United Kingdom210 days leftOpen

Sir Thomas Fremantle School - Catering Tender

Tender Overview

LOCATION

Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, United Kingdom

VALUE

£1,235,052

DEADLINE

August 31, 2026 at 23:00

CATEGORY

Other

CPV CODE

55524000

REFERENCE

007537-2026

Project Timeline

Contact Information

View Original

Original Tender Description

STFS is a welcoming and caring school with a strong sense of community and ambition. We pride ourselves on delivering an exceptional experience for our students, combining high standards of academic rigour with outstanding pastoral care. Our vibrant school environment is built on respect, aspiration, and a commitment to excellence. Students at STFS benefit from highly qualified and dedicated staff who create a positive and engaging atmosphere for learning. We foster strong relationships and ensure every student feels valued and motivated to succeed. Our facilities and resources support a dynamic school life, with a wide range of activities and events that bring our community together. We are on track to reach full capacity in the 2026–27 school year, reflecting our growing reputation and demand. We are committed to providing an environment where learners thrive and teachers inspire. Further information regarding the School can be obtained here: https://www.sirthomasfremantle.org/ Tender information: The successful tenderer will be required to provide excellent catering services to Sir Thomas Fremantle School, which has 683 pupils and 102 teaching and support staff. The contract term being tendered is for three years, 1st Sept 2026 – 31st August 2029. There is an option for a further extension period for up to two additional years to 31st August 2031. The contract offers an excellent opportunity to review and propose enhancements to the current catering services at the School. This includes but is not limited to; breakfast, morning break, lunchtime over the academic year, plus hospitality services upon request. The school is keen to secure a high quality catering service including fresh locally sourced ingredients prepared on site, with a menu design that is flexible to suit the requirements of the school’s specific students. The school is proud of its ‘family ethos’ and expects both a tightly managed service and a management style delivered by the successful contractor that supports, encourages and develops the catering staff. The school is not obliged to accept the lowest price submitted for this tender, rather the school is keen to secure ‘best value’ from this contract and to deliver ‘best value’ to its students. Innovative and creative ideas as to how the services can be developed and value added, will be welcomed. The school seeks a contractor that is keen to work in partnership and who will deliver to its highest abilities, at all times. Competitive Flexible Procedure This procurement will be run under the Competitive Flexible Procedure. This will follow a two stage approach, with stage 1 being the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ). Here a minimum of 5 candidates (or less, in the event less than 5 meet the minimum criteria) and a maximum of 10 candidates, will progress to stage 2. Any selection of tenderers will be based solely on the criteria set out for the procurement and a minimum score of 60% must be achieved. Selected tenderers will then be invited to stage 2, the Invitation To Tender (ITT). Here, the evaluation of tender response will be set as 35% price and 65% quality. Value of contract: The annual value of the current contract is £205,842 (the total sales including fsm, in the last contract year) Therefore the value of this contract is £1,029,210 (above total x 5 as this contract is for a maximum of 5 years) The contract shall be a guaranteed performance contract with any hospitality requirements billed separately. The tender process will be run under a two stage Competitive Flexible procedure. Additional requirements and information: •The school has a minimum requirement for a contractor’s employers' liability and public liability insurances of £5 million •The minimum annual turnover that your company must have achieved to be considered for this opportunity is £1 million •There are not incumbent catering staff currently within the Local Government Pension Scheme •The catering services are currently contracted to Aspens For more information about this opportunity, please visit the Delta eSourcing portal at: https://www.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-Buckinghamshire:-School-catering-services./E58F92RKUW To respond to this opportunity, please click here: https://www.delta-esourcing.com/respond/E58F92RKUW
⚠️

MANDATORY EXCLUSION GROUNDS

  • No explicit mandatory exclusion grounds are mentioned in the provided tender information.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

  • No explicit general eligibility requirements are mentioned in the provided tender information, beyond those specified under Financial and Technical requirements.
🔧

TECHNICAL CAPABILITY REQUIREMENTS

  • Provide excellent catering services.
  • Review and propose enhancements to the current catering services.
  • Services must include breakfast, morning break, and lunchtime over the academic year.
  • Provide hospitality services upon request.
  • Deliver a high-quality catering service.
  • Utilize fresh, locally sourced ingredients.
  • Prepare food on-site.
  • Design menus that are flexible to suit the specific requirements of the school’s students.
  • Ensure a tightly managed service.
  • Implement a management style that supports, encourages, and develops catering staff.
  • Propose innovative and creative ideas for service development and value addition.
  • Demonstrate a willingness to work in partnership with the school.
  • Commit to delivering services to the highest abilities at all times.
  • Ability to cater for 683 pupils and 102 teaching and support staff.
  • Commitment to securing 'best value' for the school and its students.
  • Contract term: 3 years (1st Sept 2026 – 31st August 2029), with an option for a further extension of up to 2 additional years (to 31st August 2031).
💰

FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS

  • Achieve a minimum annual turnover of £1 million.
  • Hold Employers' Liability insurance with a minimum cover of £5 million.
  • Hold Public Liability insurance with a minimum cover of £5 million.
  • The contract shall be a guaranteed performance contract.
  • Hospitality requirements will be billed separately.
📋

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

  • Follow a two-stage Competitive Flexible Procedure.
  • Stage 1 requires submission of a Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ).
  • Achieve a minimum score of 60% in Stage 1 to progress to Stage 2.
  • Stage 2 requires submission of an Invitation To Tender (ITT) response (for selected candidates).
  • Tender response evaluation in Stage 2 will be 35% price and 65% quality.
  • Submit the bid via the Delta eSourcing portal.
  • Submission Deadline: 2026-09-01T00:00:00+01:00.

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DOC
OCDS Record
OCDS Data007537-2026_ocds_record.json
Summary:
Sir Thomas Fremantle School seeks a catering service provider for a 3-5 year contract, requiring a minimum £1 million annual turnover and £5 million in liability insurance, emphasizing high quality, fresh ingredients, and best value.
DOC
OCDS Release Package
OCDS Data007537-2026_ocds_release.json
Summary:
This tender seeks a catering contractor for Sir Thomas Fremantle School (683 pupils, 102 staff) for a 3-5 year contract worth up to £1.03M, requiring high-quality, locally sourced food, flexible menus, strong staff management, minimum £1M annual turnover, and £5M insurance.
PDF
Official PDF Version
General Information007537-2026_official.pdf
Summary:
Sir Thomas Fremantle School seeks a high-quality catering service provider for a 3-5 year contract worth up to £1.03 million, requiring innovative, locally sourced menus, a partnership approach, and a minimum annual turnover of £1 million and £5 million in liability insurance.
HTM
Tender Notice
Administrative Documents007537-2026.html
Summary:
Sir Thomas Fremantle School seeks a high-quality catering service provider for a 3-5 year contract worth up to £1.03 million, requiring a minimum £1 million annual turnover and £5 million insurance, to deliver fresh, locally sourced meals and hospitality with a strong focus on quality and partnership.

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72
Good

Tender Quality Score

This Sir Thomas Fremantle School catering tender is generally well-structured and transparent, but it contains significant date inconsistencies and some gaps in legal documentation.

Score Breakdown

Legal Compliance75/100

The procedure type and CPV codes are clearly defined, and the submission period is ample. However, the tender lacks explicit mandatory exclusion grounds and a reveal date, and the contract start date in the structured data is erroneous.

Missing explicit mandatory exclusion grounds
Missing reveal date
Clarity85/100

The tender description is clear and unambiguous, requirements are well-documented and understandable, and evaluation criteria (35% price, 65% quality) are specified. Performance conditions are also clearly stated.

Completeness70/100

Most basic information, value, and duration are provided, and documents are attached. However, the contract start date is incorrectly listed, and explicit mandatory exclusion grounds are not detailed.

Erroneous contract start date in structured data
Missing explicit mandatory exclusion grounds
Fairness85/100

Full document access is provided, the value is disclosed, and the submission period is reasonable. Evaluation criteria are objective and transparent, and e-procurement is enabled, ensuring equal access. Requirements do not appear tailored to a specific company.

Practicality65/100

Electronic submission is supported via the Delta eSourcing portal, and document URLs are provided. The primary practical issue is the incorrect contract start date in the structured data, which could cause confusion.

Incorrect contract start date in structured data (listed as submission deadline)
Data Consistency50/100

There are significant inconsistencies in dates, specifically between the submission deadline in basic information (2026-08-31) and AI-extracted requirements (2026-09-01), and the contract start date being identical to the submission deadline.

Inconsistent submission deadlines across different sections
Contract start date is illogical (same as submission deadline)
Sustainability70/100

The tender includes positive sustainability aspects, such as a focus on 'fresh locally sourced ingredients' (green procurement), 'supports, encourages and develops the catering staff' (social aspects), and welcomes 'innovative and creative ideas'.

Strengths

Clear and detailed description of service requirements and school ethos
Transparent evaluation criteria (35% price, 65% quality) and two-stage procedure
Long submission period (over 7 months) allowing ample preparation time
Inclusion of sustainability aspects (local sourcing, staff development, innovation)
Use of e-procurement portal for accessibility

Concerns

Significant inconsistencies in submission and contract start dates
Missing explicit mandatory exclusion grounds
The 'Liable Person' field is empty
The 'Divided into Parts' characteristic is stated but not explicitly detailed
Missing reveal date for the tender

Recommendations

1. Correct the contract start date and ensure all submission deadlines are consistent across the tender documents and structured data.
2. Explicitly list mandatory and discretionary exclusion grounds as per procurement regulations.
3. Clarify the 'Divided into Parts' characteristic if applicable, or remove it if the contract is not truly divided.

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B
Tender Quality Score
72/ 100 · Good

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