Shirebrook Academy and Stubbin Wood School - Tender for Catering Services.

The successful tenderer will be required to provide catering services at Shirebrook Academy and Stubbin Wood School.

Stubbin Wood School Primary and Secondary departments are on a co-located site with Shirebrook Academy. Stubbin Wood is an Area Special School for both boys and girls from 2 -19 years of age.

The Schools currently share the catering facilities, with the meals for Stubbin Wood School Primary pupils being prepared in the main facility in Shirebrook Academy and transported via a short, interconnecting corridor, to the dining area within Stubbin Wood School where it is served 'family service' style. Stubbin Wood School Secondary and 6th Form pupils attend the first sitting in the main dining area within Shirebrook Academy, where they gain valuable life skills in the self-serve facility.

The tender project is seeking to appoint a Contractor whose initiative and innovation will be welcomed for the provision of services within the existing facilities for the 792 students on roll at Shirebrook Academy and the 180 teaching and support staff, and the current 120 students on roll at Stubbin Wood School and the 65 teaching and support staff, with a focus on exciting new food concepts to satisfy a wide range of pupil tastes and dietary requirements. The Schools 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 April 2017 and will operate as a Guaranteed Performance Contract, with the successful Contractor offering the Schools a guaranteed cost per annum for the provision of catering services. Sovereignty of the meal tariff is to remain with the Schools for the duration of this contract.

Each School year is based on a calendar of 195 days. Five days are to be used for staff professional development which means that Schools will be open to receive students for the legal minimum of 190 days.

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

Whilst the Schools prioritise value for money as a key objective of the competitive tender process, the Governing Body is not obliged to accept the lowest price.

(Further information is available in 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/shirebrook_academy_and_stubbin_wood_school

The closing date for receipt of the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire is 16.12.2016 (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.