Official UK procurement notice
Penk Valley Academy Trust - Catering Tender
Authority: PENK VALLEY ACADEMY TRUST (Public body)·On behalf of: ASKJAK Consultancy
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionPenk Valley Academy Trust (the Contracting Authority) invites tenders for the full supply of catering services to six of its seven schools.
The successful Supplier will be required to provide school catering services to:
Marshbrook First School, NOR 189
Princefield First School, NOR 276
Penkridge Middle School, NOR 500
St Mary & St Chad CofE First School, NOR 178
St John's CofE First School, NOR 78
The Rural Enterprise Academy, NOR 240
The schools are located in Penkridge, Stafford. The duration of the contract is three years commencing on 1 January 2027 and concluding on 31 December 2029, with the opportunity to extend for a further period of 2 years at the discretion of the Trust. The Contracting Authority is not bound to accept an offer from any supplier(s) following the Tender process. Other variants maybe accepted.
The Contracting Authority is looking to appoint an experienced caterer who:
- Will deliver an innovative food offer that consistently achieves a high standard of service for the pupils and staff
- Will provide a quality of management and staffing to the operations with sufficient back up resource if required in support of the on-site teams
- Can demonstrate the ability to increase participation and to continue to drive the service forward to improve the financial standing of the contract year on year
- Will create a positive dining environment
- Will embrace an open and honest approach for financial and operational matters
Note that TUPE will apply to this contract and that there are currently members of staff employed under a Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) and as such prospective Suppliers must be able to demonstrate their capability of running similar schemes as part of this contract under an Admitted Body Status.
It is expected that the successful Supplier will be operating similar operations within the local area thus ensuring that the Operational Management Team responsible for the contract is available for regular unplanned visits and support for the contract. Also, that
coverage for any planned or unplanned leave from within the establishment staffing structure can be readily provided.
- Not divided into lots: The services may be awarded by groupings / variants and not specifically as a set Lot(s) containing a determined list of definitive schools for each Lot.
- How the procedure runs: The tender process will be conducted under a Competitive Flexible Procedure three stage process. This tender will be evaluated under the principles of MAT (Most Advantageous Tender). MAT refers to the bid that offers the best overall value to the procuring entity, considering factors such as cost, quality, technical capability and sustainability, rather than solely focusing on the lowest price. The award criteria which will be assessed will be detailed within the appropriate documentation. 1. Participation Stage - The contracting authority intends to select a maximum of six suppliers to advance to the tender stage, based on the six highest scoring supplier responses to the additional questions set out in the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) 2. Tender Stage - Bidders shortlisted from the participation / PSQ stage will be issued with the tender documentation. Tender stage responses will be assessed against weighted criteria, detailed in the ITT (Invite to Tender) documentation. 3. Presentation & Contract Award Stage - the contracting authority intends to shortlist the three highest scoring suppliers from the Tender Stage to present to the selection panel. The highest scoring supplier after the Presentation Stage and subject to any further clarifications will be awarded the contract. Note: The date and time deadline for submitting the PSQ documents is given at the 'deadline for requests to participate' boxes in the submission section of this notice.
CPV: School catering services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedRenewalPublished value£2,100,000
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 sub-criteria (2)
- Technical Assessment: 60%
- Commercial Assessment: 40%
Published award criteria (2)
- Technical Assessment: Further information regarding scored weightings are detailed in the PSQ and ITT documentation for each stage.
- Commercial Assessment: Further information regarding scored weightings are detailed in the PSQ and ITT documentation for each stage.
- Price carries 40 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 4 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
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 13 May 2026, 17:01 BST
- Last source update
- 12 Oct 2026, 13:11 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 19 Oct 2026
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-044133- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-069833Find a Tender
- How it runs
The tender process will be conducted under a Competitive Flexible Procedure three stage process. This tender will be evaluated under the principles of MAT (Most Advantageous Tender). MAT refers to the bid that offers the best overall value to the procuring entity, considering factors such as cost, quality, technical capability and sustainability, rather than solely focusing on the lowest price. The award criteria which will be assessed will be detailed within the appropriate documentation.
- Participation Stage - The contracting authority intends to select a maximum of six suppliers to advance to the tender stage, based on the six highest scoring supplier responses to the additional questions set out in the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ)
- Tender Stage - Bidders shortlisted from the participation / PSQ stage will be issued with the tender documentation. Tender stage responses will be assessed against weighted criteria, detailed in the ITT (Invite to Tender) documentation.
- Presentation & Contract Award Stage - the contracting authority intends to shortlist the three highest scoring suppliers from the Tender Stage to present to the selection panel. The highest scoring supplier after the Presentation Stage and subject to any further clarifications will be awarded the contract.
Note: The date and time deadline for submitting the PSQ documents is given at the 'deadline for requests to participate' boxes in the submission section of this notice.
How it was run
Official notice- Requests to participate (first stage)
- 9 Jun 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission deadline
- 9 Jun 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
13 May 2026 → 1 Jan 2027 · 7 dates- Tender notice published164 days ago13 May 2026, 17:01 BST
- Submission deadline138 days ago9 Jun 2026, 12:00 BST
- Assessment summaries sent13 days ago12 Oct 2026, 00:00 BST
- Latest notice published13 days ago12 Oct 2026, 13:11 BST
- Award decision expected by5 days ago19 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST
- Standstill ends3 days ago21 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST
- Today25 Oct 2026
- Contract startsin 68 days1 Jan 2027
Notice history
4 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 13 May 2026- Tender notice published13 May 2026, 17:01 BSTUK4
- Contract award notice published12 Oct 2026, 13:11 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete12 Oct 2026, 13:11 BST
- Contract signature expected26 Oct 2026, 23:59 GMTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIQUILL CATERING LIMITEDSME1 Jan 2027 – 31 Dec 2029 · up to 31 Dec 2031Extensions: There is an option for an extension for two further one year periods - 3+1+1 | £2,900,000 | 9 Oct 2026standstill to 21 Oct 2026 | Standstill |
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3final-stage tenders · 4 at stage one | 2 | 0 | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
2 public bodies on the noticeOther public bodies
- ASKJAK ConsultancyProcess contact pointProcuring entityCatering & FM Consultancy supporting the Contracting Authority
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- MIQUILL CATERING LIMITEDAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (2)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender