The Litmus Partnership: Cheviot Learning Trust ~ Catering Tender

UK-Newcastle upon Tyne: School catering services.
Section I: Contracting Authority
      I.1) Name and addresses
             Cheviot Learning Trust
             Sir Bobby Robson House, Esh Plaza, Sir Bobby Robson Way,, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE13 9BA, United Kingdom
             Tel. +44 1276673880, Email: tenders@litmuspartnership.co.uk
             Main Address: https://www.cheviotlearningtrust.co.uk/
             NUTS Code: UKC2
      I.2) Joint procurement
      The contract involves joint procurement: Yes.
      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.3) Communication
      The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at: https://litmustms.co.uk/respond/5383VM2338
      Additional information can be obtained from: address as in Annex A.I:
      Tenders or requests to participate must be sent to the abovementioned address       
      Electronic communication requires the use of tools and devices that are not generally available. Unrestricted and full direct access to these tools and devices is possible, free of charge, at: Not provided
      I.4) Type of the contracting authority
            Body governed by public law
      I.5) Main activity
            Education

Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
      II.1.1) Title: Cheviot Learning 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 Cheviot Learning Trust.       
      II.1.5) Estimated total value:
      Value excluding VAT: 5,700,000       
      Currency: GBP
      II.1.6) Information about lots:
      This contract is divided into lots: No       
   
II.2) Description
      
      II.2.2) Additional CPV codes:
      Not Provided       
      II.2.3) Place of performance:
      UKC2 Northumberland and Tyne and Wear
      
      II.2.4) Description of procurement: The successful Supplier will be required to provide catering services for The Cheviot Learning Trust.
Contract value = £1,140,000 per annum with the total potential lifetime value of £5.7m. The initial contract award will be for 3 years with the option of 2 x 1-year extensions.
Cheviot Learning Trust educates around 5500 students across 18 schools in Northumberland between the ages of 2 and 19 and employs over 750 staff. They are a three tier Trust with some rural and small schools. The trust self-delivers catering at 17 of the schools, and the 18th school is outsourced. The trust now wishes to appoint a suitably qualified organisation to deliver catering at 11 of the 18 schools. Whilst it’s the trusts intention to award all 11 schools to a single contractor, the trust reserves the right to remove schools from this process if it is financially disadvantaged by including them.
The trust LGPS is South Tyneside, who have confirmed that LGPS will be a pass-through agreement, which is the Trusts preference.
The schools that form this tender opportunity are;
High Schools;
The King Edward VI, Cottingwood Lane, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 1DN
Middle Schools;
Newminster, Mitford Road, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 1RH
Chantry, Mitford Road, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 1RQ
OMSOvingham, Prudhoe, Northumberland, NE42 6DE
Highfield, Highfield Lane, Prudhoe, Northumberland, NE42 6EY
First Schools;
Stobhillgate, Stobhill, Morpeth, NE61 2HA
Morpeth All Saints, Pinewood Drive, Lancaster Park, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 3RD
Wylam, Bell Road, Wylam, Northumberland, NE41 8EH
Prudhoe Castle, Castle Road, Prudhoe, Northumberland, NE42 6PH
Broomley, Main Road, Stocksfield, Northumberland, NE43 7NN
Whittonstall, Main Road, Whittonstall, Consett, Northumberland, DH8 9JN

Additional Schools
There is also the potential for further schools in the area to join during the term of the contract. If further establishments join at any time, they do form part of the Service and will be contracted with on the basis of the same terms, conditions and common requirements agreed for the main Service.
The Customer offers no guarantee that further establishments will take up this Service or of final meal numbers involved.
The trusts Purpose; Our core purpose is to advance education for the public benefit. We believe that each school in the Trust family has unique qualities to share and unique challenges to be resolved. Deep collaboration is a key Trust expectation that helps us to deliver significant benefits for the students, the staff and the schools that form the Trust. Each school is stronger in the Trust family; delivering a better education for the public good than if they were outside the Trust.
The trusts Vision; Our purpose is to deliver excellent education for the benefit of all and our mission is to develop all our young people to have the opportunity to succeed.
The trusts Values; Everything we do is based around the values that we hold dear: Innovation We’re here to shape the future, which is why we all have a responsibility to be thinking about the big issues of tomorrow; Cooperation We nurture the relationships that we’ve built over many years and we know by working together we can achieve more than we can alone; Respect We take the time to understand and make decisions and have due regard for the feelings, wishes and rights of others. Excellence We will always strive for continuous improvement and will produce the best solutions and deliver the best services possible.
      II.2.5) Award criteria:
            Price is not the only award criterion and all criteria are stated only in the procurement documents            
      II.2.6) Estimated value:
      Value excluding VAT: 5,700,000       
      Currency: GBP       
      II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system:
      Start: 01/08/2025 / End: 31/07/2030       
      This contract is subject to renewal: No       
      Description of renewals: Not provided
      II.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited:
             Envisaged minimum number: 5
            / Maximum number: 10       
      Objective criteria for choosing the limited number of candidates: A minimum of 5 suppliers and a maximum of 10 suppliers will be taken forward to the tender stage of the process. Where less than 5 suppliers meet the minimum standards, only those that meet the minimum standards will be taken through to the tender stage. Where more than 5 suppliers meet the minimum standard, those suppliers with the highest scores will proceed to the tender stage.
      II.2.10) Information about variants:
      Variants will be accepted: Yes
      II.2.11) Information about options:
      Options:       No             
      Description of options: Not provided
      II.2.12) Information about electronic catalogues:
      Tenders must be presented in the form of electronic catalogues or include an electronic catalogue: 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       
      Identification of the project: Not provided             
      II.2.14) Additional information: Not provided       


Section III: Legal, Economic, Financial And Technical Information
   III.1) Conditions for participation
      III.1.1) Suitability to pursue the professional activity, including requirements relating to enrolment on professional or trade registers
      List and brief description of conditions:          
      Not Provided       
      III.1.2) Economic and financial standing          
      Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents       
      List and brief description of selection criteria:       
      Not Provided    
      Minimum level(s) of standards possibly required (if applicable) :       
      Not Provided    
      III.1.3) Technical and professional ability    
      Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents
      List and brief description of selection criteria:       
      Not Provided      
      Minimum level(s) of standards possibly required (if applicable) :          
      Not Provided   
      III.1.5) Information about reserved contracts (if applicable)   
      The contract is reserved to sheltered workshops and economic operators aiming at the social and professional integration of disabled or disadvantaged persons: No       
      The execution of the contract is restricted to the framework of sheltered employment programmes: No    
      
   III.2) Conditions related to the contract
      III.2.1) Information about a particular profession    
      Reference to the relevant law, regulation or administrative provision:          
      Not Provided    
      III.2.2) Contract performance conditions          
      Not Provided          
      III.2.3) Information about staff responsible for the performance of the contract
      Obligation to indicate the names and professional qualifications of the staff assigned to performing the contract: No

Section IV: Procedure
   IV.1) Description RESTRICTED
      IV.1.1) Type of procedure: Restricted   
   
   IV.1.3) Information about a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system    
         The procurement involves the establishment of a framework agreement - NO        
         The procurement involves the setting up of a dynamic purchasing system - NO    
         In the case of framework agreements justification for any duration exceeding 4 years: Not Provided    
   
   
   IV.1.6) Information about electronic auction:
      An electronic auction will be used: No
      Additional information about electronic auction: Not provided
   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 OJ S: Not provided       
      IV.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
       Date: 24/01/2025 Time: 12:00
      IV.2.3) Estimated date of dispatch of invitations to tender or to participate to selected candidates: Not Provided       
      IV.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted: English,       
      IV.2.6) Minimum time frame during which the tenderer must maintain the tender: Not Provided      
      

Section VI: Complementary Information
   VI.1) Information about recurrence
   This is a recurrent procurement: No    
   Estimated timing for further notices to be published: Not provided
   VI.2) Information about electronic workflows
   Electronic ordering will be used Yes       
   Electronic invoicing will be accepted Yes       
   Electronic payment will be used Yes       
   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.It will be the supplier's responsibility to obtain any necessary documents in order to submit a response by the closing date and time.
The contracting authority reserves the right not to award any or part of the contract which is the subject of this contract notice and reserves the right to terminate the procurement process at any time.
The contracting authority will not be liable for any costs incurred by those expressing an interest in tendering for this contract opportunity.
The contracting authority will consider variant bids, evaluating them (so far as the variant or the evaluation of the variant is in the opinion of the contracting authority practicable) on the same basis as a conforming bid, but shall not be obliged to accept any such bid in preference to a conforming bid even if the variant bid scores more highly. No variant will be considered unless the bidder simultaneously submits a conforming bid.
For more information about this opportunity, please visit the Delta eSourcing portal at:
https://litmustms.co.uk/tenders/UK-UK-Newcastle-upon-Tyne:-School-catering-services./5383VM2338

To respond to this opportunity, please click here:
https://litmustms.co.uk/respond/5383VM2338
   VI.4) Procedures for review
   VI.4.1) Review body:
             Cheviot Learning Trust
       Sir Bobby Robson House, Esh Plaza, Sir Bobby Robson Wa, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE13 9BA, United Kingdom
       Tel. +44 1276673880, Email: tenders@litmuspartnership.co.uk
   VI.4.2) Body responsible for mediation procedures:
Not provided
   VI.4.3) Review procedure
   Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures:    
    Not Provided    
   VI.4.4) Service from which information about the lodging of appeals may be obtained:
Not provided
   VI.5) Date Of Dispatch Of This Notice: 16/12/2024

Annex A
   I) Addresses and contact points from which further information can be obtained:
       The King Edward VI
       Cottingwood Lane, Esh Plaza, Sir Bobby Robson Wa, Northumberland, NE61 1DN, United Kingdom
       Tel. +44 1276673880, Email: tenders@litmuspartnership.co.uk
       Main Address: https://kevi.cheviotlt.co.uk/
       NUTS Code: UKC2   



