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Oxlip Learning Partnership ~ Catering Tender

Tender Overview

LOCATION

East Anglia, United Kingdom

VALUE

£2,600,000

DEADLINE

April 24, 2026 at 11:00

CATEGORY

Other

CPV CODE

55524000

REFERENCE

005709-2026

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 up to five schools (2 x Secondary and 3 x Primary) of the Oxlip Learning Partnership (the trust). The Trust comprises two secondary academies (Copleston High School and Stowupland High School) and five primary academies of which 3 (Bacton Primary School, Cedars Park Primary School, Mendlesham Primary School) are potentially in scope for this project. At this present moment, the schools have differing approaches to catering service provision, Copleston High School is outsourced whereas the other four schools potentially in scope for this tender are currently self-delivering. Copleston High School is the key driver for this procurement exercise as it will be out of contract in Summer 2026 and needs to find an in-form, competent and confidant service provider capable of engaging its 1900 + pupils on a daily basis for its new contract term, whereas the self-delivered schools, if they participate will be curious as to a bidder’s experience in taking schools to first time outsourcing and its challenges and risks alongside the commercial opportunities that this could realise. The Trust is presenting this exciting opportunity to partner with a supplier who is able to deliver their vision of promoting health and wellbeing through food provision across the five schools. Current sales at Copleston are equivalent of £520k pa. Current Turnover if all five schools become part of scope is expected to be just short of £1m. It is thought that, with focus of resources and investment, there is significant growth potential through driving uptake in all of the self-operated schools. The client would like to see innovative delivery of emerging food trends that are seen on the high street and in retail outlets that pupils and their families frequent and therefore need to be reflected in the school dining rooms. The ITT will capture detailed specifications for each school against which bidders can present confident proposals. 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-Suffolk:-School-catering-services./8725VGB8FH To respond to this opportunity, please click here: https://litmustms.co.uk/respond/8725VGB8FH
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MANDATORY EXCLUSION GROUNDS

  • Not explicitly detailed in the provided tender information. Bidders should refer to the full tender documents (PSQ, ITT) for specific mandatory exclusion grounds as per public procurement regulations.
✓

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

  • Must be a competent and confident service provider specializing in school catering services.
  • Must be capable of engaging a large pupil population, specifically over 1900 pupils daily at Copleston High School.
  • Must be able to deliver the Oxlip Learning Partnership's vision of promoting health and wellbeing through food provision.
  • Must demonstrate experience in taking schools to first-time outsourcing, including addressing associated challenges and risks.
  • Must demonstrate experience in realizing commercial opportunities through outsourcing catering services.
  • Must be able to deliver innovative food trends reflecting high street and retail outlets.
🔧

TECHNICAL CAPABILITY REQUIREMENTS

  • Ability to provide comprehensive catering services for up to five schools (2 Secondary, 3 Primary) within the Oxlip Learning Partnership.
  • Ability to manage catering services for Copleston High School, engaging its 1900+ pupils daily.
  • Ability to manage catering services for self-delivered primary schools (Bacton, Cedars Park, Mendlesham Primary Schools) if they participate, demonstrating expertise in first-time outsourcing.
  • Capability to implement and deliver innovative food trends seen on the high street and in retail outlets within school dining environments.
  • Capability to promote health and wellbeing effectively through food provision across all participating schools.
  • Ability to drive uptake and achieve significant growth potential in catering sales, particularly in self-operated schools.
  • Ability to provide detailed specifications for catering services tailored to each school's requirements, as will be captured in the ITT.
  • Ability to manage a contract with a potential annual turnover of just under £1 million if all five schools are in scope.
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FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS

  • Capable of managing a contract with an estimated total value of 2,600,000 EUR over a 36-month duration.
  • Capable of managing a contract with a potential annual turnover approaching £1 million, assuming all five schools participate.
  • Awareness of current sales at Copleston High School, equivalent to £520,000 per annum, and ability to build upon this.
📋

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

  • All responses must be submitted via the Delta eSourcing portal (litmustms.co.uk) using the provided link: https://litmustms.co.uk/respond/8725VGB8FH.
  • Proposals must be confident and address the detailed specifications for each school that will be captured in the ITT.
  • Bidders must refer to the PSQ Document for additional information.
  • Submission deadline is 2026-04-24 at 12:00:00+01:00.

