St Mary's School and College ~ Tender for Catering Services.

Founded in 1922, St. Mary's has become a centre of excellence for the provision of education and life skills development for children with severe and complex Speech, Language and Communication disabilities.

St Mary's takes day and residential children from age 7 through to 19 plus. Students attend the 6th form College from the age of 16.

The School provides excellent facilities and specialist staff including experienced Teachers, Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, an Audiologist, Educational Psychologist, Psychology Assistants, Teaching and Therapy Assistants and Care staff.

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 22 day students and 36 residential students on roll and the 240 staff on site, support staff, all of whom have a focus on the introduction of exciting new food concepts to satisfy a wide range of tastes and dietary requirements. Additionally all day pupils are offered an enrichment evening when they stay for tea and 7 pupils extend this further and stay overnight 1 night a week. The School would wish the successful contractor to review the current range of services offered and make recommendations accordingly.

The contract being tendered is for 3 years in duration from 1.9.2017 until 31.7.2020, with an option to further extend during the contract term and will operate as a Guaranteed Performance Contract, with the successful Contractor offering the School a guaranteed cost per annum for the provision of catering services. Sovereignty of the cash tariff is to remain with St Mary's School for the duration of this contract.

The School year is based on a calendar of 39 weeks of which 5 days are to be used for staff professional development. The School are open to residential pupils every other weekend, but this is only taken up by 4 pupils at the moment, over 3 houses.

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

The School provide meals free of charge for staff who eat with the children at lunch time which amounts to approximately 20 meals per day. The School also provide meals for all residential staff on shift for evening meal and breakfast and approximately this amounts to 23 staff for breakfast (toast) and 29 staff for evening meal.

The forecast for the current year cost of catering, from August 2016 - July 2017 is approximately 272 500 GBP ~ although it is anticipated that this cost will reduce in line with the reduction in breakfast and dinner services to be provided.

Further information is provided in the procurement documents.

Note: this tender has been discontinued

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://www.litmuspartnership.co.uk/project/st_marys_school_and_college__catering_services

The closing date for receipt of the Selection Questionnaire is 5.5.2017 (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.

Note: this tender has been discontinued