Sir Robert Pattinson Academy ~ Catering Tender

The successful Supplier will be required to provide Catering services for Sir Robert Pattinson Academy. Sir Robert Pattinson Academy is an 11 – 18 comprehensive school where students are valued, happy, challenged and strive to achieve their best. The Academy provides rich learning experiences both in and outside of the classroom resulting in a great education. Our school is very special for many reasons. We have fantastic staff, who inspire and support students to succeed, and our ethos provides a calm and caring learning environment which you can feel as you walk around the Academy. We place strong emphasis on community values and believe every student is an individual. We believe it is crucial to celebrate everyone’s successes and varied talents. The Academy pupil roll is expected to increase during the term of this contract. This is the first time that the Academy has put their catering requirement to competitive tender. The contract will commence on 1 January 2024 for an initial period of three years, ending on 31 December 2026, with the opportunity to extend for a further period of two years at the discretion of the governing body. The contract covers the scope for the provision of all catering services within the Academy, including hospitality and free issue requirements. There are currently circa 1400 pupils, including 175 in Sixth form from September 2023 and currently 161 pupils are eligible for Free School Meals. There is indoor seating in the main dining area for circa 243 pupils, with an ancillary seating area of 160 for pupils having cold meals or packed lunches, as there is currently no service point. The School currently has two outside food pods with canopy covered seating for circa 240 pupils, but there is outside space to seat circa 1000 if required. The contract is offered on a ‘guaranteed performance’ basis. Currently Cash Meal Deals are at a maximum of £2.75, with Free School Meals charged on consumption at margin. Hospitality and free issues are also recharged on consumption at “net” food cost only. The client’s key budget objective is to achieve a guaranteed ‘nil cost of catering’ for the initial three-year term of the contract, with a subsequent budget negotiation with regards to any year 4 & 5 contract extension. 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 School’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 a similar style of operations in a local 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. See SQ Document for more information.