Catering tenders in the UK

Catering tenders cover school meals, academy trusts, hospital and staff restaurants, care settings and canteens run for councils and other public bodies. This page covers catering services only, so notices that are just for supplying food or drink are left out. It sets out what buyers usually ask caterers for, from food business registration to school food rules, and how a small caterer can win. Our tender eligibility checker is coming soon. Until then, tell us your trade and postcode to join the free weekly list of live tenders, starting soon.

What buyers usually ask catering contractors for

Each buyer sets its own questions. These are the points with a legal basis. The tender pack covers anything beyond them.

Food business registration

You must register with your local authority to run a food business. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland that has to be at least 28 days before you start trading. In Scotland, gov.uk points you to Food Standards Scotland and your local authority. Expect to be asked for your registration details.

Allergen information on prepacked food

In England, the Food Information (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2019 came into force on 1 October 2021. Food prepacked for direct sale must show its name and an ingredients list, with allergens, on the package or a label attached to it. This is an England regulation, so check the rules for other nations if you cook elsewhere.

School Food Standards

For school meals in England, gov.uk says compliance with the School Food Regulations 2014 is mandatory for all maintained schools, academies and free schools. The same page says new school food standards are proposed from September 2027, subject to Parliamentary approval. It also says free school meal entitlement extends to all universal-credit households from the 2026 to 2027 academic year, which may change meal numbers. Expect menu and nutrition questions in any school catering tender, and check the pack for which version the buyer is using.

Buyers may add their own food-safety and sourcing standards. The buyer sets these in the tender pack.

Insurance

Employers’ liability insurance is compulsory for employers in Great Britain, with limited exemptions (1969 Act), with cover of at least £5 million. Public liability and product liability levels are set by the buyer. See how much public liability cover buyers ask for.

DBS checks for school and care staff

DBS checks come in four types, from basic to enhanced with barred lists. Standard and Enhanced checks are only available where the role meets the legal criteria (England and Wales), while Basic checks are open to anyone, per the DBS eligibility guidance. The school or care provider says what it expects.

How to win catering contracts

Bid by school cluster, and know the threshold

On above-threshold contracts, buyers must consider splitting a contract into lots, or give reasons for not doing so. For light-touch contracts the buyer doesn’t have to justify in the tender notice a decision not to use lots (regulation 18(2)(q), per the light-touch guidance). Catering for a trust or council may be split by school or cluster. Choose lots where you can reach every kitchen.

School and canteen catering codes are on the light-touch list, where the full Act rules start at £663,540 including VAT (PPN 023). Below the threshold that applies, a buyer inviting tenders can’t run a separate suitability stage before tenders are submitted, but it can still assess suitability at the award stage (Welsh devolved buyers and framework call-offs aside; see also the below-threshold guidance). It must also consider the barriers SMEs face. A contract awarded by a school, which includes academy trusts, is outside these rules, so an academy trust may simply ask chosen caterers for quotes.

If a buyer advertises a below-threshold contract worth £12,000 or more (central government, including NHS trusts) or £30,000 or more (other authorities), including VAT, it must first publish a below-threshold tender notice. Buyers can also invite quotes from chosen suppliers without advertising, as the gov.uk guidance explains.

Price food costs and TUPE realistically

Food prices move, so say how you will handle changes and what your menu cost assumes. If staff may transfer, a service provision change under TUPE needs, among other conditions, an organised grouping of employees in Great Britain whose principal purpose is the client’s catering, and activities that don’t consist wholly or mainly of supplying goods. Ask for staffing information early and take advice.

Show menu evidence and local benefit

For school meals, show how your menus meet the standards above and how you plan to raise uptake. Central government departments, their executive agencies and NDPBs must give social value at least a 10% weighting on above-threshold contracts where it is relevant and proportionate (PPN 002). Local sourcing, work experience and waste reduction are ways to answer a social value question, if you can evidence them.

Common pitfalls

• not asking who owns kitchen equipment, and who repairs it
• guessing free school meal numbers instead of asking for them
• mobilising over school holidays without a plan for the first term
• pricing without knowing which school food standards apply

Who buys catering services

Schools, academy trusts, hospitals, care providers and councils running meals services all publish catering contracts. Volumes are small: in the week to 10 Oct 2026 there were 5 live notices in CPV division 55 (hotel, restaurant and catering services, the wider division, not catering contracts alone), as of 10 Oct 2026, so the weekly list, once it starts, will be short. See education tenders and health and social care tenders for the buyers’ wider markets, cleaning tenders and facilities management tenders for bundled services, or browse all UK tenders.