Provision of inpatient meals (cook/chill/frozen service)

Tender description

Under section 32 (c) of the Public Contract Regulations 2015, the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) has awarded a contract to Country Kitchen Foods for the provision of cook/chill meals for its inpatient units across Norfolk and Suffolk. This contract award, without call for competition, is being awarded following the short notice cessation of service from the previous service provider. The award is being made for reasons of extreme urgency brought about by events unforeseeable by the contracting authority , the time limits for the open or restricted procedures or competitive procedures with negotiation cannot be complied with. This contract award is being made for an initial 12 month period, to enable the Trust to made suitable alterations to delivery requirements to facilitate a procurement process at a later date. Lot 1: This contract is for the provision of cook/chill/frozen meals to patients currently within the care of NSFT, delivered daily to each of the Trust's inpatient units. Food is reheated for patient consumption using a regeneration oven for up to two meals per patient, per day. Following the previous service provider falling into administration, the Trust has secured a one year contract with Country Kitchen Foods to ensure continuity of patient meals and catering services. The circumstances invoked to justify extreme urgency were not, in any event, attributable to the contracting authority.