Running a catering or cleaning tender is a major moment for any school or Multi-Academy Trust. These contracts have a direct impact on budgets, compliance, staff workload and the day-to-day experience of pupils and students.
Whether you’re approaching a re-tender or tendering for the first time, here are five key things every school and Trust should consider before going to market.
1. ‘Best value’ means more than the lowest price
Catering, in particular, is often one of the largest budget lines for a school. The challenge is knowing whether you’re genuinely getting good value for money. This is where consultancies – which have knowledge of the wider sector – can help.
At Litmus we draw on the UK’s largest source of contractor data, covering more than 750 schools and updated monthly by both mainstream and independent providers. This enables us to benchmark your caterer’s or cleaning team’s performance – financially and operationally – against others across the sector.
Are costs aligned with best practice? Is labour being deployed efficiently? Are sustainability commitments being met? How does student satisfaction compare to similar schools? Good decisions require good data, and without benchmarking, it’s difficult to know whether performance is competitive or simply familiar.
2. Balance qualitative value with financial value for money
Value for money is not just about cost control; it’s about what you receive in return for your investment.
A strong tender process should assess qualitative factors alongside financial ones. For catering, this might include food quality, menu development, allergen management, sustainability credentials and pupil engagement. For cleaning, it could be standards of cleanliness, staff training, safeguarding awareness and responsiveness.
3. Specify for the future – not just the present
One common pitfall is writing a specification based solely on current needs. Schools and Trusts evolve: pupil numbers change, estates expand, policies shift and expectations around sustainability, nutrition and compliance continue to grow.
Your tender specification should reflect where your school or MAT is heading over the life of the contract, not just where it is today. This might include flexibility to support growth, alignment with wider Trust strategies, or the ability to adapt to new regulations and reporting requirements.
4. Be clear on service delivery requirements
Ambiguity in service delivery requirements often leads to disappointment later on. A well-run tender clearly sets out expectations around staffing, service levels, reporting, communication and escalation processes.
The more precise you are at the outset, the easier it is to compare bids fairly – and to hold the successful provider accountable once the contract is live. Clear requirements protect both parties and reduce the risk of misunderstandings or underperformance.
5. Build in KPIs – and monitor them properly
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are essential, but setting them is only half the job. Ongoing monitoring is what ensures the service provider continues to deliver what was promised in the contract.
Effective KPIs should be measurable, relevant and aligned with your priorities – whether that’s financial performance, service quality, compliance, sustainability or customer satisfaction. Just as importantly, there needs to be a robust process for reviewing performance, addressing issues and driving continuous improvement.
Without active monitoring, KPIs quickly become a tick-box exercise rather than a meaningful management tool.
Work with consultants to maximise tender outcomes
Aside from those five golden rules, bear in mind that running a catering or cleaning tender isn’t just about choosing the cheapest bidder; it’s about selecting a partner who aligns with your educational values, financial goals and compliance needs.
Working with a consultancy to support on the tender not only removes the stress from busy teams that have no time to run one themselves, it also ensures the process is fair, transparent and tailored to your school or Trust’s specific requirements. We guide schools from specification development through to supplier evaluation, using robust data, sector expertise and benchmarking insight to support confident decision-making.
If you’re looking to tender your cleaning or catering in 2026, get in touch with us here and we can share more on how we can help you find the right service provider.
The Litmus team
