The Broxbourne School - Catering Tender

At Broxbourne School we are proud to provide an outstanding education which shapes our young people to become confident, kind, respectful and hard-working adults, able to make a full contribution to society.

In recent years the school has been completely rebuilt and all our stakeholders now benefit from state-of-the art facilities. These facilities support the exemplary teaching and learning provided by our highly qualified and experienced staff who work tirelessly to ensure all of our students enjoy the ‘Achievement and Opportunity For All’ that is our school’s mission. In June 2024 we were inspected by Ofsted, and were delighted to be graded ‘Outstanding’ in every category. We seek a catering provider that will match our high standards.

The close partnership we form with our supportive parental body is an essential ingredient of our sustained success, as are the partnerships we form with our support service providers.

Further information regarding the School can be obtained here: https://www.broxbourne.herts.sch.uk/

Tender information:

The successful tenderer will be required to provide excellent catering services to The Broxbourne School, which has 1415 pupils, of which approximately 11.2% are eligible for free school meals, and 200 teaching and support staff.

The contract term being tendered is for three years, 1st January 2027 – 31st December 2029. There is an option for a further extension period for up to two additional years to 31st December 2031.

The contract offers an excellent opportunity to review and propose enhancements to the current catering services at the School. This includes but is not limited to: breakfast, morning break, lunchtime and after-school services, over the academic year, plus hospitality services upon request.

The school is keen to secure a high-quality catering service, including fresh, healthy, locally sourced ingredients prepared on site, with a menu design that is varied and flexible to suit the requirements of the school’s specific students. The school is proud of its ‘family ethos’ and expects both a tightly managed service and a management style delivered by the successful contractor that supports, encourages and develops the catering staff.

The school requires the contractor to maintain a model health and safety culture, demonstrating a commitment to rigorous compliance and a proven ability to address any emerging concerns with immediate, proactive responses.

The school is not obliged to accept the lowest price submitted for this tender; the school is keen to secure ‘best value’ from this contract and to deliver ‘best value’ to its students. Innovative and creative ideas as to how the services can be developed and value added will be welcomed. The school seeks a contractor that is keen to work in partnership and who will deliver to its highest abilities, at all times.

Competitive Flexible Procedure

This procurement will be run under the Competitive Flexible Procedure. This will follow a two-stage approach, with stage 1 being the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ). Here, a minimum of 5 candidates (or fewer, in the event fewer than 5 meet the minimum criteria) and a maximum of 10 candidates will progress to stage 2. Any selection of tenderers will be based solely on the criteria set out for the procurement, and a minimum score of 60% must be achieved.

Selected tenderers will then be invited to stage 2, the Invitation To Tender (ITT). Here, the evaluation of tender response will be set as 35% price and 65% quality.

Value of contract:

The annual value of the current contract is £457,622 (the total sales, including FSM, in the last contract year)

Therefore, the value of this contract is approximately £2,288,110

The contract shall be a guaranteed performance contract with any hospitality requirements billed separately.

Additional requirements and information:

●The school has a minimum requirement for a contractor’s employers' liability and public liability insurance of £5 million

●The minimum annual turnover that your company must have achieved to be considered for this opportunity is £1 million

●There are incumbent catering staff currently within the Local Government Pension Scheme

●The catering services are currently contracted to Herts Catering Ltd.

●The client reserves the right not to appoint in conclusion of this project.