Cluster of Three Secondary Schools Catering Tender Tower Hamlets

Three secondary schools in Tower Hamlets are tendering their catering services as a cluster with a 1st August 2023 contract start date and the first day of service being 1st September 2023. Whilst bidding as a cluster, each school reserves the right to awards its own preferred contractor.They are Bow School, Central Foundation Girls’ School and Morpeth School. Their combined student roll is 4,369 and combined sales turnover is £850,000 per annum. Many of the catering teams have LGPS pensions, some have NEST. Full performance details for each school are in the SQ and ITT documents. This will be a second generation tender and each school is looking for a partner to drive positive change on site whilst working closely with the premises team; aligning with the school’s values.The Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Mr Lutfur Rahman, may be launching a programme to fund school meals from September 20232 for every KS3&4 student in Tower Hamlets. This will fundamentally change the dynamic of each school and this project, if launched, will commence in the middle of the ITT process. There are Conditions of Grant attached to the funding and these will be built into the ITT specification. As they are not yet confirmed the draft ITT may change significantly during the process. This may also increase the contract turnover by 33% each year.The Schools are all driving academic performance and ensure their students are fully prepared for the academic and commercial world after school. The three business managers are developing the catering services to reflect their own high aspirations and those of the Headteacher and SLT; the schools are tendering their catering services to deliver the very best service for every student at the school with great food every day.The three schools all have a substantial downturn in sales each year during Ramadan and Halal food is an absolute requirement. The ability to gain ABD status is also an absolute requirement. The contract start date is 1st August 2023 and the process will be an accelerated, restricted tender. This allows for the successful bidder to manage the services towards the summer recess and start the new academic year successfully. The contract will be for an initial three-year period. There is an option for both parties to extend the contract for a further two years subject to client satisfaction and agreement on budgets and service levels. This contract will reward maximising productivity through pro-active management and consistently high levels of service quality and tangible contract support. The schools and CCL expect the successful Contractor to guarantee their financial proposal within reason and deliver excellent standards.