Ends in 8 weeks
CA13002 - Newham Sixth Form College: Outsourced Catering Services
Newham Sixth Form College · London · 3-year contract
Held by Caterlink
University catering tenders and contracts
UK public sector, covering 600+ buyer sites
309 university catering tenders and contracts, 60 this year.
Updated 4 November 2026 · compiled by BidSkim Limited · How we count
- Awarded a month£4.4m
- Contracts a month1.6
- Won by SMEs0%
- Renewing in 6 months2
- Live now4See them →
University catering contracts
Tap a region to see its contracts. Pick as many as you like.
38 contracts across the UK, of any size
Live now
4 university catering opportunities are open now
- OpenCloses in 3 weeksOrbital South Colleges Catering Services: East Surrey College & John Ruskin CollegeEast Surrey College · South EastEst.£1.9m
- Pre-market29 Oct 2026Provision of Catering ServicesThe Open University · South EastEst.£4m
- Pre-market23 Sep 2026Pre Market Engagement for Catering ServicesCapital City College Group · London
- Pre-market6 Aug 202626-002 Soft Market Testing CSG (Clerkenwell) Catering ServicesCity University · LondonEst.£3m
- Awarded6 Jul 2026Provision of Outsourced Catering ServicesScotland's Rural College (SRUC) · ScotlandWon by BaxterStorey£563k
- Awarded24 Jun 2026Brockenhurst College ~ Catering TenderBrockenhurst College · South EastWon by Aramark£2.3m
- Awarded15 Jun 2026CA17204 - Askham Bryan College - Outsourced Catering Services Framework - CPC/MK/01/2022Askham Bryan College · Yorkshire and the HumberWon by Aramark£8.4m
- Awarded8 Jun 2026The Provision of a Diverse and Sustainable Catering ServiceCity of Glasgow College · ScotlandWon by Elior UK£1.1m
- Awarded22 May 2026CA16633 - Birmingham Metropolitan College Tender for Catering ServiceBMet College · West MidlandsWon by Caterlink
- Awarded21 May 2026CA16895 - City College Norwich: Outsourced Catering ServicesCity College Norwich · East of EnglandWon by CH&CO
- Awarded12 May 2026University of Winchester - Catering ServicesUniversity of Winchester · South EastWon by Aramark£12m
- Awarded1 May 2026Provision of Outsourced Catering ServicesNorth East Scotland College · ScotlandWon by Aramark£8m
- Awarded23 Apr 2026Catering Services Contract for New College SwindonNew College Swindon · South WestWon by Aramark£3.6m
- Awarded8 Apr 2026NCD521 - Outsourced Catering ServicesNew College Durham · North EastWon by Aramark
- Awarded8 Apr 2026Provision of Catering Services - AWARDDerby College Group · East MidlandsWon by Aramark
- Awarded23 Mar 2026Provision of Catering ServicesDerby College Group · East MidlandsWon by Aramark£4.7m
- Awarded13 Mar 2026Woking College ~ Catering TenderWoking College · South EastWon by Caterlink£833k
- Awarded26 Feb 2026Stanmore College Catering TenderStanmore College · LondonWon by Stir Food£1.7m
- Awarded11 Feb 2026The Provision of a Diverse and Sustainable Catering ServiceCity of Glasgow College · Scotland
- Awarded1 Jan 2026Catering ServicesLondon Metropolitan University · LondonWon by BaxterStorey£182k
- Awarded16 Dec 2025The Provision of a Diverse and Sustainable Catering ServiceCity of Glasgow College · Scotland
- Awarded12 Dec 2025Catering ServicesTelford College · West MidlandsWon by Caterlink£4.1m
- Awarded1 Oct 2025Award notice for Campus Catering Services (GCU)Glasgow Caledonian University · ScotlandWon by BaxterStorey£9.3m
- Awarded1 Oct 2025Provision of Catering ServicesThe Open University · South EastWon by BaxterStorey£784k
- Awarded21 Aug 20252324-80-EST-AS ITT FOR A CATERING CONCESSION CONTRACT OPPORTUNITY FOR HOWARD STREET BUILDINGSheffield Hallam University · Yorkshire and the HumberWon by Look Me up Ltd t/a Hygge Cafes£5.2m
- Awarded7 Aug 2025Provision of Catering ServicesThe Open University · South EastWon by BaxterStorey£784k
- Awarded1 Aug 2025Provision of Catering and Hospitality Services within Swansea UniversitySwansea University · WalesWon by Compass Contract Services and 1 more£100k
- Awarded1 Aug 2025Award of Further Competition for the Provision of Catering Services (FC-2024-0006)The City of Edinburgh Council · ScotlandWon by BaxterStorey£7.3m
- Awarded31 Jul 2025Catering ServicesFife College · ScotlandWon by BaxterStorey£7.3m
- Awarded25 Jul 2025Moulton College Outsourced Catering ServiceMoulton College · East MidlandsWon by Thomas Franks£6m
- Awarded21 Jul 2025CA15199 - Weston College - ITT for Outsourced Catering ServicesWeston College · South WestWon by Caterlink
- Awarded30 Jun 2025Provision of Catering Facilities at City of Portsmouth CollegeCity of Portsmouth College · South EastWon by Caterlink£3.3m
- Awarded30 Jun 2025CA15514 - Waltham Forest College Outsourced Catering ServicesWaltham Forest College · LondonWon by Aramark
- Awarded23 Jun 2025ID 5831917 - DfE - The Provision of Catering and Vending Services To Belfast Metropolitan CollegeBelfast Metropolitan College · Northern IrelandWon by Caterlink£150k
Where to bid
Where university catering tenders are run
In-Tend6 55%
MultiQuote2 18%
East Midlands Tenders1 9%- Litmus TMS1 9%
Wax Digital1 9%
Tenders published in the last year that name the bid portal they run on.
Aramark won the most university catering contracts by value
Each dot is one contract, coloured by who bought it.
EducationCouncilsCentral governmentPolice, fire and rescueOther buyers
| Rank | Contractor | Contracts won, by buyer | Contracts | Value won | Buyers | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1joint | Aramark East Midlands · See every contract | 9 | £39m | 8 | ||
| 1joint | Caterlink West Midlands · See every contract | 9 | £9.5m | 9 | ||
| 3 | BaxterStorey Scotland · See every contract | 7 | £9.6m | 6 | ||
| 4 | CH&CO East of England · See every contract | 3 | £7.6m | 2 | ||
| 5 | Thomas Franks East Midlands · See every contract | 2 | £7m | 2 | ||
| 6joint | Look Me up Ltd t/a Hygge Cafes Yorkshire and the Humber · See every contract | 1 | £5.2m | 1 | ||
| 6joint | Stir Food London · See every contract | 1 | £1.7m | 1 | ||
| 6joint | Elior UK Scotland · See every contract | 1 | £1.1m | 1 | ||
| 6joint | Finches Catering Northern Ireland · See every contract | 1 | £350k | 1 | ||
| 6joint | Nestle Scotland · See every contract | 1 | £91k | 1 |
2 more university catering contractors ranked. See the full ranking →
Win university catering contracts? Share your ranking.
Who buys
Schools, colleges and universities award 89% of university catering contracts
Contracts with a published value in the last 2 years, from the type of buyer to the size of the contract.
4 buyers bought university catering more than once in the last 2 years
Each dot is a buyer, by how many university catering contracts it awarded in the last 2 years.
See who they are and when they usually buy →
Few and big, or many and small
Each dot is a buyer: how many university catering contracts it awarded against what they were worth. The busiest and biggest are named.
EducationCouncilsCentral governmentPolice, fire and rescueOther buyers
Top buyers by contracts awarded
| Rank | Buyer | Contracts | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | City of Glasgow College | 3 | £1.1m |
| 2 | University of Bedfordshire | 2 | £7.6m |
| 3 | Derby College Group | 2 | £4.7m |
| 4 | The Open University | 2 | £1.6m |
| 5 | University of Winchester | 1 | £12m |
| 6 | Glasgow Caledonian University | 1 | £9.3m |
| 7 | Askham Bryan College | 1 | £8.4m |
| 8 | North East Scotland College | 1 | £8m |
| 9 | Fife College | 1 | £7.3m |
| 10 | The City of Edinburgh Council | 1 | £7.3m |
121 university catering contracts awarded since 2021
- 102021
- 172022
- 332023
- 242024
- 212025
- 162026 so far
Prices
Half of university catering contracts are worth less than £2.8m
EducationCouncilsCentral governmentPolice, fire and rescueOther buyers
The 10 biggest university catering contracts
- University of WinchesterAramark · 12 May 2026
- Glasgow Caledonian UniversityBaxterStorey · 1 Oct 2025
- Askham Bryan CollegeAramark · 15 Jun 2026
- North East Scotland CollegeAramark · 1 May 2026
- The City of Edinburgh CouncilBaxterStorey · 1 Aug 2025
- Fife CollegeBaxterStorey · 31 Jul 2025
- Moulton CollegeThomas Franks · 25 Jul 2025
- Sheffield Hallam UniversityLook Me up Ltd t/a Hygge Cafes · 21 Aug 2025
- Derby College GroupAramark · 23 Mar 2026
- University of BedfordshireCH&CO · 28 Apr 2025
Renewing contracts
10 university catering contracts come up for renewal in the next 12 months
2 in the next 6 months. The 3 ending soonest are shown in full.
