Official UK procurement notice
Invitation to Tender for Catering Services Contract (Framework Agreement) at Tove Learning Trust.
Authority: TOVE LEARNING TRUST (Public body)·On behalf of: RED BOX CONSULTANCY SERVICES LIMITED
Sectors: Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services (55) Delivery: East Midlands (UKF24)West Midlands (UKG31)South East (UKJ12)
Framework ceiling (notional)£2,500,000total for 2 lots · framework ceiling, not attributable revenue · 1 value update
Submissions closed 11 May 2026awarded 5 Jun 2026
Award (standstill) to Impact Food Group Ltd
Framework period 3 yrsends 31 Aug 2029 · up to 31 Aug 2031 with extensions · starts 1 Sept 2026
Re-procurement plannedFramework Agreement for Catering Services at Blackdown Education Partnership Schools
What is being bought2 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionProvision of pupil & staff Catering Services within education settings on behalf of Tove Learning Trust.
- No preliminary market engagement: The FTS Pipeline notice and our own Red Box Tender Portal notices ensure a wide reach for pre market engagement. Here we are able to register new suppliers, and provide key information & dates to our registered contractors ahead of publishing a tender notice, as preliminary market engagement.
CPV: School catering services
How this framework works
From the published notice- Type
- Closed framework
- Call-offs
- call-offs are awarded directly to appointed suppliers, without further competition
- Bids received
- 3 bids on the busiest of 2 lots · 1 suppliers appointed
- Framework period
- 3 yrs · up to 5 yrs from 1 Sept 2026
Published description of the framework
Internal framework agreement for use of Tove LT only through the life of the contract. Intention being that any new schools that join the Trust enter into the contract via the Call off Agreement under the same terms and contract dates, no further competition needed.
Lots and requirements (2)Procurement structure
2 lots · all with a published value · same evaluation weights on every lotLot #1Primary SchoolsAwardedRenewal East Midlands, West Midlands +1Published value£330,000
The source published no individual description for this lot.
Lot #2Secondary SchoolsAwardedRenewal East Midlands, West MidlandsPublished value£2,300,500
The source published no individual description for this lot.
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).
How bids were scored · same split on all 2 lots
Published sub-criteria (2)
- Qualitative: 50%
- Commerical: 50%
Published award criteria (2)
- Commerical: 50% overall weighting on Cost, with total 300 points available Cost- max 150 points Financial Narrative- Max 100 points Investment- Max 50 points
- Qualitative: 50% total weighting on Quality with max 300 points available across 11 questions.
What this means for your bid
- Price carries 50 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 5 points. This one is won on the number: sharpen the price before polishing the prose.
- “Invitation to Tender for Catering Services Contract (Framework…” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract, and call-offs are awarded directly: getting appointed is the whole game.
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
- 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
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 1 Apr 2026, 21:52 BST
- Last source update
- 8 Jun 2026, 09:23 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 5 Jun 2026
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-036512- Accelerated
- State of urgency
- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-067b50Find a Tender
How it was run
Official noticeRun through: portal not identified
- Appointment period ends
- 11 May 2026, 10:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 8 May 2026, 09:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release
Timeline
1 Apr 2026 → 1 Sept 2026 · 10 dates- Planning notice published204 days ago1 Apr 2026, 21:52 BST
- Next notice expected192 days ago13 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST
- Tender notice published183 days ago22 Apr 2026, 11:36 BST
- Clarification questions by168 days ago8 May 2026, 09:00 BST
- Admission / appointment period ends165 days ago · period end, not a bid countdown11 May 2026, 10:00 BST
- Award decision expected by139 days ago5 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST
- Assessment summaries sent137 days ago8 Jun 2026, 00:00 BST
- Latest notice published137 days ago8 Jun 2026, 09:23 BST
- Standstill ends126 days ago18 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST
- Contract starts52 days ago1 Sept 2026, 00:00 BST
Notice history
9 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 1 Apr 2026- Pipeline notice published1 Apr 2026, 21:52 BSTUK1
- Tender notice published22 Apr 2026, 11:36 BSTUK4
- Published value published: £2,500,00022 Apr 2026, 11:36 BST
- Status changed to active22 Apr 2026, 11:36 BST
- Procurement method changed22 Apr 2026, 11:36 BST
- Deadline published: 11 May 2026, 10:00 BST22 Apr 2026, 11:36 BST
- Contract award notice published8 Jun 2026, 09:23 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete8 Jun 2026, 09:23 BST
- Contract signature expected20 Jul 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecastSuppliers appointed 11 award · see the list ↓
Bids received 3busiest of 2 lots
| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Across several lots1 award | |||
| Impact Food Group Ltd1 Sept 2026 – 31 Aug 2029 · up to 31 Aug 2031Extensions: 2 x optional 12 month extensions | £736,250 | 5 Jun 2026standstill to 18 Jun 2026 | Standstill |
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Lot | Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Primary Schools | 3final-stage tenders | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2 · Secondary Schools | 3final-stage tenders | 0 | 0 | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
2 public bodies on the noticeOther public bodies
- RED BOX CONSULTANCY SERVICES LIMITEDProcess contact pointProcuring entityConsultancy providing ITT, scoring matrix, evaluation and facilitating presentations & scoring
Framework contractors & participating bidders
1 commercial party on the notice- IMPACT FOOD GROUP LIMITEDFramework contractor
Official documents & specifications (4)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specifications Please log onto the Red Box Portal to access tender documents. If not yet registered, please contact [email protected]
Notices published for this procedure
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Pipeline notice Pipeline notice on Find a Tender