Provision of Catering Services to UCL

The three existing catering services contracts at UCL all expire at the end of July 2020 and UCL will be facilitating a tender process to source the services of an experienced and innovative Caterer or Caterers during the second part of this year.

This prior information notice is to provide potential Bidders with an outline of the size and scope of the contract, tender timeline and offer the opportunity to visit UCL and view the existing catering facilities.

Scope and Requirements

It is the intention that the full contract shall be divided into "Lots" to ensure best value and to increase competition during the tender process. The Lots will be as follows:

Lot 1 - UCL Bloomsbury Estate. Current total cash and hospitality value is approximately £5.4m per annum. The catering covers one large new refectory, an Academic Staff Room serving hot meals and snacks, eight Cafés / grab & go outlets, a small retail shop, a pizza take-away, vending services and extensive hospitality provisions. There are approximately 100 catering staff employed in the provision of the catering services.

Lot2 - UCL Satellite Estate which comprises of Institute of Education, Institute of Child Health and School of Pharmacy. Each building has a refectory and there are a further three Cafés. Vending services will form part of any new contract and there is extensive hospitality. In total there are approximately 35 catering staff employed with additional staff required for the hospitality services. The total approximate annual cash and hospitality income is £2m.

Lot 3 - Two catered Halls of Residences which serve breakfast and evening meals to approximately 350 Students in each Hall Monday to Friday and a brunch service at weekends. The approximate total annual turnover is £1.4m and approximately 30 catering staff are employed within the Residences.

Lot 4 - A combined bid for the above Lots 1, 2 and 3.

Proposed Contract Tenure

Initial five year contract term plus two single year options to extend subject to agreement between both Parties.

Proposed Tender Timeline

Pre-tender Visit to UCL and Q and A Meeting

Potential Bidders are invited to attend UCL on the 1st of May 2019 at 0900. Please meet at the Porters Lodge at the Front Quad which is located on Gower Street. Please confirm the names and titles of up to 2 Reps 4pm 26th April via our portal.

A tour of the catering facilities will allow Bidders to assess this opportunity and to then apply the necessary Company resources to the tender process. Q&A will follow.

Additional information: University College London (UCL) is not a public body within the meaning of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (the "Regulations") and is not subject to the procurement legislation. Where UCL advertises contracts in the Official Journal of the European Union, it does so on a voluntary basis and does not undertake any obligation to comply with the procurement legislation. UCL reserves its rights in full to adapt or step outside the procedures in the procurement legislation as UCL considers necessary.