School catering services

Description

The successful supplier will be required to provide catering services across all seven of the (SAET) Severn Academies Educational Trust schools. The geographical area of the schools is within a 5-10 mile radius of Kidderminster. The Trust comprises of two secondary/sixth form schools and 5 primary schools. Current student roll numbers are: • primary KS1-KS2: 1 072 students • secondary Y7-Y11: 1 780 students • 6th form: 208 students. The catering service provisions at all seven schools have not been market tested in recent years and to ensure Best Value principles are applied SAET have made a decision to tender the catering services. The Trust has steadily expanded over the past 3 years and one of the objectives of market testing is to ensure that both the individual schools and the Trust benefit from economy of scale from appointing a single contractor to manage the catering service provision across the Trust. Not all the schools have their own kitchen facilities and it is expected that the successful supplier will have the experience and ability to offer a delivered lunchtime service to these schools. Estimated annual turnover value based on the current uptake is circa GBP 640 000 per annum including Universal Free School Meals, Free School Meals and cash sales. Current uptake levels vary across all sites and the Trust firmly believe that with improved choice and quality there is a real opportunity to increase levels of uptake. For the avoidance of doubt TUPE Regulations including pension rights will apply to this contract where applicable. The successful supplier will be expected to deliver a concise and detailed method of management reporting at the end of each month, thus updating the client on contract performance. It is imperative that an open book policy is offered to ensure that each school has total clarity on financial performance. The Trust is seeking both innovation and the application of current food trends within the tender submissions and would expect as a result of this to be able to identify ‘Best Value’ and work in partnership with the chosen supplier going forward. SAET’s vision is to create a family of outstanding schools with clear purpose, direction and ethos. All schools being part of the Trust provides a strong base on which all schools work closely together, to enable very best practice to be shared giving all Students in the Trust the very best of opportunities. Based on these principles the Trust has set eight key objectives which should be focused upon throughout the tender process. They are: • all students enjoy a healthy, well balanced meal at lunch times ensuring meals fully comply with school meal nutritional standards • the service provision must be based on best value principles • wherever possible cost savings are to be made during the contract term • to maximise the use of fresh food produce and minimise the use of convenience food products • to fully understand the individual needs of each school, its students and staff • the Trust is looking for the successful Supplier to offer inward investment within their financial offer to the schools that require investment to improve the dining experience for the students • provide an appetising range of food on a daily basis for the students to choose from across all age groups • the successful Supplier must fully understand and implement safeguarding principles whilst carrying out the service provision in line with the Trust’s safeguarding policy and procedures. Specific objectives from each school will be included within the tender specification to ensure their individual needs are fully understood and catered for. The contract term will be for an initial period of three years and will commence on 1 August 2020. A further two-year extension will be considered by the Trust depending on service deliverability of the successful Supplier during the initial term. As the Trust expands in the future there will be potential for the successful supplier to take on additional schools within the initial contract term as part of the ongoing requirement and growth of the Trust. The basis of the contract will be fixed price during the contract term and if any improvements to financial surpluses are generated then the supplier shall share these on an agreed percentage return. Free School Meals uptake and any ad hoc catering requirements will be invoiced on a monthly basis and detailed backup will be part of the accounting system. Please note: This contract is being advertised as a single lot.