Official UK procurement notice
Provision of Outsourced Catering Services
Authority: The White Hills Park Trust (Central government)·On behalf of: PHP LAW LLP
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThis tender opportunity has been issued by The White Hills Park Trust (the Trust). The proposed contract will be for the provision of Outsourced Catering Service (the Service) to the Trust. The Contract will include all food and staff provision to support the delivery of the service requirement and to include the following in their service offer: a. Census day menus b. Open evening events c. Sustainability options/strategic net zero decisions d. Theme days linked to world events e. Hospitality and events
- The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 2 Dec 2030, 23:59 GMT.
- No preliminary market engagement: The justification is that the requirements are not complex or niche and the Contracting Authority already has an understanding of what they want the service to deliver and the market is known.
CPV: School catering services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedRenewalPublished value£4,500,000
- Economic & financial standing
A financial appraisal will be based upon a credit check. Insurances a. Employer’s (Compulsory) Liability Insurance* = [£10m] b. Public Liability Insurance = [£10m] c. Professional Indemnity Insurance = [£1m] d. Product Liability Insurance = [£1m]Insurance of £5 million as a minimum.
- Technical & professional ability
RProvide 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).
Published sub-criteria (13)
- Service Requirements: 10%
- Service Model Case Study: 2.5%
- Menu Planning & Development: 10%
- Healthy Eating & Nutrition: 7.5%
- Special Diets & Allergen Management: 7.5%
- Contractor Staff: 5%
- Account Management: 2.5%
- Contract Management: 5%
- Contract Mobilisation & Risk Management: 5%
- Guaranteed Position Approach: 10%
- Guaranteed Position Assessment: 30%
- Sustainability Approach: 2.5%
- Sustainability initiatives: 2.5%
Published award criteria (13)
- Service Requirements
- Service Model Case Study
- Menu Planning & Development
- Healthy Eating & Nutrition
- Special Diets & Allergen Management
- Contractor Staff
- Account Management
- Contract Management
- Contract Mobilisation & Risk Management
- Sustainability Approach
- Sustainability initiatives
- Guaranteed Position Assessment
- Guaranteed Position Approach
- Economic & financial standing
A financial appraisal will be based upon a credit check. Insurances a. Employer’s (Compulsory) Liability Insurance* = [£10m] b. Public Liability Insurance = [£10m] c. Professional Indemnity Insurance = [£1m] d. Product Liability Insurance = [£1m]Insurance of £5 million as a minimum.
- Technical & professional ability
RProvide 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 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
- 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
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Yes · next expected 2 Dec 2030
- First published
- 9 Mar 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Last source update
- 2 Jun 2026, 13:13 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 29 May 2026
- Authority reference
WHPT01.27- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-020829- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-066535Find a Tender- Contract terms summary
The Contractor shall operate the service efficiently and provide a commercial solution that offers best value to the Trust, proactively assessing where efficiencies can be made and discussing these and their cost benefits with the Trust. The Contractor shall submit invoices and associated documentation by email. Invoicing will be monthly, in arrears from the end of the previous month. Where, during a monthly period, it has been identified, and agreed, that adjustments are required (in respect of service credits, additional works, errors or omissions), these will be taken account of within the invoice for the following month.
- Risks
A school catering contract carries risks across financial, operational, compliance, and reputational areas. Key concerns include rising food and labour costs, low pupil meal uptake affecting income, and unclear contract terms leading to disputes. There are also strict legal and safety obligations, such as meeting School Food Standards, managing allergens, maintaining hygiene, and complying with safeguarding and TUPE requirements. Poor service quality, staffing shortages, supply chain disruptions, or equipment failures can impact delivery, while failures in food safety or standards may attract scrutiny from bodies such as Ofsted and damage the school’s reputation with parents and pupils.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 20 Apr 2026, 12:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 13 Apr 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
9 Mar 2026 → 1 Aug 2026 · 8 dates- Tender notice published226 days ago9 Mar 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Clarification questions by191 days ago13 Apr 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission deadline184 days ago20 Apr 2026, 12:00 BST
- Award decision expected by145 days ago29 May 2026, 23:59 BST
- Assessment summaries sent142 days ago2 Jun 2026, 00:00 BST
- Latest notice published141 days ago2 Jun 2026, 13:13 BST
- Standstill ends132 days ago11 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST
- Contract starts82 days ago1 Aug 2026
Notice history
5 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 9 Mar 2026- Tender notice published9 Mar 2026, 12:00 GMTUK4
- Contract award notice published2 Jun 2026, 13:13 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete2 Jun 2026, 13:13 BST
- Buyer details updated2 Jun 2026, 13:13 BST
- Contract signature expected15 Jun 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aspens Services Limited1 Aug 2026 – 31 Jul 2029 · up to 31 Jul 2031Extensions: 3 years with the option of 2 further 1 year extensions (3+1+1) · Options: The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid. To enable schools to join the contract who have joined the Trust. | £4,500,000 | 1 Jun 2026standstill to 11 Jun 2026 | Standstill |
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1final-stage tenders | 0 | 0 | — |
Who bid
- wonASPENS-SERVICES LIMITED · Greater London
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
3 public bodies on the noticeConsortium members and other public bodies
- PHP LAW LLPProcess contact pointProcuring entityProcurement Consultant
- The White Hills Park TrustContracting authorityPublic authority - central government
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- ASPENS-SERVICES 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