   IV) Address of the other contracting authority on behalf of which the contracting authority is purchasing
      Purchased on behalf of other contracting authority details:
      1: Contracting Authority
       Newminster
       Mitford Road, Esh Plaza, Sir Bobby Robson Wa, Northumberland, NE61 1RH, United Kingdom
       Tel. +44 1276673880, Email: tenders@litmuspartnership.co.uk
       Main Address: https://nms.cheviotlt.co.uk/
       NUTS Code: UKC2

   IV) Address of the other contracting authority on behalf of which the contracting authority is purchasing
      Purchased on behalf of other contracting authority details:
      2: Contracting Authority
       Chantry
       Mitford Road, Esh Plaza, Sir Bobby Robson Wa, Northumberland, NE61 1RQ, United Kingdom
       Tel. +44 1276673880, Email: tenders@litmuspartnership.co.uk
       Main Address: https://cms.cheviotlt.co.uk/
       NUTS Code: UKC2

   IV) Address of the other contracting authority on behalf of which the contracting authority is purchasing
      Purchased on behalf of other contracting authority details:
      3: Contracting Authority
       OMS Ovingham
       Prudhoe, Esh Plaza, Sir Bobby Robson Wa, Northumberland, NE42 6DE, United Kingdom
       Tel. +44 1276673880, Email: tenders@litmuspartnership.co.uk
       Main Address: https://oms.cheviotlt.co.uk/
       NUTS Code: UKC2

   IV) Address of the other contracting authority on behalf of which the contracting authority is purchasing
      Purchased on behalf of other contracting authority details:
      4: Contracting Authority
       Highfield
       Highfield Lane, Esh Plaza, Sir Bobby Robson Wa, Northumberland, NE42 6EY, United Kingdom
       Tel. +44 1276673880, Email: tenders@litmuspartnership.co.uk
       Main Address: https://hms.cheviotlt.co.uk/
       NUTS Code: UKC2

   IV) Address of the other contracting authority on behalf of which the contracting authority is purchasing
      Purchased on behalf of other contracting authority details:
      5: Contracting Authority
       Stobhillgate
       Stobhill, Esh Plaza, Sir Bobby Robson Wa, Northumberland, NE61 2HA, United Kingdom
       Tel. +44 1276673880, Email: tenders@litmuspartnership.co.uk
       Main Address: https://sfs.cheviotlt.co.uk/
       NUTS Code: UKC2

   IV) Address of the other contracting authority on behalf of which the contracting authority is purchasing
      Purchased on behalf of other contracting authority details:
      6: Contracting Authority
       Morpeth All Saints
       Pinewood Drive, Esh Plaza, Sir Bobby Robson Wa, Northumberland, NE61 3RD, United Kingdom
       Tel. +44 1276673880, Email: tenders@litmuspartnership.co.uk
       Main Address: https://www.morpethallsaints.com/
       NUTS Code: UKC2

   IV) Address of the other contracting authority on behalf of which the contracting authority is purchasing
      Purchased on behalf of other contracting authority details:
      7: Contracting Authority
       Wylam
       Bell Road, Esh Plaza, Sir Bobby Robson Wa, Northumberland, NE41 8EH, United Kingdom
       Tel. +44 1276673880, Email: tenders@litmuspartnership.co.uk
       Main Address: https://wfs.cheviotlt.co.uk/
       NUTS Code: UKC2

   IV) Address of the other contracting authority on behalf of which the contracting authority is purchasing
      Purchased on behalf of other contracting authority details:
      8: Contracting Authority
       Prudhoe Castle
       Castle Road, Esh Plaza, Sir Bobby Robson Wa, Northumberland, NE42 6PH, United Kingdom
       Tel. +44 1276673880, Email: tenders@litmuspartnership.co.uk
       Main Address: https://pcfs.cheviotlt.co.uk/
       NUTS Code: UKC2

   IV) Address of the other contracting authority on behalf of which the contracting authority is purchasing
      Purchased on behalf of other contracting authority details:
      9: Contracting Authority
       Broomley
       Main Road, Esh Plaza, Sir Bobby Robson Wa, Northumberland, NE43 7NN, United Kingdom
       Tel. +44 1276673880, Email: tenders@litmuspartnership.co.uk
       Main Address: https://bfs.cheviotlt.co.uk/
       NUTS Code: UKC2

   IV) Address of the other contracting authority on behalf of which the contracting authority is purchasing
      Purchased on behalf of other contracting authority details:
      10: Contracting Authority
       Whittonstall
       Main Road, Whittonstall, Consett, Northumberland, DH8 9JN, United Kingdom
       Tel. +44 1276673880, Email: tenders@litmuspartnership.co.uk
       Main Address: https://whfs.cheviotlt.co.uk/
       NUTS Code: UKC2