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DOC
OCDS Record
OCDS Data005709-2026_ocds_record.json
Summary:
This tender seeks a catering service provider for up to five schools within the Oxlip Learning Partnership, including a key secondary school with an existing outsourced contract and other primary schools considering first-time outsourcing, with a focus on innovative food trends and significant growth potential.
DOC
OCDS Release Package
OCDS Data005709-2026_ocds_release.json
Summary:
The Oxlip Learning Partnership seeks a catering service provider for up to five schools, including Copleston High School (out of contract in 2026) and other schools considering first-time outsourcing, to deliver innovative food provision promoting health and wellbeing with a potential turnover of up to £1m.
PDF
Official PDF Version
General Information005709-2026_official.pdf
Summary:
This tender seeks a catering service provider for up to five schools within the Oxlip Learning Partnership, focusing on health, wellbeing, and innovative food trends, with an estimated total value of £2.6 million over a potential five-year term starting September 2026.
HTM
Tender Notice
General Information005709-2026.html
Summary:
This tender seeks a catering service provider for up to five schools within the Oxlip Learning Partnership, aiming to promote health and wellbeing through food, with a current turnover potential of nearly £1 million if all schools participate.

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57
Fair

Tender Quality Score

This tender provides a clear description of its scope and vision but suffers from significant issues regarding the absence of explicit evaluation criteria and notable inconsistencies in financial data, impacting transparency and fairness.

Score Breakdown

Legal Compliance65/100

While the procedure type, CPV codes, and submission deadline are reasonable, the provided summary lacks explicit details on mandatory exclusion grounds and evaluation criteria, which are fundamental for full legal compliance.

•Mandatory exclusion grounds not explicitly detailed in the provided summary.
•Evaluation criteria are missing.
Clarity55/100

The general description is clear, but the absence of specified evaluation criteria and inconsistencies in financial figures (value, duration, currency) significantly reduce the overall clarity for potential bidders.

•No evaluation criteria specified.
•Inconsistencies in financial value and contract duration across different sections.
Completeness50/100

Basic information is present, but critical details such as comprehensive evaluation criteria and the full content of referenced key documents (PSQ, ITT) are not provided or summarized, making the tender incomplete for a thorough assessment.

•Evaluation criteria are missing.
•Mandatory exclusion grounds are not detailed.
Fairness45/100

The absence of explicit evaluation criteria is a major concern for fairness, as bidders cannot objectively prepare proposals without understanding how they will be judged. While e-procurement is supported and deadlines are reasonable, this omission is critical.

•No evaluation criteria specified, hindering transparent and objective evaluation.
•Ambiguity with 'Value Classified: Yes' despite a disclosed estimated value.
Practicality80/100

The tender supports electronic submission via a provided portal, includes clear URLs, and specifies the contract start date and duration, making it practical for bidders to engage. The need to refer to external documents for full details is a minor practical hurdle.

•Reliance on external documents (PSQ, ITT) for full details not summarized in the provided content.
Data Consistency40/100

There are significant inconsistencies in financial figures (estimated value, annual turnover, contract duration, currency) across different sections of the tender. The 'Value Classified: Yes' contradicts the disclosed value, and the automated check on e-submission is incorrect.

•Inconsistent financial figures (estimated value, annual turnover, contract duration) across different sections.
•'Value Classified: Yes' contradicts the disclosed estimated value.
Sustainability70/100

The tender explicitly includes social aspects by promoting health and wellbeing through food provision and focuses on innovation with emerging food trends. However, it lacks explicit green procurement criteria.

•No explicit green procurement criteria.

Strengths

Clear description of the tender's scope and vision.
Electronic submission is supported with direct portal links.
Reasonable submission deadline allowing ample preparation time.
Includes clear social aspects (health and wellbeing) and innovation focus.
CPV and NUTS codes are correctly assigned.

Concerns

Absence of explicit evaluation criteria.
Significant inconsistencies in financial figures (value, duration, currency) across documents.
Mandatory exclusion grounds are not explicitly detailed in the provided summary.
Critical tender documents (PSQ, ITT) are referenced but their detailed content is not provided.
Ambiguity regarding 'Value Classified: Yes' despite a disclosed value.

Recommendations

1. Publish comprehensive and explicit evaluation criteria to ensure transparency and fairness for all bidders.
2. Clarify and reconcile all financial figures, including estimated value, annual turnover, and contract duration, ensuring consistency across all tender documents.
3. Ensure all mandatory exclusion grounds and detailed specifications (from PSQ/ITT) are clearly accessible and summarized within the primary tender notice or linked documents.

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Tender Quality Score
57/ 100 · Fair
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