How to win: Provision of Catering Services/PME/PRO/2026

About this contract

The OU will soon be embarking on a tendering exercise for its catering services, during the early part of 2027. The OU is the largest on-line university in the UK teaching up to 200,000 students per year, it is not a typical university as most student’s study part time in their own homes or in their place of work supported by locally based tutors. Walton Hall, is the headquarters of the OU, catering services provide café, restaurant and meeting / hospitality services to the academics, 200 post graduate students, support staff and tenant teams based at the Milton Keynes campus. Over the past 5 years the campus has undergone considerable changes in work patterns, from an original site population of over 3,500 to now operating peak days Tuesday to Thursday at 1,100, and Mondays and Fridays significantly lower. This may increase in the future years as the OU continues with its strategy to lease its buildings to external organisations. Aims and Objectives of catering services • Create a financially sustainable service to the OU, its employees and visitors. • Create a service that incorporates the latest and future trends in food service. • Create a service that maintains a high level

How to win contracts like this

• ✓Answer against the marking scheme, not the question text — THE OPEN UNIVERSITY scores each response, so map your evidence to the published criteria and weightings.
• ✓At £7,200,000, expect quality and social value to carry a large share of the score — price alone rarely wins services work.
• ✓Show recent, comparable delivery: name similar services contracts you've delivered for public bodies, with measurable outcomes.
• ✓Start early: deadlines are tight and a strong bid takes iteration.

BidWriter drafts your responses from your company profile, scores them against the marking scheme, and tracks your whole pipeline. Free to start — no card needed.

Related resources