Official UK procurement notice
Ivy Education Trust Provision of Catering Services
Authority: Ivy Education Trust (Public body)·On behalf of: PHP LAW LLP
What is being bought2 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionThis tender opportunity was been issued by Ivy Education Trust ("the Trust"). The contract will be for the provision of a catering service to the Trust. The tender was split into Lots:
Lot 1: Outsourced Catering Provision
Lot 2: Managed Catering Service
Tenderers were able to bid for one or both Lots and the Trust will award to either Lot 1 or Lot 2. The Contractor will provide a high-quality service, whilst delivering value for money for the school, parents and pupils using the services to the to the Trust's 5 primary schools and 3 secondary schools.
- No preliminary market engagement: The justification is that the requirements are not complex, or niche, the Trust already understands what they want the service to deliver, and the market is known.
CPV: School catering services
Lots and requirements (2)Procurement structure
2 lots · all with a published value (£7,000,000 together) · same conditions of participation on every lot · evaluation weights differ by lotLot #1Outsourced Catering ServiceAwardedRenewalPublished value£7,000,000
The Trust is seeking a Contractor to provide a high-quality service, whilst delivering value for money for the school, parents and pupils using the Services. The Contract will include all food and staff provision to support the delivery of the service requirement.
- Economic & financial standing
A financial appraisal will be based upon a credit check. Insurances Employer Liability £5m Public Liability - £5m Product Liability - £2m
- Technical & professional ability
Provide 3 relevant previous contract examples To constitute a pass, the contract examples provided shall be relevant to the requirement, with a sufficient level of detail that provides confidence in the Tenderer’s established past experience in similar and relevant projects/contracts. The contracts must be within the education sector and similar complexity and working on more than one site within the contract.
Lot #2Managed Catering ServiceAwardedRenewalPublished value£0
- The Trust is seeking a Contractor to support the Trust with providing a high-quality service, whilst delivering value for money for the school, parents and pupils using the Services. The Contract will include all food and management staff provision to deliver the managed service model, with the employment of the catering staff remaining with the Trust. The contract value for this Lot incorporates the Management Fee and Food Costs
- Economic & financial standing
A financial appraisal will be based upon a credit check. Insurances Employer Liability £5m Public Liability - £5m Product Liability - £2m
- Technical & professional ability
Provide 3 relevant previous contract examples To constitute a pass, the contract examples provided shall be relevant to the requirement, with a sufficient level of detail that provides confidence in the Tenderer’s established past experience in similar and relevant projects/contracts. The contracts must be within the education sector and similar complexity and working on more than one site within the contract.
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).
Lots publish different evaluation splits; there is no single procedure weighting.
| Lot | Quality | Price | Environmental | Split |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Outsourced Catering Service | 36% | 40% | 24% | |
| 2 · Managed Catering Service | 30% | 40% | 30% |
- Economic & financial standing
A financial appraisal will be based upon a credit check. Insurances Employer Liability £5m Public Liability - £5m Product Liability - £2m
- Technical & professional ability
Provide 3 relevant previous contract examples To constitute a pass, the contract examples provided shall be relevant to the requirement, with a sufficient level of detail that provides confidence in the Tenderer’s established past experience in similar and relevant projects/contracts. The contracts must be within the education sector and similar complexity and working on more than one site within the contract.
- Price carries 40 points on every lot: a 10% discount moves about 4 points.
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
- Cancelled
- 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
- 30 Sept 2025, 09:00 BST
- Last source update
- 27 Apr 2026, 09:05 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 31 Dec 2025
- Authority reference
IET01.38- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-060724- Latest notice
- Procurement termination notice (UK12)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05a48cFind a Tender- Contract terms summary
One invoice per month Lot 1 - Invoicing for UIFSM & FSM based on actual meals taken, broken down by school Lot 2 - Invoicing for the Management Fee, broken down by school. Food invoiced as per orders raised.
- Risks
- Financial Inflation and Rising Costs: Food price inflation, energy bills, and wage increases. Caterers locked into long-term contracts may struggle to remain profitable, risking service quality or contract withdrawal. Staffing Challenges Recruitment Difficulties: Shortages of skilled catering staff, especially in rural or low-income areas. Difficulty attracting and retaining staff due to limited pay and benefits. Training Gaps: Inadequate training in food safety, allergens, and safeguarding can lead to compliance issues. Reputational and Compliance Risks Non-compliance with School Food Standards can result in reputational damage and regulatory scrutiny. Non=compliance with the tender specification or compliance requirement
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 31 Oct 2025, 12:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 31 Oct 2025, 12:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
30 Sept 2025 → 27 Apr 2026 · 8 dates- Tender notice published386 days ago30 Sept 2025, 09:00 BST
- Clarification questions by355 days ago31 Oct 2025, 12:00 GMT
- Submission deadline355 days ago31 Oct 2025, 12:00 GMT
- Award decision expected by294 days ago31 Dec 2025, 23:59 GMT
- Assessment summaries sent290 days ago5 Jan 2026
- Standstill ends280 days ago14 Jan 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract starts204 days ago1 Apr 2026
- Latest notice published177 days ago27 Apr 2026, 09:05 BST
Notice history
6 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 30 Sept 2025- Tender notice published30 Sept 2025, 09:00 BSTUK4
- Contract award notice published5 Jan 2026, 15:21 GMTUK6
- Status changed to complete5 Jan 2026, 15:21 GMT
- Buyer details updated5 Jan 2026, 15:21 GMT
- Contract signature expected30 Jan 2026, 23:59 GMTscheduled
- Procurement termination notice published27 Apr 2026, 09:05 BSTUK12
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lot 1 · Outsourced Catering Service1 award | |||
| Fresha LimitedSMEProvision of Catering Services1 Apr 2026 – 31 Mar 2029 · up to 1 Apr 2031Extensions: 2 further 1 year extensions · Options: The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid. To enable new schools to be added to the Contract if they join the Trust. | £7,000,000 | 17 Dec 2025 | Awarded |
| Lot 2 · Managed Catering Service1 award | |||
| supplier not published | — | 17 Dec 2025 | Awarded |
Contracts
Contract 1 · Fresha LimitedSME
- Signed
- date not published
- Value
- —
- Period
- … – 1 Apr 2029
- Status
- cancelled (2 Apr 2026), The supplier who was awarded the contract has ceased trading.
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Lot | Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Outsourced Catering Service | 3final-stage tenders | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2 · Managed Catering Service | 0final-stage tenders | 0 | 0 | — |
Who bid
- wonFRESHA LIMITEDSME · South West England · 1
- did not winASPENS-SERVICES LIMITED · Greater London · 1
- did not winINNOVATE SERVICES LIMITED · South East England · 1
Bidders as named on the Procurement Act 2023 award notice. “Won” means the bidder holds an award on this notice.
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
2 public bodies on the noticeConsortium members and other public bodies
- PHP LAW LLPProcess contact pointProcuring entityProcurement Advisor
Bidders & participating suppliers
3 commercial parties on the notice · 1 awarded- ASPENS-SERVICES LIMITEDBidder / tenderer
- FRESHA LIMITEDAwarded supplier
- INNOVATE SERVICES LIMITEDBidder / tenderer
Official documents & specifications (4)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Procurement termination notice Procurement termination notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender