Wheelers Lane Technology College ~ Catering Tender

The successful Supplier will be required to provide Catering services for Wheelers Lane Technology College.

The successful Supplier will be required to provide Catering services for Wheelers Lane Technology College.

The contract covers the scope for the provision of all catering services within the College, including hospitality and free issue requirements.

The duration of the contract offered is three years commencing on 1 April 2024, concluding on 31 March 2027, with the opportunity to extend by up to an additional two years at the discretion of the governing body.

The contract is offered on a ‘guaranteed performance’ basis. Cash Meal Deals are to be at a maximum of £2.40, (currently under review by Governors) with Free School Meals provided for 202 of the total 674 pupils charged on consumption with margin applied. Free School Meal eligible pupils must be able to choose ANY meal deal provided to other pupils, using their daily allowance. Hospitality and free issues are recharged on consumption at “net” food cost only.

It is appreciated that a level of investment may be identified as a requirement of your bid, and therefore bidders are encouraged to provide detailed information of any equipment felt necessary. Bidders must provide the equipment make, model and cost and a justification of how this equipment will assist in fulfilling the proposal and potential of the service. All investment suggested must be fully justified within the Service Development and Finance sections of your Bidder Response. The level of investment provided will be at the Academy’s discretion, subject to the method of obtaining the investment for the required equipment.

The quality of food provision will be critical and indeed your organisation must be flexible enough to source bakery, meat, fruit and vegetables and dairy products through local suppliers based no more than 25 miles from the School. It is expected that menus will feature and utilise products in season.

Customer engagement will be fundamental to the continuous improvement in the service provision and within your tender response your methodology to achieve this will be detailed along with examples of where this has recently been undertaken within similar contracts.

The successful contractor should have experience of similar operations in a Secondary School environment and ensure that the Operational Management Team responsible for the contract is available for regular visits and support for the contract. Suitable coverage is required for any planned or unplanned leave from within the establishment staffing structure.

A Cunninghams biometric cashless system is already in operation, there are three tills in the main School dining area, one in the external pod. There are no operational cash loaders with 100% of transactions being facilitated via ParentMail.

There are ample Plasma screens to support dynamic promotional activities.

The successful Supplier will work closely with the Client to manage the provision of catering and the overall ‘meal experience. The value of the catering contract from April 2022 to March 2023 was £205,459.