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Tenders

267800 Catering - Hot Food

Open
Deadline
20 days left
April 17, 2026
Contract Details
Category
Open Procedure
Reference
025995-2026
Value
Not disclosed
Location
Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire, United Kingdom
Published
March 20, 2026
Organization
CPV Code
Project Timeline

Tender Published

March 20, 2026

Deadline for Questions

April 10, 2026

Submission Deadline

April 17, 2026

Contract Start Date

July 31, 2026

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Budget
Not disclosed
Duration
36 months
Location
Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire
Type
Open Procedure
75
Quality Score/100
Good

Original Tender Description

DMU is seeking a well-priced hot food offer that plays a vital role in supporting students on campus, particularly at a time when cost-of-living pressures are having a real impact on daily choices. The University has therefore taken a deliberate decision to remove the main financial barriers to entry for the operator. By covering fixed costs such as rent, rates, and utilities, and by fully equipping the kitchen, DMU is enabling a food business to trade successfully from day one with very limited capital investment required. The University expects to see this reflected in accessible pricing and menu choice which will result in strong participation during term time. The typical student demographic on the Leicester campus consists largely of commuter and first-generation students, with a strong sensitivity to price and value. Academic and a core group of professional service staff work on campus throughout the week, with some professional services staff adopting a hybrid approach, with a minimum of two days per week on campus. In addition to daily service, there is a requirement to cater for large groups of visitors, often as part of key recruitment activities and summer schools. The ability to serve large volumes of visitors in a small timeframe is key. For this, use of vouchers would be required along with a detailed breakdown of charges and an invoice sent to the University at the end of each month. The hot food offer is located within the Vijay Patel Building, one of the busiest buildings on campus. At time of writing the space is due to undergo refurbishment however opens directly onto a large, integrated 1,000 sqm study and social space, which will include: Comfortable, informal seating More traditional sit-up and dine seating Power for phones and laptops Dedicated study areas The dining area is not a separate food court and is fully integrated into this shared study/social environment, designed to drive maximum footfall. By bringing eating, studying, meeting as well as access to power for laptops/phones DMU expects to encourage students and staff to spend more time on campus throughout the day.

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Requirements & Qualifications

18 requirements across 5 categories

Submission (1)
Mandatory (1)
Compliance (9)
Technical (5)
Financial (2)
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS1
--No specific submission requirements detailed in the provided text. Bidders will likely need to detail their proposed hot food offer, pricing strategy, operational plan, and experience in catering for large groups. A detailed breakdown of charges for group catering and invoicing procedures will be required.
MANDATORY EXCLUSION GROUNDS1
--No specific grounds mentioned, but standard exclusion criteria for public tenders would likely apply.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS9
--Must be able to provide a well-priced hot food offer.
--Must be able to support students on campus, particularly during times of cost-of-living pressures.
--Must be able to trade successfully with very limited capital investment required (due to DMU covering fixed costs and fully equipping the kitchen).
TECHNICAL CAPABILITY REQUIREMENTS5
--Ability to provide a hot food offer.
--Ability to serve a large number of students and staff daily.
--Ability to cater for large groups of visitors efficiently and within a short timeframe.
FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS2
--Very limited capital investment required from the operator.
--Expected to reflect DMU's investment in accessible pricing.

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Documents

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Documents will appear here once they are downloaded and analyzed.

75
Good

Tender Quality Score

This tender offers a well-defined catering opportunity with a strong emphasis on supporting students and reducing operator barriers. However, it lacks explicit evaluation criteria and details on document content.

Score Breakdown

Legal Compliance75/100

The tender appears to follow standard open competition procedures for below-threshold procurements. The CPV code is appropriate. Deadlines are provided, though the submission deadline might be considered tight given the contract start date. No disputes are noted. Regulatory compliance is assumed but not explicitly detailed.

Submission deadline may be tight relative to contract start date.
Clarity80/100

The description provides a clear context for the catering service, highlighting the target demographic and the university's strategic goals. Requirements are generally well-articulated, focusing on pricing, menu choice, and catering for large groups. However, specific evaluation criteria are missing, which impacts the clarity of how bids will be assessed.

Missing evaluation criteria.
Completeness70/100

Most basic information is present, including title, reference, organization, and a detailed description. Contract duration and start dates are specified. However, the estimated value is not disclosed, and the content of the tender documents is not available, hindering a full assessment of completeness.

Estimated value not disclosed.
No document content available.
Fairness85/100

The tender demonstrates fairness by disclosing the university's investment in covering fixed costs and equipping the kitchen, which significantly reduces the financial barrier for operators. The focus on accessible pricing and menu choice is objective. The procedure is an open competition, and e-procurement is implied but not explicitly stated as mandatory for submission.

Practicality65/100

The tender specifies a contract start date and duration. Financing information is implicitly addressed by the university covering fixed costs. However, the lack of explicit mention of e-submission and the unavailability of document URLs reduce practicality for potential bidders.

No explicit mention of e-submission.
Document URLs not provided.
Data Consistency90/100

Key fields such as title, reference, organization, and dates are populated. The CPV code is present. There are no noted suspensions or disputes. The dates provided are logical, with a reasonable gap between the submission deadline and contract start.

Sustainability50/100

The tender does not explicitly mention any green procurement, social aspects, or innovation focus. While the emphasis on accessible pricing could be seen as a social benefit, it is not framed within a formal sustainability strategy. The tender is not explicitly stated as EU funded.

No explicit mention of green procurement.
No explicit mention of social criteria.

Strengths

Clear description of operational context and strategic goals.
Significant reduction of financial barriers for operators.
Well-defined target demographic and service needs.
Open competition procedure.

Concerns

Missing evaluation criteria.
Estimated value not disclosed.
No document content available.
Potential tightness of submission deadline.

Recommendations

1. Specify evaluation criteria clearly.
2. Disclose the estimated value of the contract.
3. Provide access to full tender documents with content summaries.

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