Open tenders / Catering & food
Open tender · Notice 103717-2026
Orbital South Colleges Catering Services: East Surrey College & John Ruskin College
- Value
- £1.9m
- Closes
- 27 Nov 2026 (19 days)
- Where
- South East
- Lots
- 1
- Suitable for SMEs
- Not stated
- Contract
- 1 Apr 2027 – 31 Mar 2030
In plain English
East Surrey College, part of Orbital South Colleges, wants a catering contractor to provide healthy, competitively priced meals for students, staff and visitors at East Surrey College and John Ruskin College in the South East. The contract starts on 1 April 2027 for three years, with options to extend by up to two further one-year periods, and is estimated at £1,900,000; bids close on 27 November 2026.
Good fit for: Catering contractors with experience running multi-site food services in colleges, schools or similar institutions.
- Staff may transfer to you under TUPE
TUPE will apply.
- Large multi-site education catering experience preferred
Experience of similar large education-based multi-site operations is preferable.
Written with AI from the official notice. Check the notice before relying on it.
What the buyer says
Orbital South Colleges (OSC) is a leading further education group comprising East Surrey College, John Ruskin College, Reigate School of Art and Orbital South Colleges University Centre. The Colleges provide an extensive range of vocational, technical and professional education, from entry level through to degree-level study, including apprenticeships, Higher National qualifications and professional courses. Teaching is delivered by experienced, industry-qualified staff and is supported by strong links with employers, careers services and local communities. OSC is undertaking this tender exercise to source a flexible and best value catering contractor with whom they can partner with to achieve service excellence through the provision of a great tasting food, made with authentic recipes and ingredients. Healthy eating, service innovation and added value through food education and sustainability initiatives are equally as important. The successful contractor is to provide healthy and competitively priced meals for all students, staff and visitors, and always ensure that the outcome will provide best value to the Colleges. OSC is seeking a contractor who has a proactive approach to service development and innovation and will propose practical enhancements to the services as well as innovative ideas to develop and improve the services for all stakeholders. The contract being tendered for is to start from 1st April 2027 for an initial three-year term with the option to extend for up to two further one-year periods. Experience of similar large education-based multi-site operations is preferable. TUPE will apply.
Getting the documents
dropbox.com (linked from the notice).
Procedure: Competitive flexible procedure (Flexible: the buyer sets the stages, often a shortlist first, then bids). Published 2 Nov 2026.
What similar contracts went for
Similar contracts went for £1.1m to £2.8m (9 since 2025; 1 won by small firms).
| Contract | Won by | Value | Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collingwood College - Catering Tender Collingwood College | Innovate Services Limited | £2.8m | 11 Aug |
| Brockenhurst College ~ Catering Tender Brockenhurst College | Aramark Ltd | £2.3m | 24 Jun |
| Comberton Village College - Catering Services Tender The CAM Academy Trust | abm Catering Limited | £1.9m | 19 Jun |
| South West Essex Community Education Trust ~ Catering Tender South West Essex Community Education Trust | Aspens Services Ltd | £1.4m | 10 Jun |
| St Gregory's Catholic College - Catering Tender Saint Gregory's Catholic College | Impact Food Group Limited | £2.2m | 27 May |
| Hodge Hill College & Braidwood School for the Deaf ~ Catering Tender Hodge Hill College & Braidwood School for the Deaf | Mellors Catering Services | £1.9m | 14 May |
| Stanmore College Catering Tender Stanmore College | Stir Food | £1.7m | 26 Feb |
| South Cumbria Multi Academy Trust~ Catering Tender South Cumbria Multi Academy Trust~ Catering Tender | Cater Link Ltd SME | £2.3m | 17 Dec |
| Woodhouse College ~ Catering Tender Woodhouse College | Cater Link Limited | £1.1m | 16 Jun |
From the award notices on Find a Tender and Public Contracts Scotland. Values are as each notice states them and cover the contract's whole term: most notices give the value before VAT, but about one in seven gives only a figure including VAT. AI picked these as the same kind of work and can be wrong, so check what each one included before you price.
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