Spain’s Gironès Council Awards Girona Public School Meal Contract to Servei d’Apats

Standfirst

The Consell Comarcal del Gironès has completed an award for integrated school catering services covering public schools in the eastern area of Girona. The reported winner for LOT-0002 is SERVEI D'APATS, S.L. with a tender value of EUR 175,647.60. The procurement uses an open procedure under Directive 2014/24/EU and puts far greater weight on service quality than price. The notice also reports EUR 14,426,343.36 as the value of all contracts awarded in the notice although the detailed result identifies LOT-0002 with a disclosed contract value.

Introduction

School meals sit at the intersection of public service delivery and nutrition and local procurement and household economics. For local authorities the challenge is not simply to find a caterer. They must secure a service that can operate reliably across schools while meeting defined standards for food quality and social needs and environmental performance.

That challenge is visible in a new procurement from the Consell Comarcal del Gironès. The contract covers an integrated school meal service for pupils in public schools in Salt and in the eastern area of Girona for the 2026-2027 school year and its extensions.

The award notice identifies LOT-0002 as the result covered in the published award information. That lot concerns school meal services for Escola Font de la Pólvora and Escola Vila-roja. SERVEI D'APATS, S.L. won the lot with a tender valued at EUR 175,647.60.

The procurement attracted two tenders for LOT-0002. That means the award was made in a competitive process although the field was relatively small. More importantly the evaluation structure shows that the contracting authority was seeking a service proposition where environmental and social features formed the core of the quality assessment.

Why This Contract Matters

The procurement matters because school catering is a recurring public service where operational decisions have a direct effect on pupils and schools. A contract can influence what food is supplied and how frequently local or organic products appear in menus and how the service responds to pupils with serious social needs.

The scoring system makes this procurement particularly informative. Quality accounted for 95 percent of the award weighting while price accounted for only 5 percent. For suppliers this reverses the structure seen in many highly price driven public contracts and indicates that the authority placed substantial value on measurable service attributes.

The environmental criteria are specific rather than generic. The authority evaluated the introduction of different organic products each month and seasonal organic fruit and weekly seasonal proximity fruit and lettuce produced under organic conditions. It also assessed products supplied by social economy companies or fair trade channels and the use of paper products made from recycled fibre.

Contract Timeline

The procedure is linked to previous notice 301693-2026. The procurement was conducted as an open procedure and the legal basis identified in the notice is Directive 2014/24/EU.

For LOT-0002 the contract identifier is 2026/2/1403 - 2. The contract was concluded on 02/09/2026.

The procedure description states that the service is intended for the 2026-2027 school year and its extensions. The notice does not provide a detailed duration schedule for the extensions in the available award information.

Contract Overview

The procurement is titled “Contrato servicio de comedor escuelas públicas de Salt (Lote-1) y escuelas públicas de la zona este de Girona (Lote-2)”. It is a services contract classified under CPV 55523100 for school meal services.

The wider procedure contains LOT-0001 and LOT-0002. LOT-0001 concerns public schools in Salt while LOT-0002 concerns public schools in the eastern area of Girona. The award information in this notice records LOT-0002 as the result with SERVEI D'APATS, S.L. as winner.

The tender value for LOT-0002 is EUR 175,647.60 and no subcontracting is reported. The notice records two tenders received for the lot.

Key Contract Details

Project Scope

The service is an integrated school catering operation for pupils at public schools covered by the procurement. For LOT-0002 the named schools are Escola Font de la Pólvora and Escola Vila-roja in Girona.

The procedure description also identifies nine public schools in Salt under LOT-0001. These are Escola El Gegant del Rec and Escola El Pla and Escola El Veïnat and Escola La Farga and Escola Les Arrels and Escola Les Deveses and Escola Mas Masó and Escola Silvestre Santaló and Escola La Maçana.

The quality criteria provide the clearest indication of the service model expected by the buyer. Suppliers were assessed on organic products and seasonal proximity fruit and menus for pupils with serious social needs and recycled paper products and support for contingency resources.

About the Contracting Authority

Consell Comarcal del Gironès is the buyer identified in the TED notice. It is a local authority whose contracting activity is recorded as general public services.

Its role in this procurement is to organise and award the school catering service for the public schools covered by the procedure. The authority is also identified as the buyer in the organisations section of the notice.

About the Organisations Involved

Consell Comarcal del Gironès is the contracting authority and buyer. It initiated the procurement for integrated school meal services covering public schools in Salt and the eastern area of Girona. Its local authority status places the procurement within the public service responsibilities identified in the notice.

SERVEI D'APATS, S.L. is the successful tenderer for LOT-0002. The notice classifies the economic operator as large and records its location in Sant Just Desvern in Barcelona. Its tender identifier is Oferta 3 and its tender value is EUR 175,647.60. No subcontracting is reported for the winning tender.

Tribunal Català de Contractes del Sector Públic is the review organisation named in the notice. Its role is connected with procurement review and legal challenge procedures rather than delivery of the catering service.

Procurement Analysis

The open procedure allowed eligible suppliers to compete for the service and is consistent with the procurement framework identified under Directive 2014/24/EU. LOT-0002 received two tenders which provides evidence of competition although the number is modest.

The most important procurement signal is the award weighting. Quality represented 95 percent of the score while price represented 5 percent. This makes the procurement materially different from a conventional lowest cost exercise and means suppliers needed to demonstrate value through defined service improvements.

The quality scoring was distributed across nine criteria. Two criteria carried 20 percent each for different monthly organic products and menus for pupils with serious social needs. Seasonal proximity fruit carried 14 percent while the remaining quality elements addressed contingency funding and organic seasonal fruit and organic lettuce and social economy or fair trade products and recycled fibre paper.

This structure gives suppliers a detailed view of what the buyer considers valuable. It also reduces the scope for interpreting quality as a vague concept because the notice connects quality to specific purchasing commitments that can be evaluated.

Additional Procurement Facts

The procurement is not financed with EU funds and is not covered by the Government Procurement Agreement. It is also not structured as a framework agreement and does not use a dynamic purchasing system.

For LOT-0002 the notice records two tenders and identifies no subcontracting. The review information states that a special procurement appeal can be lodged within 15 working days from the day following notification of the resolution and an administrative court route is also described.

Market & Industry Perspective

The award provides a useful snapshot of how local public catering procurement can move beyond a basic price comparison. The 5 percent price weighting leaves suppliers with limited room to compensate for weaker quality performance through lower pricing alone. That changes the competitive equation for catering companies.

Food sourcing becomes commercially relevant because organic and seasonal and proximity products are part of the scoring structure. A supplier competing for similar contracts therefore needs procurement relationships and supply planning that can support recurring commitments rather than relying only on a conventional bulk catering model.

The social criterion also creates a market signal. Catering providers that can demonstrate the ability to adapt menus for pupils facing serious social needs may be better aligned with public buyers that incorporate social objectives directly into procurement evaluation.

For suppliers the broader lesson is that school catering contracts can combine food service with environmental purchasing and social policy. Companies that treat these areas as part of their core operating model may have a stronger proposition in tenders with similar evaluation structures.

Economic Significance

The LOT-0002 award is valued at EUR 175,647.60. While this is a relatively contained contract value compared with major infrastructure procurements it represents recurring public expenditure on a service that operates directly within the education system.

The notice also states that the value of all contracts awarded in this notice is EUR 14,426,343.36. That figure is materially different from the disclosed LOT-0002 tender value. Because the detailed award information identifies LOT-0002 with EUR 175,647.60 the larger total should not be attributed solely to SERVEI D'APATS, S.L. or treated as the value of LOT-0002.

Future Procurement Opportunities

The immediate future opportunity is the continuation of school meal services during the 2026-2027 school year and any extensions permitted by the procurement arrangement. The notice does not state the precise length or financial value of each possible extension so suppliers should avoid treating them as guaranteed revenue.

The wider procedure also points to demand in LOT-0001 covering public schools in Salt. However the award result available in this notice does not provide a corresponding detailed winner or contract value for LOT-0001. Any future award publication or related procurement record should be reviewed before assigning a supplier to that lot.

The CPV code 55523100 provides a practical monitoring category for future school meal procurements. Catering companies and food suppliers and organisations serving public education institutions can use this classification together with the Girona geography to identify relevant opportunities.

