Aurora Academies Trust - Tender for Catering Services

The successful Supplier will be required to provide catering services to Aurora Academies Trust at the following schools:

• Glenleigh Park Primary Academy,

• Heron Park Primary Academy,

• King Offa Primary Academy,

• Oakwood Primary Academy.

Aurora Academies Trust currently operates 6 schools across East Sussex, Brighton and Hove and West Sussex. There are 4 primary schools in East Sussex, 2 in Bexhill-on-Sea and 2 in Eastbourne. There is a primary school in Brighton and Hove and an all-through school from ages 5 to 16, in Crawley.

The Trust was formed in September 2012, with the four primary schools in East Sussex. The Gatwick School, in Crawley joined the Trust in October 2016. It is a free school and is only half full at present because it grows by two year groups each year. It currently has no kitchen facilities and prepared meals are brought to the school by vehicle. It is expected that the school kitchen facilities will be available during the academic year 2019/20 and the Trust would expect this school to join the contract at that time. City Academy Whitehawk, in Brighton and Hove, joined the Trust in September 2017 and is expected to join the contract in September 2019.

Note: The Gatwick School is part of the Trust and is an 'evolving' school that currently has delivered-in meals, but is expected to ultimately become part of the managed services during the lifetime of the contract.

The Trust expects to continue to grow during the contract period within the existing geographical areas; it already has agreement to open a new free school in Horley, Surrey in close proximity to The Gatwick School, in September 2020, which would also be expected to join the contract. The Trust strategic plan is to grow the Trust in the existing regional clusters to between ten and fifteen schools.

The tender project is seeking to appoint a Supplier whose initiative and innovation will be welcomed for the provision of service within the existing facilities for the 1 600 students on roll, 220 nursery children and 250 teaching and support staff, with a focus on exciting new food concepts to satisfy a wide range of pupil tastes and dietary requirements. The Trust would wish the successful Supplier to review the current range of services offered and make recommendations accordingly.

The contract being tendered is for three years in duration from 1..12019 to 31.12.2021 and will operate as a guaranteed performance contract, with the successful Supplier offering the Trust a guaranteed return / cost per annum for the provision of catering services.

The academic year is based on a calendar of 195 days. 5 days are to be used for staff professional development which means that Trust schools will be open to receive students for the legal minimum of 190 days.

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/aurora_academies_trust

The closing date for receipt of the Selection Questionnaire is 10.8.2018 (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.