Official UK procurement notice
Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy - Catering Services
Authority: LORD LAWSON OF BEAMISH ACADEMY (Public body)·On behalf of: ACE Advice Limited
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe Competitive Flexible Procedure will consist of two distinct stages, allowing for an initial assessment of interested suppliers.
Suppliers will be evaluated against the specific objectives of the new contract through the following stages:
- Selection Stage and Shortlisting
- Invitation to Tender (ITT) and Shortlisting for Presentation
The evaluation of the shortlisting process will be based on the information submitted by the bidding companies. This information will be moderated following the submission of the written statements, the presentations and the checking of supplier references.
- How the procedure runs: The Competitive Flexible Procedure will consist of two distinct stages, allowing for an initial assessment of interested suppliers. Suppliers will be evaluated against the specific objectives of the new contract through the following stages: • Selection Stage and Shortlisting • Invitation to Tender (ITT) and Shortlisting for Presentation The evaluation of the shortlisting process will be based on the information submitted by the bidding companies. This information will be moderated following the submission of the written statements, the presentations and the checking of supplier references.
CPV: School catering services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedRenewalPublished value£3,600,000
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 award criteria (2)
- Quality: The written submission will be scored, and then moderated through the a process of presentation and reference checking
- Price
- Price carries 30 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Competitive flexible 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
- 20 May 2026, 08:51 BST
- Last source update
- 19 Oct 2026, 12:55 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 31 Oct 2026
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-046021- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-069c86Find a Tender
- How it runs
The Competitive Flexible Procedure will consist of two distinct stages, allowing for an initial assessment of interested suppliers.
Suppliers will be evaluated against the specific objectives of the new contract through the following stages:
- Selection Stage and Shortlisting
- Invitation to Tender (ITT) and Shortlisting for Presentation
The evaluation of the shortlisting process will be based on the information submitted by the bidding companies. This information will be moderated following the submission of the written statements, the presentations and the checking of supplier references.
How it was run
Official notice- Requests to participate (first stage)
- 5 Jun 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission deadline
- 5 Jun 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Documents to be submitted via the Bidiful portal
Timeline
20 May 2026 → 1 Jan 2027 · 7 dates- Tender notice published155 days ago20 May 2026, 08:51 BST
- Submission deadline139 days ago5 Jun 2026, 12:00 BST
- Assessment summaries sent4 days ago19 Oct 2026, 00:00 BST
- Latest notice published3 days ago19 Oct 2026, 12:55 BST
- Today22 Oct 2026
- Standstill endsin 6 days28 Oct 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Award decision expected byin 9 days31 Oct 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 70 days1 Jan 2027
Notice history
4 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 20 May 2026- Tender notice published20 May 2026, 08:51 BSTUK4
- Contract award notice published19 Oct 2026, 12:55 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete19 Oct 2026, 12:55 BST
- Contract signature expected16 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compass Contract Services (U.K.) Limited, trading as ESS Government ServicesCatering Contract1 Jan 2027 – 31 Dec 2029 · up to 31 Dec 2031Extensions: 2 x 12 month extensions are available if agreed in writing by all parties | £4,800,000 inc. VAT | 19 Oct 2026standstill to 28 Oct 2026 | Standstill |
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5final-stage tenders | 0 | 0 | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
3 public bodies on the noticeOther public bodies
- ACE Advice LimitedBeneficiary authority
- ACE ADVICE LTDProcess contact pointProcuring entityProcurement Support
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- COMPASS CONTRACT SERVICES (U.K.) LIMITEDAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specifications Bidders are invited to request the tender documents via email [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