Official UK procurement notice
Invitation to Tender for the Management of the Catering Services (Framework Agreement) at Blackdown Education Partnership
Authority: BLACKDOWN EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP (Education)·On behalf of: RED BOX CONSULTANCY SERVICES LIMITED
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionBlackdown Education Partnership are a Multi Academy Trust of 13 Schools based in Devon & Somerset. This tender is for provision of school catering services and will include six secondary schools, three of which deliver to Primary sites. The schools currently have a mixture of contracted services (4 Secondaries) and externally supported in-house services (2). The new contract will commence from Mon 12th April 2027, following the Easter break.
- Not divided into lots: The geographical spread and delivered meals service to nearby Primary Schools meant the best efficiency of services would be gained by keeping all Schools within the same lot.
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 12 Apr 2027
Published description of the framework
Internal framework to allow additional Schools joining the Trust to access the awarded services provision within the life of this contract.
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1RenewalPublished value£7,211,170
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 (2)
- Quality: 50%
- Commercial: 50%
Published award criteria (2)
- Commercial: Max 300 points available
- Quality: Max 300 points available
- 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 the Management of the Catering Services…” 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.
Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid
How BLACKDOWN EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP buys Catering services (CPV 5552), and who usually turns up
BLACKDOWN EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP has little published record in this market. Compared with other frameworks and DPS only. Whole-market view: Catering services (CPV 5552) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
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.
Across this market, small firms won 10% of awards with a known supplier size.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
Local means the winner is registered in the region where that award was delivered. The market figure counts awards delivered in South West England.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Across this market, 0% of winners were registered in the delivery region.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the bid deadline to the award date, on competitions that published both.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards have an award date within 53 days of the bid deadline.
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.
Across this market, at least 13% 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.
1 bid8%
2–38%
4–617%
7+67%
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.
On a framework or DPS, prices are agreed when work is called off.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Not comparable on a framework or DPS: the price is set later, on each call-off.
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.
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 5552Published estimate£7.2m
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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.
1 bid3%
2–362%
4–625%
7+10%
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.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
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.
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.
| Supplier | This buyer’s earlier contract | Lot | Award value | Why listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIQUILL CATERING LIMITEDEarlier contract | Invitation to Tender for the Management of the Catering Services at Harper Bell Seventh Day Adventist Schoolstarted Jan 2026 | — | — | Matched as the earlier contract |
| Mellors Catering ServicesEarlier contract | Elevate Multi Academy Trust: Framework Agreement for Catering Servicesnotice published May 2021 | — | — | Matched as the earlier contract |
| Impact Food Group LtdEarlier contract | Invitation to Tender for Catering Services Contract (Framework Agreement) at Tove Learning Trust.started Aug 2026 | — | — | Matched 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.
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.
| Supplier | Won in this category | Live contracts | Award vs estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 awards in 36m · last 5 months ago | None on file | no comparable pairs | |
| £441m47 awards in 36m · last 1 months ago | 26 live · £317m iPublic 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=35 | |
abm catering limitedLarge | £46m32 awards in 36m · last this month | 34 live · £57m iPublic 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=44 |
Cater Link LimitedLarge | £157m34 awards in 36m · last 3 months ago | 20 live · £74m iPublic 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 |
| £195m62 awards in 36m · last 4 months ago | 37 live · £128m iPublic 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 |
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.
What this replaces i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
47% title match.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
47% title match.
A past supplier may not bid again.
The prior contract this notice most likely re-tenders · matched by title and category (47% title match), the holder is not guaranteed to re-bid
Invitation to Tender for the Management of the Catering Services at Harper Bell Seventh Day Adventist School — held by MIQUILL CATERING LIMITED; no contract end date published.
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 admission
- 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
- 23 Sept 2026, 18:17 BST
- Last source update
- 23 Oct 2026, 12:17 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 28 Jan 2027
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-100420- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-077907Find a Tender
How to participate & submission route
Official notice Apply via portal- Requests to participate (first stage)
- —
- Appointment period ends
- 5 Jan 2027, 15:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- —
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Bids must be submitted via the Red Box Portal
Registration is required in advance. If not already registered please contact [email protected] to request access. Please allow at least 48 hours for registration to be completed.
Timeline
23 Sept 2026 → 12 Apr 2027 · 6 dates- Planning notice published31 days ago23 Sept 2026, 18:17 BST
- Market engagement20 days ago5 Oct 2026, 00:59 BST
Contractors are invited to register interest in this procurement through Red Box Tender Portal, where all communication, documents and bids will be managed. If you are not already registered with Red Box, please email [email protected] to request registration.
We expect the ITT and supporting documents to be released and site visit bookings to open from W/C 5th October.
Site visits will be held in November, giving contractors the opportunity to see service and meet the client. You must book onto these visits via the Red Box Portal.
The deadline for bids will be 3pm January 5th 2027, with shortlisting on the 13th January 2027 and presentations for the shortlisted bidders on the 21st January 2027.
New contract start date will be 12th April 2027, for a 3 year initial term and 2 x 12 month optional extensions.
- Tender notice published1 day ago23 Oct 2026, 12:17 BST
- Today24 Oct 2026
- Admission / appointment period endsin 73 days · period end, not a bid countdown5 Jan 2027, 15:00 GMT
- Award decision expected byin 96 days28 Jan 2027, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 169 days12 Apr 2027, 00:00 BST
Notice history
6 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 23 Sept 2026- Preliminary market engagement notice published23 Sept 2026, 18:17 BSTUK2
- Tender notice published23 Oct 2026, 12:17 BSTUK4
- Published value updated23 Oct 2026, 12:17 BST
- Status changed to active23 Oct 2026, 12:17 BST
- Procurement method changed23 Oct 2026, 12:17 BST
- Deadline published: 5 Jan 2027, 15:00 GMT23 Oct 2026, 12:17 BST
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
2 public bodies on the noticeOther public bodies
- RED BOX CONSULTANCY SERVICES LIMITEDProcess contact pointProcuring entityClient engagement, ITT & scope writing, Market Engagement, Evaluation of bids, hosting presentations, awarding contract
Official documents & specifications (2)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender