposition centres on the introduction of a reliable and consistent service offer, paired with improved quality catering, supported with better trolleys to see what's on offer and menu cards on train and online to improve awareness of the offer. This will increase First Class revenues, boost customer satisfaction and positively alter perceptions of performance. The result will be both growth and retention in First-Class customer base, further supported by tactical pricing adjustments that reflect the elevated value proposition. Estimated increased contract value: The estimated increase in contract value for the full enhancement offer could be £3.2m Annually and £16m over five years. These figures are estimates and will be based on customer uptake. Further details will be made available in Stage Two of this tender process. · The initial contract term will be 3 years with the option to extend for a further 2 years.
15000000 Food, beverages, tobacco and related products55520000 Catering services
Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)1
  • Condition of participation

    This will be explained in Wax.

    A minimum of the three highest scoring tenders from stage one will be invited to stage two of this tender process.

    shortlisting

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
  • Future Enhancement Proposal: Leading on from the above description for stage 1 and 2, this element will be pass/fail. In order to score a pass, the tenderer must submit a proposal for the future enhancement. All details/criteria will be provided at stage 2.
Conditions of participation1
  • Condition of participation

    This will be explained in Wax.

    A minimum of the three highest scoring tenders from stage one will be invited to stage two of this tender process.

    shortlisting

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Procedure method
Competitive flexible procedure
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Goods
Notice status
Awarded
Procurement threshold
Above threshold (FTS publication)
Regulatory regime
Utilities
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement
Unspecified in notice
First published
11 Jun 2025, 10:27 BST
Last source update
23 Mar 2026, 09:53 GMT
Award evaluation window
Submission end – 19 Jan 2026
FTS notice number
2025/S 000-058198
Latest notice
Contract award notice (UK6)
Classification (CPV)
Catering servicesFood, beverages, tobacco and related products
Delivery area
South West (UKK)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-054675 Find a Tender
How it runs

Procedure:

This Procurement is being conducted in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023 using the Competitive Flexible Procedure.

There will be two stages to this procurement.

Stage 1 - Conditions of Participation (a minimum of the three highest scoring tenderers will be invited to submit a tender in stage 2).

Due to the nature and technical requirements of the contract opportunity, the Client will be using certain mandatory Conditions of Participation with pass/fail criteria that all Tenderers must pass in order for their tender submission to be accepted and evaluated.

These Conditions of Participation will relate to:

Legal capacity,

Financial capacity, and

Technical ability.

Stage 2 - Invitation to Tender

A minimum of the three highest scoring tenderers from stage 1 will be invited to submit a tender through stage 2.

Stage 2 will be have the following weighting criteria:

Quality: 50%

Price: 40%

Commercial T&Cs: 5%

Presentation: 5%

The evaluation criteria is detailed in GWRs e-procurement portal Wax.

How it was run

Official notice
Run through: portal not identified
Electronic submission allowedLanguage: EN
Requests to participate (first stage)
13 Oct 2025, 13:00 BST
Submission deadline
13 Oct 2025, 13:00 BST
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

Registration of interest (access to documents)

Please follow this link to register your interest and gain access to the tender documentation.

Link: procurement.gwr.com/tenders ↗ or

redirect.transaxions.com/events/lHmsf ↗

Once you have registered your interest, a link to the tender will be sent via email which will enable you to view the tender instructions & T&Cs and submit your tender response.

Timeline

11 Jun 2025 → 1 Apr 2026 · 9 dates
  1. Planning notice published
    11 Jun 2025, 10:27 BST
  2. Market engagement
    28 Jul 2025, 23:59 BST

    We want to hear from suppliers who feel they can realistically provide the services. The project team are happy to discuss over Teams, face to face or on site. The team will agree the next steps as interest is received.

