Westfield Academy ~ Catering Tender

The successful Supplier will be required to provide Catering services for Westfield Academy. We are proud of our school and consider ourselves to be at the heart of the community of the town of Yeovil and surrounding villages. Our motto is “Seeing the qualities in every child”, with our aim being to ensure all of our students become successful lifelong learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens. All students are members of a tutor group and one of four houses (Aqua, Ignis, Terra and Ventus), which form the basis of inter-house activities and fundraising events. Our dedicated pastoral team ensure children are well supported and cared for. Each year group have their own Head of Year supporting them throughout their time at Westfield. Students are encouraged to make the most of a very wide range of extracurricular opportunities, including The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. Performing Arts are a real strength of Westfield. Many students take advantage of a wide range of specialist music tuition together with our choir, orchestra, string group and contemporary music groups. Students have the opportunity to perform in three concerts each year. Drama and Dance opportunities include an annual school play and further Performing Arts shows all hosted in our theatre. There is a well-regarded, dynamic Food Technology department at Westfield Academy and contractor suggestions on how they could further support and enhance this student activity would be welcomed. The contract covers the scope for the provision of all catering services within the Academy, including hospitality and free issue requirements. The duration of the contract offered is three years commencing on 1 August 2024, concluding on 31 July 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 £2.60, with Free School Meals provided for circa 260 of the total 1060 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. The kitchen enjoyed significant investment 10-years ago, therefore some further investment may be required. 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. The School is keen that the successful contractor has a strong focus on the provision of full nutritionally balanced meals, rather than ‘Grab & Go’ snacks. Sustainability is a key area of focus at Westfield Academy and specific plans for the reduction of single use plastics and use of biodegradable packaging would be of great interest. 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. See SQ document for more information. Additional information: Please note this is a Contract Award Notice. This contract has now been awarded.