Opportunities for Suppliers

Catering companies should examine their sourcing models against the criteria used in LOT-0002. Organic products and seasonal proximity products and fair trade or social economy purchasing were directly connected to evaluation and therefore can influence competitive positioning.

Suppliers should also build evidence around social menu provision and contingency support. These factors were defined as quality criteria with specific weightings rather than being left as general statements of service quality.

What Businesses Should Watch

Businesses should monitor the performance and continuation of the LOT-0002 contract from the 2026-2027 school year. Any subsequent notice concerning extensions or new procurement activity could clarify the longer term purchasing direction.

Suppliers should also watch for additional notices related to school meal services in Girona and Salt. The existence of two geographically defined lots indicates that public catering demand can be segmented by service area.

The environmental criteria deserve particular attention. Changes in the required share of organic products or the use of local seasonal food or recycled consumables could materially alter supplier cost structures and sourcing requirements.

Finally businesses should monitor future award records for evidence of actual contract values and supplier participation. This is especially important because the notice reports EUR 14,426,343.36 for all contracts awarded while the detailed LOT-0002 result is EUR 175,647.60.

SpainTenders.com Procurement Intelligence

This award reflects a wider shift in public catering procurement toward contracts that use purchasing power to support policy objectives. The 95 percent quality weighting means the buyer is evaluating the service as more than a food delivery function. Organic sourcing and seasonal products and social needs and recycled materials are embedded in the commercial decision.

For suppliers the strategic lesson is clear. A competitive bid for public school catering requires the operating model to produce evidence that matches the buyer’s policy priorities. Companies should develop measurable sourcing commitments and dependable food supply arrangements and practical social service capabilities before a tender is published rather than attempting to assemble them during the bid period.

The award also demonstrates why procurement intelligence should distinguish between a disclosed lot value and a wider notice total. The EUR 175,647.60 figure belongs to LOT-0002 while the EUR 14,426,343.36 figure is reported for all contracts in the notice. That distinction prevents the market from overstating the commercial value attached to the named winner.

For future opportunities businesses should track the buyer and CPV 55523100 and the Girona geography and the next procurement cycle. The strongest positioning will come from suppliers that combine competitive service economics with documented environmental sourcing and social catering capability and reliable delivery performance.

Supplier Takeaways

• SERVEI D'APATS, S.L. won LOT-0002.
• LOT-0002 covers school meal services for Escola Font de la Pólvora and Escola Vila-roja.
• The winning tender value is EUR 175,647.60.
• Two tenders were received for LOT-0002.
• Quality represented 95 percent of the award weighting.
• Price represented 5 percent of the award weighting.
• Organic products and seasonal food and social needs were important evaluation areas.
• No subcontracting was reported for the winning tender.
• The procurement is not financed with EU funds.
• The procurement is not covered by the GPA.
• No framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system was used.
• The contract was concluded on 02/09/2026.
• The procurement relates to the 2026-2027 school year and its extensions.

Key Takeaways

• The Consell Comarcal del Gironès awarded a school meal service for the eastern Girona area.
• SERVEI D'APATS, S.L. is the winner identified for LOT-0002.
• The procurement was conducted through an open procedure.
• Directive 2014/24/EU is the stated legal basis.
• CPV 55523100 identifies school meal services.
• Two tenders were received for LOT-0002.
• The award model strongly prioritised quality over price.
• Nine quality criteria together carried 95 percent of the weighting.
• The notice reports EUR 14,426,343.36 as the value of all contracts awarded.
• The detailed LOT-0002 result reports EUR 175,647.60.
• The two figures should not be treated as the same contract value.
• The notice does not provide a detailed LOT-0001 award result.
• The review organisation is Tribunal Català de Contractes del Sector Públic.

Conclusion

The Girona school meal award shows how local public procurement can connect everyday service delivery with environmental and social policy. For LOT-0002 the selection of SERVEI D'APATS, S.L. followed a process in which quality carried most of the evaluation weight.

For suppliers the opportunity is not limited to providing meals. The procurement rewards measurable sourcing and social service commitments and creates a useful signal for companies preparing for future public catering tenders in Girona and elsewhere in Spain.

Source: Tenders Electronic Daily (TED), Contract Award Notice 627490-2026, Official Journal of the European Union, OJ S 176/2026, published on 11/09/2026.