The Keys Academy Trust - Catering Services (2026)

The Keys Academy Trust is seeking a contractor to provide a comprehensive daily school food catering service for pupils and staff across its schools in Berkshire. The scope of work involves delivering a full lunch service every school day, utilizing existing kitchen, servery, and main hall dining facilities. For the 2026/27 academic year, the service will support 2,904 pupils, including 1,142 entitled to UIFSM and 222 to Free School Meals. The Trust emphasizes the need for a partnership focused on continuous improvement, requiring the contractor to introduce innovative menu ideas and creative initiatives to increase service uptake. The contract has an estimated total value of 3,695,000 GBP excluding VAT. It is scheduled for an initial three-year term from August 1, 2027, to July 31, 2030, with two optional 12-month extensions, allowing for a maximum duration of five years ending July 31, 2032. TUPE is expected to apply to this procurement, which is noted as particularly suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises. The procurement process follows a competitive flexible procedure managed by Minerva Procurement Consultancy Services Limited. It consists of three stages: an initial evaluation of a Procurement Specific Questionnaire to shortlist five suppliers, a final tender stage to identify the three highest scoring bidders, and a final Presentation Day. All submissions must be made in English via the In-tend portal, with the initial deadline for requests to participate set for December 4, 2026.