Please note this is a Prior Information Notice and tender documentation is not available yet.

ESPO is seeking to renew its outsourced catering services work. It is anticipated the new work will be awarded during summer 2022.

Prior to retendering ESPO is seeking to engage with the supplier market to help design the new work to ensure it best meets the needs of both suppliers and customers. Suppliers responding to this opportunity will be invited to participate in the pre-market engagement which will take place between August and September 2021.

ESPO has established a commercial trading company, ESPO Trading Limited, whose target clients are third sector organisations such as national and local charities, public sector mutual organisations and other organisations involved in the delivery of services to or for the public sector. The successful Supplier may be asked to enter into an additional separate work agreement (the Second work) with ESPO Trading Limited on materially similar terms to that found in the tender pack to be entered into by ESPO itself.

Any Second work agreement will be a purely commercial agreement and will, for the avoidance of doubt, not be governed by the Public Contract Regulations 2015 or other public procurement legislation. ESPO Trading Limited may enter into the second work agreement with the successful supplier and make it available to third sector clients who themselves are not required to follow the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 or other public procurement legislation. Accordingly, this is provided for bidders' information only.