School Catering Services for East Sussex County Council
East Sussex County CouncilEstimated Value
Up to £72,800,000
Deadline
17 November 2025
Published
4 March 2026
Type
Not specified
Overview
East Sussex County Council Council is seeking to appoint a qualified and suitable service provider for the provision of school meal services to educational establishments in the East Sussex area. The current contract expires on 31st July 2026.
The County Council is legally required to provide access to a free school meal service for maintained schools (including provision of Key Stage 1 meals currently funded through Universal Infant Free School Meal funding from the DfE); therefore, arrangements will need to be made to continue to provide this service from 1st August 2026. The contracts are worth approximately £10.4 million per annum and currently used by 138 schools, serving approximately 15,000 meals per day. The objectives of this procurement are to put in place a high quality, value for money service provision whilst also gaining commitment from the provider to undertake continuous improvement and offer environmental and social value initiatives, to further enhance the service.
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Award Details
COMPASS CONTRACT SERVICES (U.K.) LIMITED
£72,800,000
Likely incumbents
Suppliers who won similar work from this buyer in the last 5 years.
- 1
24x7 Ltd
7 contracts wonlatest 30 Sept 2026ends 31 Jul 2029£4m
total awarded
- 2
Brighton Taxi Company
7 contracts wonlatest 28 Sept 2026ends 31 Jul 2029£676,611
total awarded
- 3
Southern Travel Solutions Ltd
6 contracts wonlatest 1 Oct 2026ends 31 Jul 2029£596,985
total awarded
- 4
JOHN FARRINGTON & CO LIMITED
£72,060
total awarded
- 5
Sussex Cars Association
5 contracts wonlatest 29 Sept 2026ends 31 Jul 2029£603,192
total awarded
24x7 Ltd is the most likely incumbent based on recency and category match. To win, bidders typically need a clearly differentiated proposition or a price advantage.
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Buyer Profile
East Sussex County CouncilKey Dates
Published
4 March 2026
Submission deadline
17 November 2025
Notice type
award
Source
find a tender
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