Newbury Academy Trust - Tender for Catering Services

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

- Trinity School,

- Fir Tree School,

- Speenhamland Primary School.

Newbury Academy Trust is a three school MAT, comprising of 1 secondary school and 2 primary schools. All three schools are located in the West Berkshire town of Newbury, approximately 2 miles apart. Our mission is to provide excellent education for all and dramatically improve the lives of our children and young people by providing high-quality education and experiences.

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 students, staff and guests, 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 Supplier to review the current range of services offered and make recommendations accordingly.

As a multi-site tender, the successful Supplier is expected to bring continuity of high standards and economies of scale to the contract across the Trust.

The contract being tendered is for three years in duration from 6.4.2019 to 31.3.2022 for Trinity School and Fir Tree Primary School and from 1.8.2019 to 31.3.2022 for Speenhamland Primary School, with the option to extend for a further 2 years with agreement from the Trust.

This contract 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. 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 school catering services, which currently includes morning break (at the secondary school), lunch, all hospitality and free issue requirements. Free School Meals will be charged based on consumption and hospitality will be charged at net food cost.

Whilst the Trust prioritises value for money as a key objective of the competitive tender process, the Board of Trustees 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 on-site. The Trust expected the successful Supplier to evidence, through its bid, how it shall support and complement the Trust's values.

(Further information is provided in the SQ Documentation.)

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: http://www.litmuspartnership.co.uk/project/newbury_academy_trust__catering_services

The closing date for receipt of the Selection Questionnaire is 26.10.2018 (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.