Find a TenderOpen for tender Tender notice
Published 13 Nov 2026, 14:02 GMT

Official UK procurement notice

Sheffield South East Trust Cluster ~ Catering Tender

Authority: Sheffield South East Trust Cluster (Public body)

ServicesCompetitive flexible procedureAbove thresholdSME suitable
Published estimate£22,000,000≈ £7.3m / year · £22,000,000 inc. VAT
Submission deadline 18 Jan 202712:00 GMT · 65 days left
Clarification cut-off 8 Dec 202612:00 GMT · questions to the authority
Contract term 3 yrsends 31 Jul 2030 · up to 31 Jul 2032 with extensions · starts 1 Aug 2027
Notice summaryFrom the published notice

The successful Supplier will be required to provide Catering Services for Sheffield South East Trust Cluster, a cluster of schools which have come to market in a collaborative way. The Sheffield South East Trust is leading a city wide collaborative initiative to deliver a new, shared catering service across Sheffield schools from September 2027.

What is being bought

Published requirement description

The successful Supplier will be required to provide Catering Services for Sheffield South East Trust Cluster, a cluster of schools which have come to market in a collaborative way.

•Contract start date: August 1st

•Contract value: 4.4m Per year, excluding VAT.

•Contract length: Three {3} +1 +1

•Number of schools: 44 {7 in one Trust}

The Sheffield South East Trust is leading a city wide collaborative initiative to deliver a new, shared catering service across Sheffield schools from September 2027. By working in partnership, we will unlock economies of scale that deliver greater value and shared benefit. This network brings together schools of all sizes and settings inner city and rural alike bound by a shared commitment to excellence. Our holistic, inclusive approach is designed to enhance learning and secure lifelong outcomes for every pupil in our care. We recognise that collective action delivers far more than working in isolation: together, we build stronger foundations for children and their families, raising aspirations across our region.

Mark Dunker, CFO, of Sheffield South East Trust has brought on board the Litmus Partnership to stand alongside us—guiding, shaping, and delivering the very best future for every single pupil in our care. Led by unshakeable purpose and crystal clear vision, we are driven to find nothing less than the perfect solution for the young people in our schools. This project has grown from a shared hope into something truly extraordinary over these past months: 36 school leaders have now united, standing together to choose a contractor who will match our ambition and deliver the absolute highest standards in food, care, and service.

Please see PSQ Document for more information.

For more information about this opportunity, please visit the eSourcing portal at:

litmustms.co.uk/tenders/UK-UK-Sheffi… ↗

To respond to this opportunity, please click here:

litmustms.co.uk/respond/DZMYQGAEME ↗

  • How the procedure runs: Please see PSQ Document for more information.

CPV: School catering services

More open work like this

Other notices open now · live search, filters set

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1Renewal 3 yrsSMEPublished value£22,000,000
Contract period: 1 Aug 2027 – 31 Jul 2030 (3 yrs) · up to 31 Jul 2032 with extensionsValue: £22,000,000 exc. VAT · £22,000,000 inc. VAT
Delivery: Yorkshire & HumberEligibility: SME eligibleTurnover guideline: ~£14,653,285/yr≈ 2× annual value
Extensions: 3+1+1 Please see PSQ document for more information.

Who is likely to bid for this lot ↓

What it takes to win
i

Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add more
How bids are scored
Quality: 70%Price: 30%
Published sub-criteria (2)
  • Criterion 1: 70%
  • Criterion 2: 30%
Published award criteria (2)
  • Criterion 1
  • Criterion 2

No conditions of participation were published on the notice; check the tender documents.

What this means for your bid
  • Price carries 30 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
  • Turnover usually expected at this size: about £14,653,285 (twice the annual value).

Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula. Turnover is an indicative market norm (≈2× annual value), not a published condition.

Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid

How Sheffield South East Trust Cluster buys Catering services (CPV 5552), and who usually turns up

Sheffield South East Trust Cluster has little published record in this market. Frameworks and DPS are left out: they draw different bid counts. Whole-market view: Catering services (CPV 5552) →

1

How the contest usually goes

Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.

Question for the bid
This buyerSheffield South East Trust Cluster · this authority
The marketCatering services (CPV 5552) · Yorkshire and the Humber
What to do with it
How often do SMEs win?
i

The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.

Buyer: no supplier sizes published · market: CPV 5552 · Yorkshire and the Humber, n=22
—36%

Across this market, small firms won 36% of awards with a known supplier size.

How often do local suppliers win?
i

Local means the winner is registered in the region where that award was delivered. The market figure counts awards delivered in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Buyer: no winner locations published · market: CPV 5552 · Yorkshire and the Humber, n=40
—8%

Across this market, 8% of winners were registered in the delivery region.

How long to a decision?
i
Buyer: no decision dates published · market: CPV 5552 · Yorkshire and the Humber, n=15
—56 days

Half of these awards have an award date within 56 days of the bid deadline.

How often single-bid or direct?
i

The market share is a minimum: some awards have no bid count.

