--- title: Is your catering contract ready for September 2027? description: The Government’s feasibility pilot for the updated School Food Standards has highlighted a procurement issue that schools cannot afford to overlook. None of the participating schools fully implemented every proposed standard, with the short planning and procurement timetable identified as one of the main reasons. image: https://blog.isbl.org.uk/hubfs/ace%20advice.png --- [![CEOE\_ISBL\_Logo\_Set\_RGB\_ISBL Primary-1](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/CEOE_ISBL_Logo_Set_RGB_ISBL%20Primary-1.png?width=222&height=80&name=CEOE_ISBL_Logo_Set_RGB_ISBL%20Primary-1.png "CEOE_ISBL_Logo_Set_RGB_ISBL Primary-1")](https://isbl.org.uk) - [Return to Main Site](https://isbl.org.uk/) - [Events Calendar](https://isbl.org.uk/products/events/) - [Latest News](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/tag/news) [Register](https://isbl.org.uk/my-account/#register) - [Latest Articles](https://blog.isbl.org.uk) - [Archive](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/tag/archive) - [Membership Support](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/tag/membership-support) - [Opinion](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/tag/opinion) - [Research](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/tag/research) # Is your catering contract ready for September 2027? ![](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/ace%20advice.png?width=85&name=ace%20advice.png) Ace Advice November 12, 2026 [mailto:?subject=I%20wanted%20you%20to%20see%20this%20site&body=Check%20out%20this%20site:%0D%0AIs%20your%20catering%20contract%20ready%20for%20September%202027?%0D%0Ahttps://blog.isbl.org.uk/is-your-catering-contract-ready-for-september-2027.](mailto:?subject=I%20wanted%20you%20to%20see%20this%20site&body=Check%20out%20this%20site:%0D%0AIs%20your%20catering%20contract%20ready%20for%20September%202027?%0D%0Ahttps://blog.isbl.org.uk/is-your-catering-contract-ready-for-september-2027.) The Government’s feasibility pilot for the updated School Food Standards has highlighted a procurement issue that schools cannot afford to overlook. None of the participating schools fully implemented every proposed standard, with the short planning and procurement timetable identified as one of the main reasons. Caterers said they needed around 12 months to develop recipes, source suitable products and introduce changes gradually. The pilot also exposed challenges around kitchen capacity, equipment, staff knowledge, supply chains, cost, food waste and pupil acceptance. For school business leaders, this means the proposed September 2027 implementation date cannot be treated as the point to begin preparing. Schools with catering contracts due to expire or renew in 2027 should already be reviewing their current provision, contract dates and future service requirements. Simply adding a clause requiring compliance with the new standards will not be enough. Specifications will need to reflect how the service operates in practice and how compliance, quality, cost and performance will be monitored. ACE Advice has examined what the findings mean for school catering contracts and procurement and why early preparation matters. [Read the full article: School Catering Procurement Cannot Wait Until September 2027](https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ace-advice.co.uk%2Fnews-insights%2Fschool-catering-procurement-2027&data=05%7C02%7Ctia-rose.gleeson%40ceoe.org.uk%7Ca292c716db8848d3c37108df3b5be531%7Ceb07bced103a4cb5bd30cba9703ef2a0%7C0%7C0%7C639294938058182990%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=TqvvS%2FElCro%2F9MRPE2IQ1wfvA9Pj%2B4xJq9QWBnaQarQ%3D&reserved=0) ![Ace Advice](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/hubfs/ace%20advice.png) Ace Advice ## Related Articles ### [New Advanced Allergy Management Training for School Leaders from Dukefield Foodservice November 12, 2026](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/new-advanced-allergy-management-training-for-school-leaders-from-dukefield-foodservice) ### [After the First SEMS Annual Return: Building Your Condition Data November 12, 2026](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/after-the-first-sems-annual-return-building-your-condition-data) ### [Appraisal for school business leaders, built on ISBL Professional Standards November 12, 2026](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/appraisal-for-school-business-leaders-built-on-isbl-professional-standards) [![isbl-logo-white](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/isbl-logo-white.png?width=105&height=50&name=isbl-logo-white.png "isbl-logo-white")](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/) - [Terms & Conditions](https://www.isbl.org.uk/terms-and-conditions) - [Privacy Policy](https://www.isbl.org.uk/privacy-policy/) - [Contact Us](https://www.isbl.org.uk/) [ISBL website](https://www.isbl.org.uk/) Company Registered Number 03425492 Institute of School Business Leadership ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Ace Advice", "url" : "https://blog.isbl.org.uk/author/ace-advice" }, "dateModified" : "2026-11-12T11:13:55.955Z", "datePublished" : "2026-11-12T11:13:55.000Z", "headline" : "Is your catering contract ready for September 2027?", "image" : [ "https://blog.isbl.org.uk/hubfs/ace%20advice.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.isbl.org.uk/is-your-catering-contract-ready-for-september-2027", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject" }, "name" : "ISBL Trading Limited" } } ```