School catering services

Tender description

The successful supplier will be required to provide catering services for St Mary's CE High School. St Mary’s CE High School in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, is a secondary school for 11 to 19 year olds who benefit from a superb ‘state of the art’ building which opened in April 2010, providing excellent learning facilities for students. The tender project is seeking to appoint a supplier whose initiative and innovation will be welcomed for the provision of service within the existing facilities for the 1 244 students on roll and 168 teaching and support staff, with a focus on exciting new food concepts to satisfy a wide range of pupil tastes and dietary requirements. The client would wish the successful Supplier to review the current range of services offered and make recommendations accordingly. The contract being tendered is for three years in duration from 1 September 2020 to 31 August 2023 with the option to extend for a maximum of a further 2 years at the discretion of the client. This contract will operate as a guaranteed performance contract, with the successful supplier offering the client a guaranteed return/cost per annum for the provision of catering services. Sovereignty of the cash tariff is to remain with the client for the duration of this contract. The academic year is based on a calendar of approximately 194 days. Five days are to be used for staff professional development and the School will be open to receive students for approximately 188 days. The contract offered covers the scope for the provision of all school catering services, which currently includes morning break, lunch, all hospitality and free issue requirements. Free School Meals are to be charged based on consumption with a margin attached and hospitality will be charged based on consumption and at net food cost. Whilst the client prioritises value for money as a key objective of the competitive tender process, the governing body is not obliged to accept the lowest price. The value of the current in house provision is: 2018/19 year — months (e.g. Sept – Aug) Core pupil sales GBP 356 441 Adult staff sales GBP 10 092 Free school meals sales GBP 46 093 Hospitality sales GBP 9 598 Total sales GBP 422 224 Therefore the value of this contract is GBP 2 111 120. The number of students increased by 40 from 1 204 in 2018/19 to 1 244 in 2019/20. St Mary’s CE High School 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 client expects the successful supplier to evidence, through their bid, how they shall support and complement its values and support the principles of every child matters. As a school who 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 tender submission would be welcomed. Please be advised that: • this contract will be let on a 3 + 2 years basis; • there are currently 9 staff employed to deliver the catering service; • there are currently 8 catering staff in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS); • the catering service is currently run in-house; • the client has a minimum requirement for a supplier’s employers liability/ public liability and professional indemnity insurance of GBP 5 million; • the minimum annual turnover that your organisation must have achieved to be considered for this opportunity is GBP 1 million.