  3. Tender notice published397 days ago
    19 Sept 2025, 15:23 BST
  4. Submission deadline373 days ago
    13 Oct 2025, 13:00 BST
  5. Award decision expected by275 days ago
    19 Jan 2026, 23:59 GMT
  6. Assessment summaries sent213 days ago
    23 Mar 2026
  7. Latest notice published212 days ago
    23 Mar 2026, 09:53 GMT
  8. Contract starts204 days ago
    1 Apr 2026, 00:00 BST
  9. Standstill ends203 days ago
    1 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST

Notice history

13 events · 7 releases on Find a Tender · since 11 Jun 2025
  1. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    11 Jun 2025, 10:27 BST
    UK2
  2. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    2 Jul 2025, 08:03 BST
    UK2
  3. Published value updated
    2 Jul 2025, 08:03 BST
  4. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    2 Jul 2025, 08:07 BST
    UK2
  5. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    28 Jul 2025, 15:38 BST
    UK2
  6. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    28 Jul 2025, 15:39 BST
    UK2
  7. Tender notice published
    19 Sept 2025, 15:23 BST
    UK4
  8. Published value updated
    19 Sept 2025, 15:23 BST
  9. Status changed to active
    19 Sept 2025, 15:23 BST
  10. Procurement method changed
    19 Sept 2025, 15:23 BST
  11. Contract award notice published
    23 Mar 2026, 09:53 GMT
    UK6
  12. Status changed to complete
    23 Mar 2026, 09:53 GMT
  13. Contract signature expected
    1 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST
    scheduled
Published amendments (2)

The estimated total value of the contract has been amended.

Amended the estimated contract lifetime value

Routine re-releases (7)
  • 2025-07: 3 releases · 2 Jul 2025, 28 Jul 2025
  • 2025-06: 1 release · 11 Jun 2025

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast
Awards 1
Awarded value £48,500,0001 award exc. VAT
Awarded toValueDateStatus
DHL SUPPLY CHAIN LIMITED1 Oct 2026 – 30 Sept 2029 · up to 30 Sept 2031Extensions: The contract is 3 years initial term with the option to extend for a further 2 years. · Options: Great Western Railway (GWR) reserves the right to introduce enhancements, modifications, or extensions to the scope of services or deliverables during the lifetime of the contract. These changes may arise due to evolving operational requirements, technological advancements, regulatory updates, or strategic priorities. Any such adjustments will be subject to mutual agreement between the parties and may be formalised through contract variation procedures, in accordance with the Procurement Act 23. The enhancements expected during the lifetime of this contract are detailed below. Future Enhancements: The service enhancement GWR anticipates taking place during the lifetime of the contract is that of the enhanced First-Class offer which will aim to improve the First-Class offer on services to improve service delivery and set new benchmarks (through improved customer satisfaction). The enhanced offer aims to drive sustainable growth for GWR through revenue and loyalty. GWR want to improve the First-Class experience by enhancing both the quality and consistency of the catering services. This will include improving GWRs food offering and ensuring that a high standard of service is available throughout the day, every day, both on-board and within the station lounges, over the next five years (2026 - 2031). The First-Class Lounge proposition is a 'Premium' catering product offering, such as the introduction of enhanced choice meal options and will include a review of GWRs Pullman service, and the Standard Class catering proposition. GWR want to introduce an enhanced onboard catering experience on the High-Speed Services (HSS) routes in the form of a hot breakfast option. GWR also want to further enhance customer service provision with proactive promotion of the product, including menu cards for customers. The aims are to: • Enhanced Customer Satisfaction • Increased loyalty and reduced complaints: • Strengthened brand reputation: • Improved employee engagement: • Step change towards a national railway:£48,500,00023 Mar 2026standstill to 1 Apr 2026Standstill

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

FIRST GREATER WESTERN LIMITED

Contracting authorityPrivate utility GB-COH: 05113733 · GB-PPON: PXVG-2764-GZCQ Milford House 1 Milford Street, Wiltshire, South West, SN1 1HLContact name, email

Bidders & participating suppliers

1 commercial party on the notice
  • DHL SUPPLY CHAIN LIMITEDAwarded supplierGB-COH: 00528867 251 MIDSUMMER BOULEVARD, MILTON KEYNES, South East, MK9 1EAContact email

Official documents & specifications (8)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

  • Bidding documents and specifications tenderBidding documents and specificationsRegistration of interest (access to documents) Please follow this link to register your interest and gain access to the tender documentation. Link: http://redirect.transaxions.com/events/lHmsf Once you have registered your interest, a link to the tender will be sent via email w…

Notices published for this procedure