School catering services

Tender description

The successful Supplier will be required to provide catering services for Nunnery Wood High School (the Client), Spetchley Road, Worcester, WR5 2LT. The school is an academy in Worcester and it is a co-educational school and Science College with about 1350 students on roll. The school campus is located on the edge of Worcester surrounded by some 15 acres of gardens and playing fields which it shares with the adjacent 6th Form College. The school has benefited over recent years with an ongoing refurbishment programme or purpose built extensions including science facilities, English, Music, Art and Design, Languages and ICT. The school catering service provision has never been market tested to ensure Best Value principles are applied the Principal, Sponsors and School Governors have made a decision to tender the catering service provision. Current turnover value is circa 315 000 GBP per annum. However, this includes approximately 74 000 GBP of sales generated through a daily meal delivery service to 3 local primary schools. At this moment in time the Client does not know if these schools wish to be included in this tender exercise but a definite outcome will be included within the tender specification. The catering staff are currently employed directly by the Client and the successful Supplier will need to consider ABS provision regarding the current LPGS pension arrangements. TUPE Regulations including pension rights where applicable will apply to this contract. The Client is seeking both innovation and the application of current service initiatives within the catering industry within the tender submissions and would expect as a result of this to be able to identify “Best Value” and work in partnership with the chosen Supplier going forward. The Client’s philosophy is to Aspire, Strive, Achieve and the senior management team are looking for a Supplier who can parallel these 3 key drivers to develop and maximise the catering service provision going forward into the future. The Client has set 6 key objectives regarding the outcome of the tender process: — year-on-year cost savings for the catering service provision, with the opportunity to generating surpluses during the contract term, — Review/suggestions to improve the layout of kitchen and serving areas with potential for investment from the Supplier; suggestions to improve the efficiency of service and reduce queuing times, — the roll numbers are due to increase year-on-year over the coming years. The successful Supplier will be expected to support the Client going forward suggesting and potentially implementing innovative ideas to cater for these increases, minimising queuing times through the implementation of additional service points, — full compliance with School Food Trust standards; menus are to be geared to what the students want, whilst offering healthy choices and ensuring students are ready to learn, — to offer the Client curricular support regarding Healthy Eating and Life style initiatives, — full participation in student-led Food Council group to listen to feedback and offer new innovations. The contract being tendered is for 3 years in duration with the possibility of extending for a further 2 years depending on service deliverability. The contract will commence on 15.4.2019. The contract is fixed price with the Supplier invoicing the client for 1/12 of the agreed annual operating budget on a monthly basis. Should surpluses be generated then these will be returned to the Client on a termly basis. All Free School Meals and internal issues will be detailed and charged separately on a monthly basis. The basis and rationale that the Client requires the successful Supplier to operate at all times in providing a catering service that meets the needs of all students, staff and users of the catering facility but still using the Government Food Guidelines in the menu/food offer. In addition to this the successful Supplier must be proactive in the management of the contract, thus ensuring that all specifications are achieved as detailed within the tender documentation.