Invitation to Tender for Provision of Catering Services (Framework Agreement) at Pendle Education Trust
Estimated value
—
Awarded value
—
Suppliers
0
Lots
1
Published
19 Jan 2026
This is a preliminary market engagement notice
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Description
Pendle Educational Trust & Red Box Consultancy Services are seeking proposals from Catering Services providers to deliver school meals across five academies. The service is currently outsourced to a third party supplier. The schools involved are: Castercliff Primary Academy- BB9 8JJ- NOR- 383 Casterton Primary Academy- BB10 2PZ- NOR- 301 Pendle Primary Academy- BB9 5AW- NOR- 413 Colne Primet Academy - BB8 8JF- NOR- 855 West Craven High School- BB18 5TB- NOR- 552 Red Box CS will use their Tender Portal to manage the process, please log in to view a detailed timeline & key documents. Contact Louise Bullman at Red Box for should you need Portal access. ls@redboxcs.com https://redboxportal.com/ Key Dates: ITT release- Late Jan 2026 Contractor site visits- 2nd, 3rd & 6th Feb 26- by invitation only Provisional date - Deadline for bid submission- 3rd April 2026 Provisional date - Shortlisting- 14th April 2026 Provisional date- Presentations- 21st April 2026 Award of contract- Early May 2026
Scope
- Reference
- ocds-h6vhtk-060854
- Total value
- Above the relevant threshold
- Commercial tool
- Standalone contract
- Contract dates
- 31 Aug 2026 to 31 Aug 2029Possible extension to 31 Aug 2031
2 x 12 month optional extension
- Main category
- services
- CPV classifications
- 55524000
- Contract locations
- North West England, United Kingdom
- Particular suitability
- Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
Award criteria
Criteria the buyer will use to evaluate bids.
| Name | Description | Type | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Submission | The Trust shall be under no obligation to accept the lowest of any tender prices submitted hereunder. Full points will be awarded to best value in terms of profit/subsidy (*Commercial Submission- Max 150) with scaled deductions for other bids. We also ask for a 3-year budget projection within this section. | cost | 50.00% |
| Quality | Within this evaluation framework the Trust have emphasised the importance of food quality & menu flexibility/inclusivity with meals that demonstrate value for money. They need a strong management support system to ensure compliance with tender bid, provide continuous improvement & innovation. Sustainability & Social Value are also important to the Trust, as is a well-supported Mobilisation with care and empathy demonstrated towards the team. 12 questions have been weighted for scoring in partnership with the Trust. Red Box will evaluate responses and award a score following the matrix below: 5-Excellent - Exceeds requirements significantly with clear added value. 4-Good - Meets all requirements with some added value. 3- Satisfactory - Meets minimum requirements with no significant added value. 2-Weak - Fails to meet some key requirements; improvement needed. 1-Poor - Does not meet key requirements or lacks sufficient evidence. | quality | 50.00% |
Submission & procedure
- Procedure
- Open procedure