Staploe Education Trust - Catering Services

The successful tenderer will be required to provide catering services to the Staploe Education Trust.

Staploe Education Trust is a multi-academy trust based in Soham, East Cambridgeshire, which was formed in 2012. The Trust has the following academies: Soham Village College, Kennett Primary School and The Shade Primary School.

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 growing student roll, with a focus on exciting new food concepts to satisfy a wide range of pupil tastes and dietary requirements. We currently have 1569 students on roll and 260 teaching and support staff across the Trust. Our roll at The Shade will grow over the coming years until reaching its full capacity of 420 students (it currently has 122 students across R, Y1 & Y2). The Trust would wish the successful contractor to review the current range of services offered and make recommendations accordingly.

The contract being tendered is for a minimum of three years in duration from 24 March 2016 to the end of the spring term in 2019 and will operate as a Guaranteed Performance Contract, with the successful Contractor offering the School a guaranteed return / cost per annum for the provision of catering services. Sovereignty of the cash tariff is to remain with the Staploe Education Trust for the duration of this contract.

The School year is based on a calendar of 195 days. Five days are to be used for staff professional development which means that School 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 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 School 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 (2014/15) is £335,587 (see PQQ document for breakdown).

Please be advised that this contract will be let on a 3 + 2 years basis.

Additional information: Staploe Education Trust 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 across the Trust’s three sites. The Trust expects the successful tenderer to evidence, through their bid, how they shall support and complement its values and support the principles of Every Child Matters.

As a school who are continually seeking ways to improve and develop the ethos and environment for students and staff, to give them the facilities they deserve and need to meet the challenges of the 21st Century, any consideration regarding inward capital investment as part of the Contractor’s tender submission would be welcomed. The School would wish for the Contractor to look at making this investment both within and outside the existing dining areas.

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/staploe_education_trust

The closing date for receipt of the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire is 27.11.2015 (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.