Official UK procurement notice
RBGKEW1530 - Catering Services Wakehurst
Authority: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Public body)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionRoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew is seeking Tenders for the provision of our Day Visitor Catering at Wakehurst which comprises the operation of three fixed catering outlets, namely Seeds Café, Stables Kitchen and Stables Pantry, together with provision of mobile catering within the grounds of Wakehurst.
The contract will operate on a fully commercial concession basis wherein the appointed Caterer shall pay a percentage of sales turnover to the Client by way of a turnover-based commission supported by a fixed annual minimum guaranteed sum
- How the procedure runs: The evaluation methodology is designed to identify the Most Advantageous Tender by balancing quality, social value and commercial return. Evaluation will be conducted in staged phases in accordance with the Competitive Flexible Procedure. At each stage, suppliers must meet specified minimum requirements in order to progress further. RBG Kew reserves the right to discontinue evaluation of any submission at any stage where minimum requirements or thresholds are not met. This staged approach ensures that only credible and deliverable proposals progress through the evaluation process and enables RBG Kew to focus evaluation resources proportionately on the strongest bids. The evaluation will take place through the following stages: • Initial compliance review and clarifications where required • Assessment of minimum experience requirements • Written technical and social value evaluation against published criteria • Practical assessment activities, including site visits or scenario evaluation where appropriate • Commercial evaluation, including assessment of deliverability and sustainability of financial proposals • Shortlisting and, where applicable, clarification discussions, presentations and Best and Final Offers. Where appropriate, RBG Kew may undertake practical assessment activities, including site visits, mystery shopping and reference checks, in respect of suppliers who meet minimum evaluation thresholds. RBG Kew reserves the right to undertake financial due diligence checks, including credit checks, to verify financial standing. These activities will not introduce additional evaluation criteria but may be used to confirm the accuracy and credibility of information provided within the tender submission and to inform final scoring against existing criteria. Suppliers that fail to meet published minimum requirements at any stage will not progress further in the evaluation.
CPV: Catering services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedRenewalPublished value£17,000,000
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).
- Visitor offer design & inclusivity: Points = 145
- Quality assurance & consistency: Points = 80
- Peak Demand and Flow Management: Points = 55
- Operating Model and Staffing: Points = 70
- Business continuity & Experience: Points = 45
- Relevant Experience: Points = 65
- Environmental Sustainability: Points = 60
- Social Value Delivery: Points = 40
- Measurement & Improvement: Points = 30
- Governance & Performance: Points = 65
- Partnership Working: Points = 45
- Minimum Guaranteed Return: Points = 90
- Concession: Points = 160
- Capital Investment: Points = 50
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
- Concession
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 6 Mar 2026, 10:09 GMT
- Last source update
- 25 Aug 2026, 16:16 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 3 Aug 2026
- Authority reference
RBGKEW1530- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-020231- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0663c8Find a Tender
- How it runs
The evaluation methodology is designed to identify the Most Advantageous Tender by balancing quality, social value and commercial return.
Evaluation will be conducted in staged phases in accordance with the Competitive Flexible Procedure. At each stage, suppliers must meet specified minimum requirements in order to progress further.
RBG Kew reserves the right to discontinue evaluation of any submission at any stage where minimum requirements or thresholds are not met.
This staged approach ensures that only credible and deliverable proposals progress through the evaluation process and enables RBG Kew to focus evaluation resources proportionately on the strongest bids.
The evaluation will take place through the following stages:
- Initial compliance review and clarifications where required
- Assessment of minimum experience requirements
- Written technical and social value evaluation against published criteria
- Practical assessment activities, including site visits or scenario evaluation where appropriate
- Commercial evaluation, including assessment of deliverability and sustainability of financial proposals
- Shortlisting and, where applicable, clarification discussions, presentations and Best and Final Offers.
Where appropriate, RBG Kew may undertake practical assessment activities, including site visits, mystery shopping and reference checks, in respect of suppliers who meet minimum evaluation thresholds.
RBG Kew reserves the right to undertake financial due diligence checks, including credit checks, to verify financial standing.
These activities will not introduce additional evaluation criteria but may be used to confirm the accuracy and credibility of information provided within the tender submission and to inform final scoring against existing criteria.
Suppliers that fail to meet published minimum requirements at any stage will not progress further in the evaluation.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 5 May 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
6 Mar 2026 → 1 Nov 2026 · 7 dates- Tender notice published231 days ago6 Mar 2026, 10:09 GMT
- Submission deadline171 days ago5 May 2026, 12:00 BST
- Award decision expected by80 days ago3 Aug 2026, 23:59 BST
- Assessment summaries sent59 days ago25 Aug 2026, 00:00 BST
- Latest notice published59 days ago25 Aug 2026, 16:16 BST
- Standstill ends48 days ago4 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
- Today23 Oct 2026
- Contract startsin 9 days1 Nov 2026
Notice history
4 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 6 Mar 2026- Tender notice published6 Mar 2026, 10:09 GMTUK4
- Contract award notice published25 Aug 2026, 16:16 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete25 Aug 2026, 16:16 BST
- Contract signature expected29 Oct 2026, 23:59 GMTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company of Cooks (CH&Co)1 Nov 2026 – 31 Oct 2033 · up to 31 Oct 2036Extensions: Contract term 7 years with potential extensions up to 3 years | £4,829,000 | 25 Aug 2026standstill to 4 Sept 2026 | Standstill |
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1final-stage tenders · 4 at stage one | 0 | 0 | — |
Who bid
- wonCompany of Cooks (CH&Co) · 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
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- Company of Cooks (CH&Co)Awarded 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