School Catering Services for East Sussex County Council

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.