Saint John Wall Catholic School ~ Catering Tender

The successful supplier will be required to provide catering services at St John Wall Catholic School

Saint John Wall Catholic School is an oversubscribed 11‐16 school with a diverse population, serving the community of Northwest Birmingham. Over 60% of our pupils are eligible for Free School Meals, and over 60% of pupils speak English as an Additional Language.

The value of the contract is approximately £185,000 per annum and there are approximately 612 pupils on roll with 114 staff.

The school's Progress 8 score is well above national. In June 2023, Ofsted judged the school Good with outstanding behaviour and attitudes and outstanding leadership and management. Ofsted reported that 'Pupils blossom in this unique and caring school. Everyone is welcome and staff and pupils care for and look out for each other. Classrooms are places where teachers teach, and pupils learn’

There are two hot counters within the main dining room and there is an outdoor hut which serves hot food. There is also a window serving hatch from the kitchen to outside that is used mainly as a cold food offer. As well as a lunch offer, the school also provides a breakfast club consisting of bagels and there is also a mid- morning break food offer.

The duration of the contract being offered is three years commencing on 1st January 2026 and concluding on 31st December 2028. The contract will be on a guaranteed performance basis offering a fixed annual return and or subsidy. There will be the option to extend the contract for a further term of two years.

It is expected that the successful contractor will have experience in the requirements of the Healthy Eating in Schools (Nutritional Standards & Requirements) and be able to offer innovation and forward thinking during this contract term.

The tender project is seeking to appoint a Contractor whose initiative and innovation will be welcomed for the provision of all catering services within the school.

The high-quality service levels proposed, should maintain excellent standards throughout, resulting in a new food service offer with consistent high standards of food operations within the school. Regular customer and parental engagement will be required to ensure this is the case moving into the contract term.

These new standards of operation should meet the needs of the pupils’ moving forwards into this contract term. The current range of foods needs to be expanded along with the service provision. It is one of the objectives of this tender that the successful contractor will utilise the local supply chain and farming” belt” in the West Midlands to source all fresh produce, namely being:

Bakery Products

Meat

Fruit and Vegetables

Dairy Products

As you can appreciate, working with the local community is something that the school strives to do at all times and to this end we would like to ensure that all your fresh produce is sourced from local suppliers (within a 30-mile radius of the School)

St John Wall also seeks to ensure that the catering operation will have the following objectives from January 2026.

1.The provision of a healthy balanced menu including daily fresh vegetables and fruit that meets nutritional guidelines.

2.Suitable portion sizes for each age group.

3.A focus on food waste, in line with new government guidelines.

4.A series of added value days organised and run throughout the year, including support for key curriculum dates.

5.The successful contractor’s management team show a real interest in the school and its students moving into this contract term.

6.Engagement with parents and pupils through newsletters, attendance at parent’s evenings and other methods.

7.Clear and transparent accounting.

The successful contractor is expected to maximise the use of all catering facilities through the adoption and employment of effective marketing policies and techniques. It will be the responsibility of the Contractor to develop specific marketing proposals to encourage a healthy approach to eating.

In addition, the successful contractor will be expected to put forwards both innovation and their proposals for making this contract more environmentally sensitive and carbon neutral moving into this contract term both by way of contract delivery, and within the successful contractor’s organisation, thus working to support the school’s environmental policies. Your approach to sustainability should mirror that of both schools.

The terms and conditions of employment and recognition offered to the catering team should be both progressive and forward thinking ensuring that the staffing establishment is complete at all times and staff turnover is kept to a minimum.

Please note that 6 companies will be taken through to the full tender stage based on the Procurement Specific Questionnaire scoring.

Please see PSQ Document for further information.

For more information about this opportunity, please visit the Delta eSourcing portal at:

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