The Prospect Trust - Tender for Catering Services

The Prospect Trust is a Multi-Academy Trust that currently operates 2 academies: The Sixth Form College Farnborough and Tomlinscote School in Frimley, but with plans to extend this to additional academies in the near future.

The Sixth Form College Farnborough is a highly successful college with approximately 4 000 students on the roll. Tomlinscote School is also a large and highly successful school with approximately 1 500 students.

The tender project is seeking to appoint a supplier where initiative and innovation will be welcomed for the provision of both the services within the existing facilities for the students on roll and the associated 450 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 want 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 1.8.2020 to 31.7.2023 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. Sovereignty of the cash tariff is to remain with the Trust for the duration of this contract.

The academic year is based on a calendar of 195 days but because of the nature of the studies at both sites, i.e. early departure for Year 11 and Year 13 to undertake their exams, the full cohort of students would be in for only approximately 170 days.

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

Whilst the Trust prioritises value for money as a key objective of the competitive tender process, the Trust is not obliged to accept the lowest price.

The Trust expects the successful supplier to enable the continued development of catering through the provision of an innovative, healthy food service, with fresh, seasonal, locally sourced ingredients being prepared onsite. The Trust expects the successful supplier to evidence, through their bid, how they shall support and complement its values.

The Trust believes that success should be celebrated and that students should enjoy their time in education; if lessons are stimulating and challenging then students will love learning. Much time therefore, is spent reviewing and planning schemes of work to ensure that they are differentiated to meet the needs of all students. As a result, the Trust is very enthusiastic to understand what 'added value' the supplier can bring to the students' curriculum.

Further information is provided in the SQ Document.

Additional information: Interest in the selection process should be expressed via email only to [email protected] 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: https://litmuspartnership.co.uk/sq/prospect/

The closing date for receipt of the Selection Questionnaire is 25.10.2019 (12:00). Suppliers are required to ensure that documents are obtained and returned to The Litmus Partnership Limited, by email to [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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.