Beaumont School and Verulam School - Tender for Catering Services

Beaumont School is an 11-18 mixed, community school with Academy status located on the east side of St Albans in Hertfordshire with specialisms in Languages, Mathematics and Computing. The school was rated Outstanding by Ofsted in March 2014.

The school currently employs 150 teaching and support staff and has 1 325 students on roll, which includes 371 students in the Sixth Form. As the school yearly intake increased to 7 Form Entry from September 2018, student numbers will continue to increase each year by approximately 30 students for the next few years.

Verulam School is an 11-18 boys' only school which takes girls in the Sixth Form with Academy status. The school was rated Good by Ofsted in October 2018.

The school currently employs 125 teaching and support staff and has 1095 students on roll (expected to rise to 1142 next year), which includes 225 students in the Sixth Form (expected to rise to 252 next year).

The tender project is seeking to appoint a supplier/suppliers whose initiative and innovation will be welcomed for the provision of service with a focus on exciting new food concepts to satisfy a wide range of pupil tastes and dietary requirements. The clients will wish the successful suppliers to review the current range of services offered and make recommendations accordingly.

The existing kitchen and servery facilities at Verulam School need updating and the school has applied for CIF funding for this project. The outcome of the CIF bid will be known in April 2019. The successful catering contractor will be required to contribute to an investment in the new facilities.

The contracts being tendered is for 3 years in duration from 1.8.2019 to 31.7.2022; please note this will be on a 3 + 2 years basis. Verulam School is one of three schools within the AAT Trust where there may be the opportunity of all 3 schools in the Trust tendering their catering contracts together in 2022. This is a growing Trust where there are very likely to be further schools under the AAT by this time.

The contract will operate as a guaranteed performance contract, with the successful Suppliers offering the Clients a guaranteed return/cost per annum for the provision of catering services. There is also a requirement to offer a profit share agreement for any financial performance betterment to budget. Sovereignty of the cash tariff is to remain with the Clients for the duration of this contract.

The academic year is based on a calendar of 195 days. A number of days are to be used for staff professional development which means that the school will be open to receive students for a minimum of 189 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 will be charged at a margin based on consumption and hospitality will be charged at net food cost.

Further information is provided in the SQ Document.

Additional information: Interest in the selection process should be expressed via email only to pqq@litmuspartnership.co.uk clearly stating within this email which contract / notice you are referring to. Please also provide, as a minimum, a contact name, full company postal address and telephone number.

The Selection Questionnaire and associated documents can be obtained at: http://www.litmuspartnership.co.uk/project/beaumont_school_and_verulam_school

The closing date for receipt of the Selection Questionnaire is 25.1.2019 (12:00). Suppliers are required to ensure that documents are obtained and returned to The Litmus Partnership Limited, by email to pqq@litmuspartnership.co.uk by the above closing date and time.

Documents in respect of economic / financial standing (where indicated in the Selection Questionnaire) shall be returned to The Litmus Partnership Limited, by email to pqq@litmuspartnership.co.uk by the above closing date and time.

It will be the Supplier's responsibility to obtain any necessary documents in order to submit a response by the closing date and time.

The contracting authority reserves the right not to award any or part of the contract which is the subject of this Contract Notice and reserves the right to terminate the procurement process at any time.

The contracting authority will not be liable for any costs incurred by those expressing an interest in tendering for this contract opportunity.

The contracting authority will consider variant bids, evaluating them (so far as the variant or the evaluation of the variant is in the opinion of the contracting authority practicable) on the same basis as a conforming bid, but shall not be obliged to accept any such bid in preference to a conforming bid even if the variant bid scores more highly. No variant will be considered unless the bidder simultaneously submits a conforming bid.