Find a TenderAwardedContract award notice
Published 10 Jan 2026, 08:11 GMT

Official UK procurement notice

Invitation to Tender for the provision of Catering Services at Bishop Stopford School

Official notice

Authority: BISHOP STOPFORD SCHOOL (Education)·On behalf of: RED BOX CONSULTANCY SERVICES LIMITED

ServicesOpen procedureAbove thresholdSME suitable
Published estimate£1,156,382≈ £385k / year · £1,387,659 inc. VAT
Submissions closed 27 Feb 2026awarded 25 Mar 2026
Award (standstill) to Cucina Restaurants Ltd
Contract term 3 yrsends 31 Aug 2029 · up to 31 Aug 2031 with extensions · starts 1 Sept 2026

What is being bought

Published requirement description

Description

Bishop Stopford School has decided to tender their catering services to investigate the

financial and qualitative benefits they could be offered through this process.

The contract will be awarded for a three-year duration with the option of two additional,

one-year extensions. This is subject to the satisfactory performance of the work. Their

preferred arrangement is for a guaranteed return of nil subsidy catering service, which

operates a special agreement for VAT, but the School are open to suggestions.

The quality of the service and the proposed budget for the second year 2027-28 will be

reviewed three months before the expiry of the first twelve months. The School at this

time reserves the right to terminate the contract should either the quality or future costs be

unacceptable.

Aims of the Service

Bishop Stopford School wish to be at the forefront of educational catering and as such

require a modern, branded offer that reflects the leading trends in the industry.

Page 2 to 7

At this time, the School's wish is to commence a catering contract, with a partner who

shares their vision for a customer-focused service that attracts the maximum number of

students. The meals that are to be provided must be appealing to customers, imaginative,

provide good value for money and be nutritionally balanced to encourage all students to

make an educated choice.

The service is currently managed by a contractor, where the catering team have delivered

a good service to the students for many years. The School now feel that it is time to

refresh the current contract, to allow the service to be taken to the next level, which will

deliver the latest catering concepts and an even better service for its students.

The School's objectives for the new contract are as follows: -

  • A catering service that is well managed and requires minimal involvement from the

School's management team.

  • A strong Contractor Area Manager who will develop and lead the team to deliver

exceptional customer service, a consistently high-quality food offer and spend a

substantial amount of time on site at the outset to undertake this.

  • A Contractor who is proactive in their relationship management with the School.
  • Investment in the School's Catering service through increased marketing in return for a

tenure of contract.

  • A higher number of students and staff using the facilities by providing a high quality,

affordable and nutritious meal.

  • A catering service that encourages students to take a heathy and balanced meal.
  • Food and drinks that look appetising and are attractively presented.
  • A hospitality service that will help showcase the School through events to parents and

visitors.

  • A Contractor that adopts a flexible and proactive approach to all School activities.
  • A service that is professionally merchandised and marketed with discretion and to the

mutual benefit of the School and the Contractor.

  • A Contractor that operates using the optimum level of staffing.

CPV: School catering services · School meals

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1AwardedRenewal 3 yrsSMEPublished value£1,156,382
Contract period: 1 Sept 2026 – 31 Aug 2029 (3 yrs) · up to 31 Aug 2031 with extensionsValue: £1,156,382 exc. VAT · £1,387,659 inc. VAT
Delivery: East MidlandsEligibility: SME eligible
Extensions: The contract will be awarded for a three-year duration with the option of two additional, one-year extensions. This is subject to the satisfactory performance of the work.

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%
  • Cost: 50%
Published award criteria (2)
  • Cost
  • Quality
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.