Ends Mar 2027
Catering Services Tender for Coleg Gwent
Coleg Gwent · Wales · 3-year contract
Held by Aramark
Ends Jul 2027
CA13730 - Hartpury University and College - Outsourced Catering Services Framework
Hartpury University and Hartpury College · South West · 3-year contract
Held by Aramark
University catering contract for a school, college or universityEast of England£100k to £1mEnds Jul 2027
University catering contract for a school, college or universitySouth WestUnder £100kEnds Jul 2027
University catering contract for a school, college or universityEast of England£1m or moreEnds Jul 2027
University catering contract for a school, college or universityNorth West£1m or moreEnds Jul 2027
University catering contract for a school, college or universitySouth East£1m or moreEnds Aug 2027
University catering contract for a councilScotlandUnder £100kEnds Aug 2027
Where and when
Scotland awards the most university catering contracts
Contracts by region and by month awarded. Click a region to filter the page.
FewerMore contracts
The regions as a table
| Region | Open now | Contracts | Value | Typical contract | Won the most | Bought the most | Renewing in 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | 0 | 9 | £33.7m | £7.3m | BaxterStorey (4) | City of Glasgow College (3) | 1 |
| South East | 2 | 6 | £19.9m | £1.6m | Aramark, Caterlink and 1 more (2 each) | The Open University (2) | 1 |
| London | 2 | 5 | £3m | £1.1m | Caterlink (2) | – | 2 |
| East of England | 0 | 4 | £7.6m | – | CH&CO (3) | University of Bedfordshire (2) | 2 |
| East Midlands | 0 | 3 | £10.7m | – | Aramark (2) | Derby College Group (2) | 0 |
| West Midlands | 0 | 3 | £5.1m | – | Caterlink (2) | – | 0 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 0 | 2 | £13.6m | – | – | – | 0 |
| South West | 0 | 2 | £3.6m | – | – | – | 2 |
| Northern Ireland | 0 | 2 | £500k | – | – | – | 0 |
| North East | 0 | 1 | Not published | – | – | – | 0 |
| Wales | 0 | 1 | £100k | – | – | – | 1 |
| North West | 0 | 0 | Not published | – | – | – | 1 |
Often bought with university catering
Related services
Key findings
- £4.4m a month
of university catering contracts awarded.
Typical contract £2.9m x 1.5 contracts a month, last 12 months. - 1.6
university catering contracts are awarded in a typical month.
38 contracts in the last 2 years. - 2
university catering contracts come up for renewal in the next 6 months.
Recurring contracts with a named supplier and a published end date before 4 May 2027. - 0%
of university catering contracts are won by SMEs.
As recorded by the buyer, on 20 award notices.
How many university catering tenders and contracts are there?
| Since November 2021 | Last 12 months | |
|---|---|---|
| Notices published | 309 | 60 |
| Contracts awarded | 112 | 18 |
18 university catering contracts and frameworks end in the next 12 months, 17 of them recurring services. In the last two years, 33 buyers awarded university catering contracts to 12 suppliers.
Source: Find a Tender, Contracts Finder, Public Contracts Scotland, Sell2Wales and eTendersNI, to 4 November 2026. By Seamus White. How we count
Questions
How many university catering contracts does the UK public sector award?
38 in the 2 years to 4 November 2026, from 33 public buyers.
How long are university catering tenders open for?
The median university catering tender is open for 42 days from publication to deadline.
How much is a typical public sector university catering contract worth?
The median is £2.8m, and 14% are worth less than £250k.
Which buyers award the most university catering contracts?
Schools, colleges and universities award 89% of them.
Which part of the UK awards the most university catering contracts?
Scotland: 9 of 38 in the 2 years to 4 November 2026, then the South East (6) and London (5).
How many university catering contracts come up for renewal in the next 12 months?
10 contracts end and are likely to be re-let, the first on 31 December 2026. Another 1 ending is one-off work.
What is included
Outsourced catering across further education, sixth form, specialist and higher education campuses: refectories, cafes and retail food outlets, with campus hospitality and conference catering where included.
- Further education and sixth form college catering
- University campus catering and corporate hospitality across campuses
- Campus cafe and catering concessions
- Campus restaurant and bistro management by a contract caterer
- Residential specialist college catering
- Training college catering with retail and vending
- The catering component of a college FM bundle
What is not included
- School catering including schools named 'college' (see School meals contract catering)
- Standalone delivered meeting catering at a university (see Meeting and hospitality catering)
- Serviced function and fine-dining lots at a university (see Conference and event catering)
- Food supply lots to university kitchens (see Food wholesale)
- Campus vending bought on its own (see Vending machines)
- Student accommodation provision