UK-St Albans: School catering services.

Section I: Contracting Authority

I.1) Name, Addresses and Contact Point(s):
Alban Academies Trust
The Ridgeway, St Albans, AL4 9NX, United Kingdom
Tel. +44 1276673880, Email: tenders@litmuspartnership.co.uk
Main Address: https://albanacademiestrust.org.uk/
NUTS Code: UKH23

I.2) Joint procurement:
The contract involves joint procurement: No
In the case of joint procurement involving different countries, state applicable national procurement law: Not Provided
The contract is awarded by a central purchasing body: No

I.4)Type of the contracting authority:
Body governed by public law

I.5) Main activity:
Education

Section II: Object Of The Contract

II.1) Scope of the procurement

II.1.1) Title: Alban Academies Trust ~ Catering Tender
Reference number: Not Provided

II.1.2) Main CPV code:
55524000 - School catering services.


II.1.3) Type of contract: SERVICES

II.1.4) Short description: The successful Supplier will be required to provide catering services for the Alban Academies Trust.

II.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No

II.1.7) Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT)
Value: 1,750,340

Currency:GBP

II.2) Description

II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s):
Not Provided

II.2.3) Place of performance
Nuts code:
UKH23 - Hertfordshire

Main site or place of performance:
Hertfordshire


II.2.4) Description of the procurement: The Alban Academies Trust serves primary and secondary schools in and near St. Albans. Our mission is to build a learning community that shares and promotes educational excellence for everyone. All members of the Trust are valued and able to make a powerful contribution to the on-going progress of improvement across the AAT.

The Trust currently comprises of five schools, three secondary schools: Ridgeway Academy, Sandringham School and Verulam School and three primary schools: Garden Fields JMI School, Wheatfields Infants’ and Nursery School and Wheatfields Junior School.

This catering tender is for the catering services at 2 schools – where this is a 2 + 3 contract. It is likely that a Trust wide catering contract to encompass the other secondary schools at least, will be run for 1st August 2024 – to align with the end dates of the current contracts at the other schools.

Schools included in this tender:

Ridgeway Academy

Ridgeway Academy is an 11-18 Mixed Secondary School with Academy status and is part of the Alban Academies Trust.

The school currently employs 116 teaching and support staff and has 902 students on roll )expected to rise to 952 next year) which includes 83 students in Sixth Form (expected to rise to 100 next year)

•Please be advised that the catering service is currently contracted to Edwards and Blake
•The total catering sales per annum at this school are: 2018/19 £185,793 (pre-pandemic)
•Our current year to date sales for Sept 21 to Feb 22 are £72,848.95 (March 21 to August 2021was £58,750)

Garden Fields

Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant School is in St. Albans and currently has 578 pupils ages 4 to 11 and approximately 80 members of staff. The school is reducing its PAN from 90 to 60 in September 2022 and for subsequent years due to lower local pupil numbers. The school went through an expansion from 2015 to 2021 increasing PAN from 60 to 90 each year.

•The school is currently using Herts Catering Ltd.
•The 2019 sales were £164275

Therefore the total annual sales are £350,068

Therefore the total value of the contract (annual sales x 5) = £1,750,340

The Tender

The tender project is seeking to appoint a Contractor whose initiative and innovation will be welcomed for the provision of service within the existing facilities of all schools, with a focus on exciting new food concepts to satisfy a wide range of pupil tastes and dietary requirements. The Schools would wish the successful contractor to review the current range of services offered and make recommendations accordingly.

The contract being tendered is for two years in duration from 1st August 2022 to 31st July 2024 with the option to extend for up to a further 3 years at the discretion of the client. However, it is very much expected that a Trust wide catering tender will be run to bring all schools into one catering contract for a new Trust contract for 1st August 2024.

This contract will operate as a Guaranteed Performance Contract, with the successful Contractor offering the School a guaranteed return / cost per annum for the provision of catering services. Sovereignty of the cash tariff is to remain with the Trust for the duration of this contract.

The School year at all schools is based on a calendar of 195 days. Five days are to be used for staff professional development which means that School will be open to receive students for the legal minimum of 190 days.

The contract offered covers the scope for the provision of all catering services within the School, which currently includes morning break, lunch, all hospitality and free issue requirements. Free School meals are to be charged with a margin attached and hospitality will be charged based on consumption and at net food cost.
Whilst the Trust prioritises value for money as a key objective of the Competitive Tender Process, it is not obliged to accept the lowest price.

See SQ Document for more information.

II.2.5) Award criteria:
Not Provided

II.2.11) Information about options
Options: No


II.2.13) Information about European Union funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No


II.2.14) Additional information: Not Provided


Section IV: Procedure

IV.1) Description

IV.1.1)Type of procedure: Restricted Accelerated
Justification for the choice of accelerated procedure: The current catering contract ends on 31 July 2022

IV.1.3) Information about a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system
The procurement involves the establishment of a framework agreement: No
A dynamic purchasing system was set up: No

IV.1.6) Information about electronic auction
An electronic auction has been used: No

IV.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes

IV.2) Administrative information

IV.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure
Notice number in the OJEU: 2022/S 000-007252



IV.2.9) Information about termination of call for competition in the form of a prior information notice
The contracting authority will not award any further contracts based on the above prior information notice: No

Section V: Award of contract

Award Of Contract (No.1)

Contract No: 007252
Lot Number: Not Provided
Title: Not Provided

A contract/lot is awarded: Yes


V.2) Award of contract

V.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract: 05/07/2022

V.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 4
Number of tenders received from SMEs: Not Provided
Number of tenders received from tenderers from other EU Member States: Not Provided
Number of tenders received from tenderers from non-EU Member States: Not Provided
Number of tenders received by electronic means: 4

V.2.3) Name and address of the contractor

The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No

Contractor (No.1)
Aspens Services Limited, 06561073
Ground Floor, Teme House, Whittington Road, Whittington, Worcester, WR5 2RY, United Kingdom
NUTS Code: UKG12
The contractor is an SME: No

V.2.4) Information on value of the contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Initial estimated total value of the contract/lot: Not Provided
Total value of the contract/lot: 1,057,940
Currency: GBP

V.2.5) Information about subcontracting
The contract is likely to be subcontracted: No

Section VI: Complementary information

VI.3) Additional information: The contracting authority considers that this contract may be suitable for economic operators that are small or medium enterprises (SMEs). However, any selection of tenderers will be based solely on the criteria set out for the procurement.
To view this notice, please click here:
https://litmustms.co.uk/delta/viewNotice.html?noticeId=710705377

VI.4) Procedures for review

VI.4.1) Review body
Alban Academies Trust
The Ridgeway, St Albans, AL4 9NX, United Kingdom

VI.4.3) Review procedure
Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures: Not Provided

VI.4.4) Service from which information about the review procedure may be obtained
Not Provided

VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice: 03/08/2022