Oakwood Park Grammar School - Catering Tender

Oakwood Park Grammar School (OPGS) is a boys’ grammar school with academy status located in Maidstone, Kent, serving boys from ages 11 – 16 with a co-educational 6th form.

At OPGS, we hold firm on our responsibility to deliver a broad and balanced curriculum, an exceptional standard of teaching and learning and a wider range of extra-curricular opportunities. We have high standards of behaviour and our pupils are ‘polite and courteous,’ contributing significantly to our consistently positive learning environment.

Further information regarding the School can be obtained here: https://www.opgs.org/

Tender information:

The successful tenderer will be required to provide excellent catering services to Oakwood Park Grammar school, which has 1086 pupils and 86 teaching and support staff.

The contract term being tendered for 3 years, from 01/08/2026 – 31/07/2029. There is an option for a further extension period for up to two additional years to 31/07/2031.

The contract offers an excellent opportunity to review and propose enhancements to the current catering services at the School. This includes but is not limited to; breakfast, morning break, lunchtime and after school services, over the academic year, plus hospitality services upon request.

The school is keen to secure a high quality catering service including fresh locally sourced ingredients prepared on site, with a menu design that is flexible to suit the requirements of the school’s specific students. The school is proud of its ‘family ethos’ and expects both a tightly managed service and a management style delivered by the successful contractor that supports, encourages and develops the catering staff.

The school is not obliged to accept the lowest price submitted for this tender, rather the school is keen to secure ‘best value’ from this contract and to deliver ‘best value’ to its students. Innovative and creative ideas as to how the services can be developed and value added, will be welcomed. The school seeks a contractor that is keen to work in partnership and who will deliver to its highest abilities, at all times.

Competitive Flexible Procedure

This procurement will be run under the Competitive Flexible Procedure. This will follow a two stage approach, with stage 1 being the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ). Here a minimum of 5 candidates (or less, in the event less than 5 meet the minimum criteria) and a maximum of 10 candidates, will progress to stage 2. Any selection of tenderers will be based solely on the criteria set out for the procurement and a minimum score of 60% must be achieved.

Selected tenderers will then be invited to stage 2, the Invitation To Tender (ITT). Here, the evaluation of tender response will be set as 35% price and 65% quality.

Value of contract:

The annual value of the current contract is £304,752 (the total sales including fsm, in the last contract year)

Therefore the value of this contract is £1,523,760 (above total x 5 as this contract is for a maximum of 5 years)

The contract shall be a guaranteed performance contract with any hospitality requirements billed separately.

Additional requirements and information:

•The school has a minimum requirement for a contractor’s employers' liability and public liability insurances of £5 million

•The minimum annual turnover that your company must have achieved to be considered for this opportunity is £1 million

•There are not incumbent catering staff currently within the Local Government Pension Scheme

•The catering services are currently contracted to Independent Catering