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
Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement
Unspecified in notice
First published
10 Jan 2026, 08:11 GMT
Last source update
22 Oct 2026, 15:09 BST
Award evaluation window
Submission end – 1 May 2026
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-002079
Latest notice
Contract award notice (UK6)
Classification (CPV)
School catering servicesSchool meals
Delivery area
East Midlands (UKF2)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-060351 Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice
Submission deadline
27 Feb 2026, 16:00 GMT
Clarification deadline
20 Feb 2026, 23:59 GMT
Electronic submission
Not allowed
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

All questions raised will be logged and collated and written responses provided to all tendering organisations. The identity of tenderers raising any questions will remain confidential. A live clarification log of all questions and responses will be saved on the www.redboxportal.com ↗ website. This is accessible to all those who have expressed an interest in bidding.

Any questions raised where the information is already included in the document will be identified with a page number to refer to.

The deadline for the return of tender responses is 5pm 27th February 2026. All submissions should be made via the Red Box Portal at www.redboxportal.com ↗. This is accessible by the client. Maximum file size is 4.5MB. Any files larger than this should be re-saved with lower resolution. Portal administrators and clients are unable to access the bids until the deadline has passed. No attachments with be opened or downloaded until after the tender response deadline. Contractors should receive a confirmation email once files are accessed.

No We Transfer files will be accepted.

Please complete your intention to bid on the opportunity via the www.redboxportal.com ↗. This will enable both Red Box and the client to assess participation levels. If you intend to revoke your intention to bid, please log this on the portal and confirm via email that this is the case as a courtesy to the client.

Files are all available for download on the portal.

Timeline

10 Jan 2026 → 2 Nov 2026 · 8 dates
  1. Tender notice published288 days ago
    10 Jan 2026, 08:11 GMT
  2. Clarification questions by246 days ago
    20 Feb 2026, 23:59 GMT
  3. Submission deadline240 days ago
    27 Feb 2026, 16:00 GMT
  4. Assessment summaries sent214 days ago
    25 Mar 2026
  5. Award decision expected by176 days ago
    1 May 2026, 23:59 BST
  6. Contract starts54 days ago
    1 Sept 2026, 00:00 BST
  7. Latest notice published3 days ago
    22 Oct 2026, 15:09 BST
  8. Today
    25 Oct 2026
  9. Standstill endsin 9 days
    2 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT

Notice history

4 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 10 Jan 2026
  1. Tender notice published
    10 Jan 2026, 08:11 GMT
    UK4
  2. Contract award notice published
    22 Oct 2026, 15:09 BST
    UK6
  3. Status changed to complete
    22 Oct 2026, 15:09 BST
  4. Contract signature expected
    1 Dec 2026, 23:59 GMT
    scheduled

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast
Awards 1some still in standstill
Awarded value £1,290,1761 award exc. VAT
Bids received 66 from SMEs
Awarded toValueDateStatus
Cucina Restaurants Ltd1 Dec 2026 – 31 Aug 2029 · up to 31 Aug 2031Extensions: Description of possible extension: Page 4 to 7 The contract will be awarded for a three-year duration with the option of two additional, one-year extensions. This is subject to the satisfactory performance of the work.£1,290,17625 Mar 2026standstill to 2 Nov 2026Standstill

Bid statistics published by the authority

BidsSMEVCSEValid bid range
6final-stage tenders60—

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

2 public bodies on the notice

BISHOP STOPFORD SCHOOL

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-COH: 07698789 · GB-PPON: PQCL-7719-CRZT Bishop Stopford C Of E School, Headlands,,Kettering,NN15 6BJ, Kettering, East Midlands, NN15 6BJContact name, email

Other public bodies

  • RED BOX CONSULTANCY SERVICES LIMITEDProcess contact pointProcuring entityConsultants Managing the Tender ProcessGB-COH: 05126781GB-PPON: PDBY-5265-PHLM North Yorkshire, Yorkshire & HumberContact email

Bidders & participating suppliers

1 commercial party on the notice
  • CUCINA RESTAURANTS LIMITEDAwarded supplierGB-COH: 05655703GB-PPON: PCRX-2981-XMVH 1 Christchurch Way, 3rd Floor, Woking, South East, GU21 6JGContact email

Official documents & specifications (2)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure

  • Contract award notice awardContract award noticeUK6Contract award notice on Find a Tender
  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender