School catering services

Tender description

The successful supplier will be required to provide catering services for Aldridge Education at the following locations: — Brighton Aldridge Community Academy, — Portslade Aldridge Community Academy, — Duke’s Aldridge Academy, — Darwen Aldridge Community Academy, — Darwen Aldridge Enterprise Studio, — Darwen Vale High School, — Sudell Primary School, — UTC@MediaCity. Aldridge Education is a Multi-Academy Trust (the ‘Trust’) established to fulfil the Aldridge ambition of growth through education. The Trust is running a catering services tender project covering 8 schools located across the North and the South of England and seeking to appoint supplier(s) with experience of working with schools of all types and sizes and delivering innovative ideas to provide exceptional catering to all our customers — students, teaching, support staff and our community users. The tender project is seeking to appoint a supplier(s) whose initiative and innovation will be welcomed for the provision of service within the existing facilities, with a focus on exciting new food concepts to satisfy a wide range of pupil tastes and dietary requirements. The Trust would wish the successful supplier to review the current range of services offered and make recommendations accordingly. The contract being tendered is for 3 years in duration and will operate as a guaranteed performance contract, with the successful Supplier offering the Trust a guaranteed return/cost per annum for the provision of catering services. Sovereignty of the cash tariff is to remain with the Trust for the duration of this contract. The contract offered covers the scope for the provision of all catering services within the Trust, which currently includes breakfast, morning break, lunch, all hospitality and free issue requirements and any community user requirements. Free school meals and hospitality will be charged based on consumption and at net food cost. The Trust expects the successful supplier to enable the continued development of catering through the provision of an innovative, healthy food service, with fresh, seasonal, locally sourced ingredients being prepared on-site. The Trust expects the successful supplier to evidence, through their bid, how they shall support and complement its values. The Trust are continually seeking ways to improve and develop the ethos and environment for students and staff, to give them the facilities they deserve and need to meet the challenges of the 21st Century; any consideration regarding inward capital investment as part of the supplier’s (Suppliers’) tender submission would be welcomed. The Trust would wish for the supplier(s) to look at making investments that are tailored to our individual schools’ needs; for example, investments to introduce throughput improvements and provide for satellite hubs in our larger secondary schools in the North. There are currently 8 schools within the multi-academy trust (II.1.4)) Short description). We are a growing Trust and require the flexibility to increase our catering requirements should the number of academy schools grows. Our school year is based on a calendar of 195 days of which five days are to be used for staff professional development which means that our schools are open to receive students for the legal minimum of 190 days. All our schools are open to community users throughout the year during evenings, weekend and during school holidays. The successful supplier(s) will be required to provide catering services to meet the needs of all customers/users of the school facilities. The eight (8) schools in the Trust are geographically located in the North and the South of England and the ITT will be structured in two (2) lots. It is not mandatory for Suppliers to bid for both lots. Suppliers are encouraged to bid for all schools in the relevant lot. Some existing catering staff are members of the local government pension scheme and the Trust expects the successful supplier to have experience of and capability to continue this pension in respect of those existing staff that transfer to the supplier(s). The contract being tendered is for an initial 3 years in duration from August 2019 to August 2022 with the option for the Trust to extend for a further year and a further final year (3 + 1 + 1). The Trust will measure the overall value for money of the suppliers’ responses but the Trust is not obliged to accept the lowest price. The Trust is not obliged to award and may choose not to award for any specific school or schools. The Trust may choose to award to more than one supplier for each lot. Bidders are required to provide a price for each school independent of other schools and bidders are encouraged to provide a total price for all schools in a lot. Further information is provided in the SQ and tender documentation. The tender project is seeking to appoint a supplier(s) whose initiative and innovation will be welcomed for the provision of service within the existing facilities, with a focus on exciting new food concepts to satisfy a wide range of pupil tastes and dietary requirements. The Trust would wish the successful supplier to review the current range of services offered and make recommendations accordingly. The contract being tendered is for 3 years in duration and will operate as a guaranteed performance contract, with the successful Supplier offering the Trust a guaranteed return/cost per annum for the provision of catering services. Sovereignty of the cash tariff is to remain with the Trust for the duration of this contract. The contract offered covers the scope for the provision of all catering services within the Trust, which currently includes breakfast, morning break, lunch, all hospitality and free issue requirements and any community user requirements. Free School Meals and hospitality will be charged based on consumption and at net food cost. The Trust expects the successful Supplier to enable the continued development of catering through the provision of an innovative, healthy food service, with fresh, seasonal, locally sourced ingredients being prepared on-site. The Trust expects the successful Supplier to evidence, through their bid, how they shall support and complement its values. The Trust are continually seeking ways to improve and develop the ethos and environment for students and staff, to give them the facilities they deserve and need to meet the challenges of the 21st Century; any consideration regarding inward capital investment as part of the supplier’s (Suppliers’) tender submission would be welcomed. The Trust would wish for the supplier(s) to look at making investments that are tailored to our individual schools’ needs; for example, investments to introduce throughput improvements and provide for satellite hubs in our larger secondary schools in the North. There are currently 8 schools within the multi-academy trust (II.1.4)) Short description). We are a growing Trust and require the flexibility to increase our catering requirements should the number of academy schools grows. Our school year is based on a calendar of 195 days of which five days are to be used for staff professional development which means that our schools are open to receive students for the legal minimum of 190 days. All our schools are open to community users throughout the year during evenings, weekend and during school holidays. The successful supplier(s) will be required to provide catering services to meet the needs of all customers/users of the school facilities. The eight (8) schools in the Trust are geographically located in the North and the South of England and the ITT will be structured in two (2) lots. It is not mandatory for suppliers to bid for both lots. Suppliers are encouraged to bid for all schools in the relevant lot. Some existing catering staff are members of the local government pension scheme and the Trust expects the successful supplier to have experience of and capability to continue this pension in respect of those existing staff that transfer to the supplier(s). The contract being tendered is for an initial 3 years in duration from August 2019 to August 2022 with the option for the Trust to extend for a further year and a further final year (3 + 1 + 1). The Trust will measure the overall value for money of the suppliers’ responses but the Trust is not obliged to accept the lowest price. The Trust is not obliged to award and may choose not to award for any specific school or schools. The Trust may choose to award to more than one supplier for each lot. Bidders are required to provide a price for each school independent of other schools and bidders are encouraged to provide a total price for all schools in a Lot. Further information is provided in the SQ and tender documentation.