Tenders

The Maplesden Noakes School - Catering Services

Open
Deadline
150 days left
July 31, 2026
Contract Details
Category
Other
Reference
011333-2026
Value
£2,346,000
Location
Surrey, East and West Sussex, United Kingdom
Published
February 24, 2026
CPV Code
Project Timeline

Tender Published

February 09, 2026

Deadline for Questions

July 24, 2026

Submission Deadline

July 31, 2026

Contract Start Date

July 31, 2026

Buyer IntelligencePRO
🔒
Unlock Buyer Intelligence
See spending patterns, preferred procedures, and more.
Upgrade to Professional →
Budget
£2,346,000
Duration
36 months
Location
Surrey, East and West Sussex
Type
Other
75
Quality Score/100
Good

Original Tender Description

The Maplesden Noakes School is seeking a high-quality catering service including fresh locally sourced ingredients prepared on site, with a flexible menu design. The contract is for three years with an option for a further two years. The school seeks best value, not necessarily the lowest price, and welcomes innovative and creative ideas. The procurement will be run under a two-stage Competitive Flexible Procedure.

Risk Analysis

Please log in to use risk analysis.

Login

Win Strategy

Please log in to access winning strategy recommendations.

Login

Competitors

Upgrade to see which companies are likely to bid on this tender, based on historical procurement data.

Login

Requirements & Qualifications

1 requirements across 1 categories

Mandatory (1)
MANDATORY EXCLUSION GROUNDS1
--None explicitly stated in the provided text.

Requirements Preview

Sign up to view complete requirements and analysis

Documents

4 documents available with AI summaries

OCDS RecordDOC
011333-2026_ocds_record.json

The Maplesden Noakes School seeks a high-quality catering service provider for a 3-year contract (with a 2-year extension option), valued at £1.955 million, requiring a minimum £1 million annual turnover and £5 million insurance, emphasizing fresh local ingredients, innovative menus, and a partnership approach.

OCDS Release PackageDOC
011333-2026_ocds_release.json

The Maplesden Noakes School seeks a high-quality catering service provider for a three-year contract (extendable to five), requiring a minimum £1 million annual turnover and £5 million insurance, to deliver innovative and healthy meals for 1413 pupils and 190 staff, with evaluation based on 35% price and 65% quality.

Official PDF VersionPDF
011333-2026_official.pdf

The Maplesden Noakes School seeks a high-quality catering service provider for a 3-year contract (with a 2-year extension option) valued at £1.955M, requiring a minimum annual turnover of £1M and £5M insurance, focusing on fresh, local, healthy food, partnership, and innovative service enhancements.

Tender NoticeHTM
011333-2026.html

The Maplesden Noakes School seeks a high-quality catering service provider for a 3-year contract (with a 2-year extension option), valued at £1.955 million, requiring fresh, locally sourced food, a flexible menu, strong partnership, and a minimum annual turnover of £1 million and £5M insurance.

Documents Preview

Sign up to view document summaries and analysis

75
Good

Tender Quality Score

This tender for school catering services is generally well-structured and clear, providing essential information and a transparent two-stage evaluation process. However, it presents notable data inconsistencies regarding the contract start date and introduces an unusual tender fee, which could impact fairness and practicality.

Score Breakdown

Legal Compliance75/100

The tender clearly defines the procedure type and correctly assigns CPV codes. There are no reported disputes or suspensions. However, the requirement for the successful tenderer to pay a RIVA tender fee is unusual and could raise questions regarding compliance with fair competition principles. The explicit mention of mandatory exclusion grounds is also absent from the provided text, though typically covered in full tender documents.

Requirement for successful tenderer to pay RIVA tender fee.
Lack of explicit mandatory exclusion grounds in the provided text.
Clarity85/100

The description of services, school context, and requirements is very clear and unambiguous. Evaluation criteria for Stage 2 (35% price, 65% quality) are explicitly stated. Performance conditions and expectations are well-documented.

Completeness90/100

All basic information, including title, reference, organization, deadlines, estimated value, and contract duration, is provided. Documents are listed and summarized, and key requirements and evaluation criteria are defined. Location information is also present.

Fairness70/100

The tender promotes fairness through disclosed value, transparent evaluation criteria, and the use of an e-procurement platform (Delta eSourcing). Requirements like minimum turnover and insurance are standard for the contract size. However, the requirement for the successful tenderer to pay the RIVA tender fee is a significant concern, as it introduces an unusual cost barrier that could deter potential bidders and limit competition.

Requirement for successful tenderer to pay RIVA tender fee, potentially creating a barrier to entry.
Practicality65/100

Electronic submission is supported via the Delta eSourcing portal, and document URLs are provided. The contract duration is clearly specified. However, the contract start date being identical to the submission deadline is a significant practical flaw, indicating a data entry error that could cause confusion. The RIVA fee also adds a practical hurdle.

Contract start date is identical to the submission deadline, which is illogical.
Requirement for successful tenderer to pay RIVA tender fee adds an unusual practical hurdle.
Data Consistency60/100

Most key fields are populated, and there are no reported suspensions or disputes. However, there is a critical inconsistency where the contract start date is listed as the same day as the submission deadline. A minor discrepancy exists between the estimated EUR value and the GBP value mentioned in the description.

Contract start date (2026-07-31) is inconsistent with the submission deadline (2026-07-31).
Slight discrepancy between the estimated EUR value and the GBP value mentioned in the description.
Sustainability60/100

The tender includes positive elements such as a preference for 'fresh locally sourced ingredients' and an expectation for the contractor to 'support, encourage and develop the catering staff'. Innovation is also encouraged. However, it does not present a comprehensive green procurement strategy or detailed social criteria beyond these aspects.

Sustainability aspects are present but not comprehensively integrated with specific targets or broader criteria.

Strengths

Clear description of services and school context.
Transparent two-stage competitive procedure with defined evaluation criteria (35% price, 65% quality).
Good use of e-procurement platform (Delta eSourcing) for accessibility.
Emphasis on quality, innovation, and partnership.
Detailed financial and duration information.

Concerns

Contract start date is identical to the submission deadline, indicating a data entry error.
Requirement for the successful tenderer to pay a RIVA tender fee is unusual and a potential barrier to entry.
Slight inconsistency between estimated EUR value and GBP value mentioned in the description.
Lack of explicit mandatory exclusion grounds in the provided text.
Sustainability aspects are present but not comprehensively integrated.

Recommendations

1. Correct the contract start date to reflect a realistic timeline post-award.
2. Reconsider or clarify the requirement for the successful tenderer to pay the RIVA tender fee, as it may deter bidders and impact fairness.
3. Ensure all tender documents explicitly reference or include mandatory exclusion grounds for full legal compliance.

AI Scoring Preview

Sign up to view complete requirements and analysis

Complete quality score analysis
Detailed sub-score breakdown
Strengths & concerns insights
Strategic recommendations

No credit card required • Setup in 2 minutes

Add to Pipeline