School catering services

Tender description

The successful tenderer will be required to provide sector-leading catering services on a fully outsourced, cook on site basis at the following Trust (Secondary) Academies in the City of Leeds. The contract offered covers the scope for the provision of all catering services, including, breakfast, morning break, lunch and hospitality/event requirements for students, staff and visitors. Leeds West Academy — Intake Ln, Leeds LS13 1DQ Leeds East Academy — South Parkway, Seacroft, Leeds LS14 6TY Leeds City Academy — Bedford Field, Woodhouse Cliff, Leeds LS6 2LG In 2014, The White Rose Academies Trust was created with the Leeds City College Group as sponsor, allowing its Academies to be locally directed, supported and improved from within the heart of the Leeds region. The Trust has quickly delivered record-breaking progress at all of it's Academies, with substantial improvement in student attainment through new, high standards of teaching and learning. The requirement of the procurement is to provide professionally managed, sector-leading catering services for students, staff and visitors at the Academies The contract will commence on the 1.4.2019 with an intentional tenure of 5 years, comprising a minimum initial tenure of 3 years subject to satisfactory performance by the Supplier and an option to extend by two periods of one year thereafter, subject to the agreement of both parties. The contract will operate as a guaranteed fixed cost or fixed return to each Academy for the duration of the initial contract tenure. Whereas all services can commence from 1.4.2019, following assessment of tenders, any individual Academy may choose not to opt in to this Trust-wide contract and further their current arrangements. The Trust has a remit for further expansion over the medium term and the provision of catering services within Academies converting to the Trust after the contract commencement date may fall under the scope of this contract and under these circumstances, the successful supplier will be required to apply the same costing models, ratios etc. that they applied to their successful tender bid. The duration of contract for these Academies will not be increased and they will join for the remaining contract period that remains at the point of entry into the Trust. Existing services at Leeds East and Leeds West Academies are operated under contract, with Leeds City Academy services directly operated by an in-house team. In general, all Academies have benefitted from recent and considerable investment in kitchen, servery, cashless payment systems and expansion of dining room facilities in line with growing student roll numbers. Whereas it is not assumed that further significant investment will be required to deliver services, Tenderers will be invited to visit all locations and put forward any proposals/schemes for further improvement, for discussion with each Academy. Actively promoting a fresh food ethos with an interesting and age-appropriate food and drink offer at breakfast, break and lunch will be vital. The tender criteria will focus primarily on the supplier’s genuine ability to support the catering teams to further develop services with already high levels of uptake. The supplier will be required to agree with the Trust a mechanism for annual tariff/free meal value review that will ensure that excellent value for money for students and parents is maintained. It is envisaged that a single supplier may deliver significant economies of scale/benefits particularly in terms of site support, purchasing and administration. Tenderers should assume that the provisions of TUPE will apply and that there will be a requirement for the successful tenderer to complete an admission agreement with the Trust and the West Yorkshire Pension Fund to ensure continuity of comparable pension terms for (approximately) all twelve staff that are currently Fund members. The Trust will commission an assessment from the Fund Actuary and aim to issue the Employer Supplement with the tender pack. Interested organisations should please register their details via email only to the stated contact point in 1.3 (Wilkinson ICA LTD). A Selection Questionnaire will be issued to those expressing interest. The Trust reserves the right not to award a contract, either wholly or in part and reserves the right to cease the procurement process at any time.