Walton High School ~ Catering Tender

The duration of the contract is three years commencing on 1 September 2022 and concluding on 31 August 2025, with the opportunity to extend for a further period of 2 years at the discretion of the governing body. It is anticipated that the contract will run on a nil subsidy / profit return arrangement.

Walton High School is a leading 11-18 co-educational High School situated in Stafford. There are with c.1,335 pupils on roll including 255 sixth form pupils. The catering areas include the main catering facility, a separate grab & go unit and a sixth form coffee bar. There is scope to extend these facilities further.

The school is looking to appoint an experienced caterer who:

Will deliver an innovative food offer that consistently achieves a high standard of service for the pupils and staff

Will provide a quality of management and staffing to the operations with sufficient back up resource if required in support of the on-site team

Can demonstrate the ability to increase participation and to continue to drive the service forward to improve the financial standing of the contract year on year

Will embrace an open and honest approach for financial and operational matters

Will work closely with the school to achieve joint goals

The incumbent catering staff are currently employed by a catering contractor and TUPE will apply. Note that some members of staff may have transferred previously under a Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) and as such prospective Bidders must be able to demonstrate their capability of running similar schemes as part of this contract under an Admitted Body Status.

It is appreciated that a level of investment may be identified as part of the tender process. Therefore, bidders will be encouraged to provide details of such requirements with detailed information of the equipment necessary at the ITT stage - for successful Bidders of this SQ.

It is expected that the successful Supplier will be operating similar operations within the local area thus ensuring that the Operational Management Team responsible for the contract is available for regular unplanned visits and support for the contract. Also, that coverage for any planned or unplanned leave from within the establishment staffing structure can be easily provided.

Please note that the successful supplier will pay The Litmus Partnership a consultancy fee on award of this contract, which will be to the value of £5,450.00 plus VAT. This fee will be invoiced immediately after the 10-day standstill period ends (24th June 2022). To ensure transparency, the winning supplier will clearly show this fee within the breakdown of the management fee.

The total value of the contract is estimated at £1,450,000 for the initial three-year term.