Buyer: no awards on record · market: CPV 5552 · Yorkshire and the Humber, n=34
—18%

Across this market, at least 18% of awarded procurements had no recorded rival.

How many bids did past lots attract?

i
This buyerNo bid counts published
The market30 lots with bid counts · CPV 5552 · Yorkshire and the Humber
13% had one bid
% of the market's 30 lots with a published bid count · select a colour for counts
1 bid13%
Market: 4 of 30 lots with published bid counts.
2–323%
Market: 7 of 30 lots with published bid counts.
4–653%
Market: 16 of 30 lots with published bid counts.
7+10%
Market: 3 of 30 lots with published bid counts.

How did awards compare with estimates?

i
This buyerNo estimate-and-award pairs published
The market18 lots with estimate and award · CPV 5552 · Yorkshire and the Humber
39% below estimate
% of the market's 18 lots with an estimate and award · select a colour for counts
Below estimate39%
Market: 7 of 18 lots with an estimate and award.
Within ±2%44%
Market: 8 of 18 lots with an estimate and award.
Above estimate17%
Market: 3 of 18 lots with an estimate and award.
2

Assess each lot
i

Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list

Lot #1CPV 555236 monthsSME suitablePublished estimate£22m
Expected competition
i

Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.

4expected bids28% chance of a single bid
similar past contests in this category: 46
Forecast chances for this lot
1 bid28%
Chance this lot gets 1 bid: 28%. This is a forecast.
2–324%
Chance this lot gets 2–3: 24%. This is a forecast.
4–641%
Chance this lot gets 4–6: 41%. This is a forecast.
7+8%
Chance this lot gets 7+: 8%. This is a forecast.
Commercial price forecast
i

Based on 20 comparable awards. Each lot reflects its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.

£22mMatches estimate (74% chance)
20 comparable awards
Forecast compared with the buyer’s estimate
Middle 50%£22m
The middle half of likely prices meets at £22,000,000.
Estimate£22m
The buyer published an estimate of £22,000,000 for this lot.

Who has supplied this buyer on similar work?
i

No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.

Who could compete for this lot?
i

SupplierWon in this categoryLive contractsAward vs estimate
7 panel places
£194m64 awards in 36m · last 1 month ago38 live · £132m
i
at estimate n=64
3 panel places
£157m35 awards in 36m · last 1 month ago20 live · £74m
i
at estimate n=34
£34m11 awards in 36m · last 2 months ago6 live · £24m
i
30% above n=12
1 panel places
£77m35 awards in 36m · last 5 months ago36 live · £96m
i
7% above n=44
3 panel places
£37m20 awards in 36m · last 4 months ago5 live · £15m
i
17% above n=9
About this data
  • Estimates, labelled. The price range, possible competitors and earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards, not published facts, win chances or price advice. The buyer’s own record and the wider market are shown apart, never mixed.
  • Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender and Contracts Finder), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0, updated through the day and rebuilt nightly. Not every figure uses both feeds, and each one shows how many records it rests on: see the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.

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
Open for tender
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 Nov 2026, 14:02 GMT
Last source update
13 Nov 2026, 14:02 GMT
Award evaluation window
Submission end – 3 May 2027
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-108036
Latest notice
Tender notice (UK4)
Classification (CPV)
School catering services
Delivery area
Yorkshire & Humber (UKE32)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-07bbc0 Find a Tender
How it runs

Please see PSQ Document for more information.

How to participate & submission route

Official notice Submit via Litmus TMS
Submission portal named on this notice: Litmus TMS
Supplier login requiredElectronic submission allowedLanguage: EN
Access & registration note: Free
Requests to participate (first stage)
—
Tender submission deadline
18 Jan 2027, 12:00 GMT
Clarification deadline
8 Dec 2026, 12:00 GMT
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release
Published estimate £22,000,000 excludes VAT (£22,000,000 including VAT).

Timeline

13 Nov 2026 → 1 Aug 2027 · 5 dates
  1. Tender notice published1h ago
    13 Nov 2026, 14:02 GMT
  2. Today
    13 Nov 2026
  3. Clarification questions byin 24 days
    8 Dec 2026, 12:00 GMT
  4. Submission deadlinein 65 days
    18 Jan 2027, 12:00 GMT
  5. Award decision expected byin 171 days
    3 May 2027, 23:59 BST
  6. Contract startsin 260 days
    1 Aug 2027, 00:00 BST

Notice history

1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender
  1. Tender notice published
    13 Nov 2026, 14:02 GMT
    UK4

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Nothing awarded yet
Awards (0)
No award published
Contracts (0)
No contract published
Bid statistics
No aggregate bid statistics published

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Sheffield South East Trust Cluster

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PLXN-8675-HJWY Sheffield South East Trust, Acres Hill Community Primary School, Mather Road, Sheffield, Yorkshire & Humber, S9 4GQContact name, email, phone

Official documents & specifications (1)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure

  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender