Esher College — Tender for Catering Services.

The successful tenderer will be required to provide catering services at Esher College.

Situated in NE Surrey, Esher College is an oversubscribed, open access sixth form College. The College is rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted and has an impressive track record in delivering high levels of student achievement.

The tender project is seeking to appoint a Contractor whose initiative and innovation will be welcomed for the provision of service within the existing facilities for the 1874 students on roll and 155 teaching and support staff, with a focus on exciting new food concepts to satisfy a wide range of student tastes and dietary requirements. The College would wish the successful contractor to review the current range of services offered and make recommendations accordingly.

The contract being tendered is for three years in duration from 1.4.2017 to 31.3.2020 and will operate as a Guaranteed Performance Contract, with the successful Contractor offering the College a guaranteed return / cost per annum for the provision of catering services. Sovereignty of the cash tariff is to remain with Esher College for the duration of this contract.

The College year is based on a calendar of 195 days. Five days are to be used for staff professional development which means that College will be open to receive students for approximately 190 days.

The contract offered covers the scope for the provision of all catering services within the College, which currently includes breakfast, morning break, lunch, all hospitality and free issue requirements. Free School meals and hospitality will be charged based on consumption and at net food cost.

Whilst the College prioritises value for money as a key objective of the Competitive Tender Process, the Governing body is not obliged to accept the lowest price.

The value of the current contract (GBP) is:

2014 / 15:

Cash sales: 323622

Free School Meals: 4389

Hospitality: 20859

Total: 348870

2015 / 16:

Cash sales: 331239

Free School Meals: 6458

Hospitality: 15863

Total: 353560

(Note that these sales values are based on 2015/16 lower student numbers of 1780)

Esher College expects the successful contractor to enable the continued development of catering through the provision of an innovative, healthy food service, with fresh, seasonal, locally sourced ingredients being prepared on-site. The College expects the successful tenderer to evidence, through their bid, how they shall support and complement our values.

Please be advised that this contract will be let on a 3 + 3 years basis.

(Further information is available within the PQQ Documentation.)

Additional information: Interest in the pre-qualification 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 pre-qualification questionnaire and associated documents can be obtained at: http://www.litmuspartnership.co.uk/project/esher_college_catering_services

The closing date for receipt of the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire is 25.11.2016 (12:00). Tenderers 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 Pre-Qualification 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 Tenderer'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 OJEU 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.