Scope
Description
Coloma Convent Girls' School wish to be at the forefront of school catering and as such require a modern, branded offer that reflects the leading trends in the industry whilst adapting to a diverse demographic of customers.
At this time, the School's wish is to commence a catering contract, with a partner who shares their vision for a customer-focused service that attracts the maximum number of students.
The meals that are to be provided must be appealing to customers, inclusive, imaginative, provide excellent value for money and be nutritionally balanced to encourage all students to make an educated choice.
The School's objectives for the new contract are as follows: -
• A catering service that is professionally managed and works in partnership with Business & Operations Leadership.
• A strong Contractor & Group/Area Manager who will develop and lead the team to deliver exceptional customer service, a consistently high-quality food offer and spend a substantial amount of time on site at the outset to undertake this.
• A Contractor who is proactive in their relationship management with the School.
• Flexible menus to fit local demographics
• Food education initiatives, pupil engagement and improved social dining experience
• Seasonal, locally sourced produce prioritised.
• Food and drinks that look appetising and are attractively presented.
• A service that is professionally merchandised and marketed with discretion and to the mutual benefit of the School and the Contractor.
• Natasha's Law (2021): Full allergen labelling on all pre-packed food.
• HMC Halal Compliance where required.
• To work with the School to develop a social dining ethos leading to a higher number of students and staff using the facilities.
• A Contractor that adopts a flexible and proactive approach to all School's activities, specifically involving student engagement at Secondary level within food education and skills development.
• A Contractor that is dedicated to supporting our local communities through Social Value enterprise and engagement activities.
• A Contractor that operates using the optimum level of staffing.
Tender Timeline:
Issue of Invitation to Tende - w/c 22nd September 2025
Bidding Companies to Visit Site - Monday 6th October 2025
Clarification Deadline - Friday 10th October 2025
Clarification Return Deadline - Wednesday 15th October 2025
Deadline for return of Tender Responses - Wednesday 22nd October 2025 - 4:00pm
Presentation by shortlisted bidders to the School - Thursday 6th November 2025
Reference site visits - Friday 7th November 2025
Contract Awarded by - Monday 10th November 2025
Mobilisation Meeting - w/c Monday 20th November 2025
Contract Commencement - Thursday 1st January 2026
Total value (estimated)
- £828,540 excluding VAT
- £994,248 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2028
- Possible extension to 31 December 2030
- 5 years
Description of possible extension:
Initial 3 year contract, year 4 and 5 are optional extensions.
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 55524000 - School catering services
Contract locations
- UKI6 - Outer London - South
Participation
Particular suitability
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
Submission
Enquiry deadline
10 October 2025, 11:59pm
Tender submission deadline
24 October 2025, 4:00pm
Submission address and any special instructions
Submissions to be submitted on the Red Box Portal
Tenders may be submitted electronically
No
Languages that may be used for submission
English
Award decision date (estimated)
10 November 2025
Award criteria
| Name | Type | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | Quality | 58% |
| Cost | Cost | 42% |
Other information
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Open procedure
Contracting authority
ST OSCAR ROMERO CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST
- Companies House: 13260387
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PCDZ-9383-PCYV
Coloma Convent Girls' School
Croydon
CR9 5AS
United Kingdom
Email: admin@redboxcs.com
Region: UKI62 - Croydon
Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government