School catering services

Tender description

Thomas Tallis School invites tenders for the full supply of catering services to The Royal Borough of Greenwich Schools via a single-supplier framework agreement, based upon the terms and conditions contained in this tender specification. The framework agreement allows potentially all Local Education Authority (LEA) schools to join. Thomas Tallis School is acting a central purchasing body conducting the procurement on behalf of itself and these other schools. The schools listed in the pricing documentation are intending to award call-off contracts on the establishment of the framework. The process will award 2 separate single-supplier framework agreements, one for primary and nursery schools and the other for secondary schools’ needs. The contract will cover the full catering provision including any hospitality catering required for primary school, nursery school sites and secondary school sites. The catering service to the majority of Primary and Nursery schools within The Royal Borough of Greenwich has historically been provided in–house either directly through the Council or over the last 9 years via the Council’s own company Greenwich Service Plus GSPlus Ltd. In February 2019 as part of a review of the Company’s operations, the decision was made that GS Plus would withdraw from providing catering and cleaning services to Greenwich schools. As a consequence, a number of LEA maintained and voluntary schools have formed a partnership procurement group, around the Greenwich Community Schools Partnership (GCSP) for the direct purpose of seeking a new provider for all catering services that are currently provided to their schools. The partnership is actively seeking to build on their existing successful meal service and form collaborative links with other schools to enhance the school dining experience, via offering a framework agreement. The GCSP are in the process of setting up a Community Interest Company to run the framework. It is the Schools expectation that the new contractor shall provide a range of nutritious, good quality, wholesome food which is attractively presented. In addition, all meals must comply with the current held food for life served here standards with Silver being the minimum standard level as well as complying with the mandatory Government School Food Standards 2014 (as amended). Some schools will require gold food for life served here standard and both prices need to be submitted and each individual school will select which standard they require. Menus should offer variety, reflect growth in healthy eating habits and trends and form a basis for meals that are popular as well as comply with the new pending Ofsted inspection framework for school catering. The contract will be let as a framework agreement so that other Local Education Authority schools within the Borough can choose to opt into the framework at any given point within the 4-year framework contract period. The framework allows for the call-down Contract to be 5 years plus 2, however a limitation has been put in place so that all call-down contracts will have an end date that is co-terminus which will be 5 years plus 2 from the date the first schools call-down from the contract. The framework terms and conditions of contract that have been published alongside this notice in the Invitation to tender (ITT) pack are subject to change before the ITT stage of this process commences. The evaluation criteria will be based on the Most economically advantageous tender (MEAT) The catering service to the Schools named within this lot 2 have historically been provided in–house either directly through the council or over the last 9 years via the Council’s own company GSPlus Ltd. In February 2019 as part of a review of the Company’s operations, the decision was made that GS Plus would withdraw from providing catering and cleaning services to Greenwich schools. As a consequence, a number of LEA maintained, and voluntary schools have formed a partnership procurement group, around the Greenwich Community Schools Partnership (GCSP) for the direct purpose of seeking a new provider for all catering services that are currently provided to their schools. The partnership is actively seeking to build on their existing successful meal service and form collaborative links with other schools to enhance the school dining experience, via offering a framework agreement. The GCSP are in the process of setting up a Community Interest Company to run the framework. It is the partnership’s expectation that the new contractor shall provide a range of nutritious, good quality, wholesome food that is attractively presented and compliant as a minimum with the mandatory Government School Food Standards 2014 (as amended). Menus should offer variety, reflect growth in healthy eating habits/trends and form a basis for meals that are nutritious and popular as well as comply with the new pending Ofsted inspection framework for school catering. The contract will be let as a framework agreement so that other Local Education Authority schools within the Borough can choose to opt into the framework at any given point within the 4-year framework contract period. The framework allows for the call-down contract to be 5 years plus 2, however a limitation has been put in place so that all call-down contracts will have an end date that is co-terminus which will be 5 years plus 2 from the date the first schools call-down from the contract. The framework terms and conditions of contract that have been published alongside this notice in the Invitation to tender (ITT) pack are subject to change before the ITT stage of this process commences. The evaluation criteria will be based on the Most economically advantageous tender (MEAT).