Schools Group Catering Provision

Tender description

Norfolk County Council is seeking to gauge the interest of experienced catering providers in relation to a school meals catering service for maintained schools in Norfolk. Due to a significant proportion of smaller primary schools in Norfolk, many of which lack cooking facilities of their own, the Council has facilitated a group catering arrangement to ensure that provision is available to all maintained schools, irrespective of size and available facilities. There are approximately 100 schools across Norfolk receiving provision through current arrangements, worth in the region of £5m p/a. Governing bodies of maintained schools are free to choose whether they opt in, with schools signing a Service Level Agreement to access provision. Lot 1: Norfolk County Council is seeking to gauge the interest of experienced catering providers in relation to a school meals catering service for maintained schools in Norfolk. Due to a significant proportion of smaller primary schools in Norfolk, many of which lack cooking facilities of their own, the Council has facilitated a group catering arrangement to ensure that provision is available to all maintained schools, irrespective of size and available facilities. There are approximately 100 schools across Norfolk receiving provision through current arrangements, worth in the region of £5m pa.Governing bodies of maintained schools are free to choose whether they opt in, with schools signing a Service Level Agreement to access provision. There are 177 maintained schools in Norfolk, so with the right offer and the right engagement, you might expect an increase in business. Commissioning options are still being considered, so there is scope for this to be offered county-wide, or split into lots for delivery within different geographical areas of Norfolk. The current agreement ceases on 31 March 2024 and therefore a new contract period would begin on 1st April 2024. We wish to engage the market from the week commencing 29th May 2023 onwards, gauging interest and inviting feedback from potential providers. To arrange a Teams meeting please contact Jenny Cuthbert, Commissioning and Service Development Manager: jenny.cuthbert@norfolk.gov.uk.