Source: https://tendernation.io/opportunities/01a13bd7-7a62-71af-bb1b-a9e86e83f44e/the-howard-academies-trust-catering-tender awarded GB open procedure Suitable for SMEs # The Howard Academies Trust ~ Catering Tender [The Howard Academies Trust](https://tendernation.io/buyers/the-howard-academies-trust) Estimated value Not stated Published 31 Jul 2026 Deadline Closed 5 Jun 2026 ## Who can bid - Buyer says suitable for SMEs The buyer ticked “suitable for SMEs” on the notice. Anyone can still bid. - Open procedure Anyone can submit a full tender; there is no shortlisting stage. [More contracts for small businesses and VCSEs](https://tendernation.io/opportunities/for-small-businesses) ## About this tender The Howard Academy Trust is a Multi Academy Trust, 9 schools, 4 of which are secondary schools (including 1 UTC), 4 primary schools (2 X 1 FE and 2 X 2 FE) and 1 AP/ SEN school. For the purposes of this tender all primary and secondary schools are included, but the AP/ SEN school is not. THAT educates around 5300 pupils and has a staff workforce of around 850. The Trust expects further growth within the period of the contract. Our schools are across 3 local authorities, albeit all in proximity as below: •Medway- Deanwood Primary School, Thames View Primary School, Temple Mill Primary School, Waterfront UTC and The Howard School •Kent- The Abbey School Faversham •Bexley- Hurstmere School Our Trust vision is “Working together to build a community of successful learners” and our values are: Inclusivity, Dignity, Respect and Ambition. To deliver our vision and values it is imperative that we appoint a caterer who delivers high quality meals across the Trust, ensuring pupils and particularly those that are free school meals receive a high quality, fresh, nutritious meal. A key focus of this tender is ensuring a consistent high quality food offer, that is financially viable whilst boosting uptake and quality, particularly in Medway schools, where this is generally underperforming. The Howard Academy Trust expects the successful contractor to enable the continued development of catering through the provision of an innovative, healthy food service, with fresh, seasonal, locally sourced ingredients being prepared on-site. The Trust expects the successful tenderer to evidence, through their bid, how they shall support and complement its values and support the principles of Every Child Matters. Our current student body is comprised of 73.9% males, 26.1% females. Our average Free School Meals is 23.8% with ever 6 being 24.3%. 20.5% of pupils have some level of SEN need. The successful contractor will build on a strong offer including current good quality, variety and uptake at The Abbey School and Hurstmere School. Whilst substantially improving uptake and quality across the primary schools and UTC, ensuring a high-quality consistent offer that meets the needs and tastes of a wide range of pupils, including those with dietary requirements. We welcome innovation and are keen to work in a highly collaborative way with the contractor to ensure the best offer possible for our pupils. Currently we have three caterers, all of whom have agreed to a termination date of 31/10/2026. This contract will therefore run for 2 years and 11 months from the start of Term 2 in the 2026/27 academic year which is 01/11/2026 (with the first day school day being 02/11/2026) running to 31/08/2029 with the option for the Trust to take out a plus two-year extensions. We would like to make clear that our intention is to form a lasting relationship with a successful caterer who we are determined to take the two-year extension with and hopefully to be in a strong position We have made substantial investment in our kitchens over the last two years with £80k invested in equipment during 2024/25 and up to £80k being further invested in 2025/26. We are looking for tenders that deliver a nil cost or better on a guaranteed performance basis. Please see PSQ Document for more information. Read full description ## CPV classification School catering services Source Find a Tender (UK) · Notice ocds-h6vhtk-066265-2026-07-31T13:32:10+01:00 [View official notice](https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/ocds-h6vhtk-066265-2026-07-31T13:32:10+01:00) Never miss a tender like this again Get AI summaries, deadline alerts and a bid pipeline for tenders matched to your business. Free to start. [Track tenders free](https://tendernation.io/register) [Buyer profile The Howard Academies Trust: past awards and live tenders](https://tendernation.io/buyers/the-howard-academies-trust) [Sector More Hospitality, catering & hotel services tenders](https://tendernation.io/sectors/hospitality-catering) ## More tenders like this [Restaurant and food-serving services – servicio de alimentacion de pacientes Y explotacion de cafeterias Y maquinas expendedoras EN EL hospital carlos III · Servicio Madrileño de Salud - Hospital Universitario La Paz · 28 days left · 16 Nov 2026](https://tendernation.io/opportunities/01a15183-0a30-73a4-a0dd-852a0a5901d8/spain-restaurant-and-food-serving-services-servicio-de-alimentacion-de-pacie) [Canteen and other restricted-clientele cafeteria services – Betreiben der Gastronomie am Obergericht · Obergericht des Kantons Zürich · 45 days left · 2 Dec 2026](https://tendernation.io/opportunities/01a15183-07b9-7163-ad50-671bf619a70d/switzerland-canteen-and-other-restricted-clientele-cafeteria-services-betrei) [Canteen and catering services – Accord-cadre de fourniture et de livraison de repas collectifs et individuels pour les besoins de la Commune d'Etaples-sur-mer · Commune d'Etaples-sur-mer · 16 days left · 4 Nov 2026](https://tendernation.io/opportunities/01a15183-74f2-71cd-80c9-a7bf354a173f/france-canteen-and-catering-services-accord-cadre-de-fourniture-et-de-livrai) [School-meal services – Conception, Conditionnement et la livraison de repas en liaison froide pour le service de restauration scolaire et la crèche municipale de la ville de Ghisonaccia · Mairie de Ghisonaccia · 32 days left · 20 Nov 2026](https://tendernation.io/opportunities/01a15183-062d-737e-8dc7-98577d79df0d/france-school-meal-services-conception-conditionnement-et-la-livraison-de-r) [Retail trade services – DPS for the supply and delivery of Category Partner Supply Services to Trinity College Dublin · Trinity College Dublin the University of Dublin\_336 · 1471 days left · 28 Oct 2030](https://tendernation.io/opportunities/01a15183-1585-726a-ada4-fe9e912ec9a1/ireland-retail-trade-services-dps-for-the-supply-and-delivery-of-category-pa) [Meal-preparation services – Accord-cadre à bons de commande pour confection et livraison de repas en liaison froide destinés au restaurant scolaire dans une démarche de développement durable · Sivu Excenevex - Yvoire · 28 days left · 16 Nov 2026](https://tendernation.io/opportunities/01a15183-0bd1-73b5-811e-a05e2619ebcf/france-meal-preparation-services-accord-cadre-a-bons-de-commande-pour-confec)