Open34 days left · express interest by midday, Thursday 17 December 2026

Catering Services Contract for the University of Chichester

The University of Chichester · Education

In brief

The University of Chichester is looking for suppliers for catering work (South East).

The estimated value is £9,800,000 excluding VAT.

The contract runs for 5 years, up to 7 years with extensions, starting 1 September 2027.

This is the first stage: register your interest by midday, Thursday 17 December 2026, and shortlisted suppliers are invited to bid.

Built from the notice's own fields. Always check the official notice before you bid.

Can I win this?

Key dates

Express interest by
midday, Thursday 17 December 2026

This is the first stage. You register interest now, and shortlisted suppliers are invited to bid later.

How bids are scored

Quality 75% · Price 25%

Quality matters most. You can win without being the cheapest.

Competition

Typical: a median of 5 bids per contract for catering contracts in this region (from 59 awards in the last 12 months).

What the notice says

The University of Chichester is a top 30 UK University situated on the south coast, with two closely located campuses at Chichester and Bognor Regis. The University's mission is to provide outstanding education, advance knowledge and benefit the world; its vision is to be internationally recognised as a beacon of good practice for high-quality, student-centred higher education within a supportive community of learning. The University is seeking to appoint a professional and experienced catering contractor capable of delivering a student-focused, high-quality and innovative catering and hospitality service across both campuses. The student experience is central to the University's mission,…Read the full description
The University of Chichester is a top 30 UK University situated on the south coast, with two closely located campuses at Chichester and Bognor Regis. The University's mission is to provide outstanding education, advance knowledge and benefit the world; its vision is to be internationally recognised as a beacon of good practice for high-quality, student-centred higher education within a supportive community of learning. The University is seeking to appoint a professional and experienced catering contractor capable of delivering a student-focused, high-quality and innovative catering and hospitality service across both campuses. The student experience is central to the University's mission, and the successful contractor will be expected to bring innovation, experience, and sector expertise to develop the service, maximising both customer experience and financial performance, as well as the ability to maximise the potential of the facilities and deliver a service the University can be proud of. The University aims to provide catering at minimal or no cost and wishes to source creative, commercially viable proposals based on reduced-cost, cost-neutral or profit-share models, achieving best value while meeting the evolving needs of its diverse customer groups. The current outsourced catering contract is due to end on 31st August 2027. The new contract will be on a 5-year (plus possible 2yr extension) basis.

Should I bid?

Tick what applies to you. Nothing is saved.

How to bid

  1. Read the full notice on Find a Tender, including any tender documents it links to.
  2. Register your organisation on the Central Digital Platform (through Find a Tender) if you have not already. Suppliers need to be registered to take part in procurements under the Procurement Act 2023.
  3. Follow the submission instructions in the notice; it does not name an e-tendering portal.
  4. Register your interest before midday, Thursday 17 December 2026. Shortlisted suppliers are then invited to bid.

Timeline

  1. Tender notice · UK4, notice 107522-2026

About the buyer

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From notice 107522-2026 on Find a Tender, first published 12 November 2026. We last checked for changes on 12 November 2026.