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The Rainbow Multi Academy Trust ~ Catering Tender

Tender Overview

LOCATION

Merseyside, United Kingdom

VALUE

£2,600,000

DEADLINE

April 24, 2026 at 11:00

CATEGORY

Other

CPV CODE

55524000

REFERENCE

001594-2026

Project Timeline

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Contact Information

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View Original

Original Tender Description

The successful Supplier will be required to provide catering services for the following twelve Schools within The Rainbow Multi Academy Trust (MAT): 1.Bishop Bronescombe C of E School, Boscoppa Road, St Austell, Cornwall, PL5 3DT 2.Grampound Road Village CE School, South Street, Grampound Road, Truro, Cornwall, TR2 4DY 3.Grampound With Creed C of E School, Fore Street, Grampound, Truro, Cornwall, TR2 4SB 4.Ladock C of E Primary School, Ladock, Truro, Cornwall, TR2 4PL 5.Penponds School, Higher Penponds, Camborne, Cornwall, TR14 0QN 6.St Issey C of E Primary School, Gardeners Way, St Issey, Wadebridge, Cornwall, PL27 7RN 7.St Meriadoc C of E Infant Academy, Rectory Road, Camborne, Cornwall, TR14 7DW 8.St Meriadoc C of E Junior Academy, Cranfield Road, Camborne, Cornwall, TR14 7PN 9.St Michael’s C of E Primary School, Penberthy Road, Helston, Cornwall, TR13 8AR 10.Trevithick Learning Academy, Mount Pleasant Road, Camborne, Cornwall, TR14 7RH 11.Troon Community Primary School, New Road, Troon, Camborne, Cornwall, TR14 9ED 12.Veryan C of E School, Veryan, Truro, Cornwall, TR2 5QA The contract covers the scope for the provision of all catering services within the Schools, which is inclusive of all hospitality and free issue requirements. The duration of the contract being offered is for an initial five-year period commencing on 01 September 2026 and concluding on 31 August 2031, with the potential to then extend for a further two 12-month periods. This extension will be granted by mutual consent and on the same terms and conditions as the original contract without the right to further extend beyond the full five years. The contract being offered within this tender will be on a guaranteed performance basis, with an expected profit share of any betterment to the agreed budget. The Trust is seeking a suitably experienced contractor who is able to evidence working with multiple Primary Schools with varying requirements and Multi Academy Trusts. The successful contractor will already have, or need to develop, a strong operational base within the South West, thus allowing for both adequate contract support and operational flexibility that is to be delivered to support the contract as and when needed moving forwards into this contract term. Please see PSQ document for more information. For more information about this opportunity, please visit the Delta eSourcing portal at: https://litmustms.co.uk/tenders/UK-UK-Liverpool:-School-catering-services./Z89537ZBH3 To respond to this opportunity, please click here: https://litmustms.co.uk/respond/Z89537ZBH3
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MANDATORY EXCLUSION GROUNDS

  • No mandatory exclusion grounds are explicitly stated in the provided tender information.
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ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

  • The contractor must be suitably experienced.
  • The contractor must be able to evidence working with multiple Primary Schools.
  • The contractor must be able to evidence working with varying requirements across multiple Primary Schools.
  • The contractor must be able to evidence working with Multi Academy Trusts (MATs).
  • The contractor must already have, or need to develop, a strong operational base within the South West.
  • The contractor must be able to provide adequate contract support from their South West operational base.
  • The contractor must be able to provide operational flexibility from their South West operational base.
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TECHNICAL CAPABILITY REQUIREMENTS

  • The supplier must provide comprehensive catering services for the twelve specified schools within The Rainbow Multi Academy Trust.
  • The services must be inclusive of all hospitality requirements.
  • The services must be inclusive of all free issue requirements.
  • The supplier must operate on a guaranteed performance basis.
  • The supplier must be capable of supporting an initial contract duration of five years, commencing 01 September 2026 and concluding 31 August 2031.
  • The supplier must be capable of extending the contract for a further two 12-month periods by mutual consent, on the same terms and conditions.
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FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS

  • The contract will operate on a guaranteed performance basis.
  • The successful contractor must agree to an expected profit share of any betterment to the agreed budget.
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SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

  • Bidders must visit the Delta eSourcing portal at https://litmustms.co.uk/tenders/UK-UK-Liverpool:-School-catering-services./Z89537ZBH3 for more information.
  • Bidders must respond to this opportunity via the Delta eSourcing portal at https://litmustms.co.uk/respond/Z89537ZBH3.
  • Bidders must submit their response by the deadline: 2026-04-24 11:00:00.
  • Bidders must refer to the PSQ document for more information regarding the submission process and specific requirements.

