Find a TenderClosedTender notice
Published 19 Jan 2026, 09:27 GMT

Official UK procurement notice

Invitation to Tender for Provision of Catering Services (Framework Agreement) at Pendle Education Trust

Official notice

Authority: Pendle Education Trust (Public body)·On behalf of: RED BOX CONSULTANCY SERVICES LIMITED

Framework agreementServicesOpen procedureAbove thresholdSME suitable
Framework ceiling (notional)£2,190,578framework ceiling, not attributable revenue · 1 value update
Submissions closed 3 Apr 2026
Next notice expected 8 May 2026
Framework period 3 yrsends 31 Aug 2029 · up to 31 Aug 2031 with extensions · starts 1 Sept 2026

What is being bought

Published requirement description

Pendle Education Trust (PET) have decided to tender their catering services contract to investigate the financial and qualitative benefits they could be offered through this process.

Services include catering provision for 3 Primary Schools and 2 Secondary Schools Mon- Fri term time (190 days). Approximately 678 primary School meals are served daily and Secondary income is circa 2k per day combined. All Schools have existing kitchens and staff, with good equipment.

Here is a little information about the Trust's strategy, taken from their website Pendle Education Trust - Home

"Our Trust has the opportunity to influence and shape the children in our family to reach their full potential and more. We have over 2200 (2019-20) children in our schools, three primary and two secondary, with over 300 staff dedicated to their education and wellbeing. We are committed to the communities in which we work and recognise the uniqueness of each of these five communities with the local area in which we chose to work. Whilst we have ambition to increase the size of our family this will not be growth without thought. We are committed to working in our local area and to reaping the benefits of being geographically close - are schools are all within a thirteen-mile radius. We intend to protect our schools and ensure that we do not destabilise our family when we do grow. We have the support of our sponsor, Nelson & Colne College to ensure that we are relentless in our focus on the teaching and learning experience of our children and the improved opportunities this will bring to their lives."

  • The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 1 Feb 2031, 23:59 GMT.

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
Framework period
3 yrs · up to 5 yrs from 1 Sept 2026
Published description of the framework

Internal Framework Agreement for Trust to enable any new Schools joining to engage the awarded contractor, within the contract terms & duration, including any extensions.

There will be no further market engagement or tender process required within the initial contract period and any extensions.

There will be no cost for joining schools to award the contract via the Framework.

Any schools joining the Framework will expect the same delivery standard, as outlines in the ITT & Contract,

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1Renewal 3 yrsSMEPublished value£2,190,578
Contract period: 1 Sept 2026 – 31 Aug 2029 (3 yrs) · up to 31 Aug 2031 with extensionsValue: £2,190,578 exc. VAT · £2,628,694 inc. VAT
Delivery: North WestEligibility: SME eligible
Extensions: 2 x 12 month optional extension

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
Quality: 50%Price: 50%
Published sub-criteria (2)
  • Quality: 50%
  • Commercial Submission: 50%
Published award criteria (2)
  • Commercial Submission: The Trust shall be under no obligation to accept the lowest of any tender prices submitted hereunder. Full points will be awarded to best value in terms of profit/subsidy (*Commercial Submission- Max 150) with scaled deductions for other bids. We also ask for a 3-year budget projection within this section.
  • Quality: Within this evaluation framework the Trust have emphasised the importance of food quality & menu flexibility/inclusivity with meals that demonstrate value for money. They need a strong management support system to ensure compliance with tender bid, provide continuous improvement & innovation. Sustainability & Social Value are also important to the Trust, as is a well-supported Mobilisation with care and empathy demonstrated towards the team. 12 questions have been weighted for scoring in partnership with the Trust. Red Box will evaluate responses and award a score following the matrix below: 5-Excellent - Exceeds requirements significantly with clear added value. 4-Good - Meets all requirements with some added value. 3- Satisfactory - Meets minimum requirements with no significant added value. 2-Weak - Fails to meet some key requirements; improvement needed. 1-Poor - Does not meet key requirements or lacks sufficient evidence.
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 Provision of Catering Services (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
Closed
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
Yes · next expected 1 Feb 2031
First published
19 Jan 2026, 09:27 GMT
Last source update
10 Feb 2026, 11:20 GMT
Award evaluation window
Submission end – 8 May 2026
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-011745
Latest notice
Tender notice (UK4)
Classification (CPV)
School catering services
Delivery area
North West (UKD4)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-060854 Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice
Run through: portal not identified
Electronic submission allowedLanguage: EN
Appointment period ends
3 Apr 2026, 16:00 BST
Clarification deadline
1 Apr 2026, 16:00 BST
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

Timeline

19 Jan 2026 → 1 Sept 2026 · 7 dates
  1. Planning notice published275 days ago
    19 Jan 2026, 09:27 GMT
  2. Tender notice published253 days ago
    10 Feb 2026, 11:20 GMT
  3. Clarification questions by203 days ago
    1 Apr 2026, 16:00 BST
  4. Admission / appointment period ends201 days ago · period end, not a bid countdown
    3 Apr 2026, 16:00 BST
  5. Award decision expected by165 days ago
    8 May 2026, 23:59 BST
  6. Next notice expected165 days ago
    8 May 2026, 23:59 BST
  7. Contract starts50 days ago
    1 Sept 2026, 00:00 BST

Notice history

5 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 19 Jan 2026
  1. Pipeline notice published
    19 Jan 2026, 09:27 GMT
    UK1
  2. Tender notice published
    10 Feb 2026, 11:20 GMT
    UK4
  3. Published value published: £2,190,578
    10 Feb 2026, 11:20 GMT
  4. Status changed to active
    10 Feb 2026, 11:20 GMT
  5. Deadline published: 3 Apr 2026, 16:00 BST
    10 Feb 2026, 11:20 GMT

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

2 public bodies on the notice

PENDLE EDUCATION TRUST

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-COH: 08263591 · GB-PPON: PRJP-2224-TJHM Nelson And Colne College, Nelson, North West, BB9 7YTContact name, email

Other public bodies

  • RED BOX CONSULTANCY SERVICES LIMITEDProcess contact pointProcuring entityContractor engagement, creation of ITT and supporting docs, hosting site visits, evaluating bids & presentationsGB-COH: 05126781GB-PPON: PDBY-5265-PHLM North Yorkshire, Yorkshire & HumberContact name, email

Official documents & specifications (2)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure

  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender
  • Pipeline notice planningPipeline noticeUK1Pipeline notice on Find a Tender