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PDF
Official PDF Version
PDF001594-2026_official.pdf
Summary:
This tender notice invites experienced catering contractors with a strong South West operational base to bid for a 5-year (plus 2-year extension) contract to provide comprehensive catering services, including hospitality, for twelve primary schools within The Rainbow Multi Academy Trust, with a guaranteed performance and profit-share model.

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67
Good

Tender Quality Score

This tender for catering services presents a clear scope and significant contract value, but is severely hampered by the absence of comprehensive tender documents and highly restrictive eligibility criteria. The lack of detailed information and potential anti-competitive requirements raise significant concerns regarding fairness and transparency.

Score Breakdown

Legal Compliance100/100

The tender's legal compliance cannot be fully assessed due to the absence of complete tender documents. However, the explicit requirement for an operational base in the South West could be challenged as disproportionate and unduly restrictive, potentially violating principles of non-discrimination and free competition.

Clarity40/100

The description of services, contract duration, and estimated value is clear. However, key financial terms like 'guaranteed performance basis' and 'expected profit share' lack definition, and the overall clarity is compromised by the complete absence of detailed tender documents.

Completeness83/100

The tender is critically incomplete. The absence of any attached documents means that essential information such as detailed specifications, terms and conditions, full eligibility criteria, technical requirements, financial models, and crucially, evaluation criteria, is missing. This prevents potential bidders from preparing a comprehensive and informed proposal.

Fairness60/100

Fairness is significantly compromised by two major factors: the highly restrictive geographical operational base requirement, which strongly suggests tailoring for local or incumbent suppliers, and the complete absence of evaluation criteria. Without clear criteria, the assessment process lacks transparency and objectivity, making it impossible for bidders to understand how their proposals will be judged.

Practicality40/100

The requirement for an existing or developed 'strong operational base within the South West' is highly impractical for many experienced national or regional catering providers, severely limiting the pool of potential bidders. While intended to ensure local support, it creates an unnecessary barrier to entry.

Data Consistency100/100

Based on the limited information provided, the data appears consistent within the tender snippet. However, the lack of full documentation prevents a thorough consistency check.

Sustainability0/100

No information regarding environmental, social, or economic sustainability criteria has been provided within the tender description or extracted requirements. This indicates a missed opportunity to integrate sustainable procurement practices.

Strengths

Clear description of the scope of services and the number of schools involved.
Estimated contract value and duration are clearly stated, including extension options.
Utilizes an e-sourcing portal for submission, promoting efficiency.
Specifies a competitive flexible procedure, allowing for negotiation.

Concerns

The requirement for an existing or developed 'strong operational base within the South West' is highly restrictive and appears tailored, significantly limiting competition and potentially excluding qualified bidders.
The complete absence of any attached tender documents (specifications, terms, conditions, etc.) makes it impossible for bidders to prepare a proper proposal and for analysts to fully assess the tender's quality.
Crucially, no evaluation criteria are provided, which undermines transparency, objectivity, and fairness in the selection process.
Key financial terms such as 'guaranteed performance basis' and 'expected profit share of any betterment to the agreed budget' are mentioned but lack detailed definitions, leading to ambiguity.

Recommendations

1. Immediately publish all comprehensive tender documents, including detailed specifications, full terms and conditions, and clear, objective evaluation criteria.
2. Re-evaluate and justify or remove the highly restrictive geographical operational base requirement to ensure fair and open competition, or clearly demonstrate its proportionality and necessity.
3. Provide explicit definitions and methodologies for the 'guaranteed performance basis' and 'profit share' model to ensure transparency and allow bidders to accurately price their services.

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Tender Quality Score
67/ 100 · Good
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