The Litmus Partnership: Aylesbury High School ~ Catering Tender

UK-Buckinghamshire: School catering services.
Section I: Contracting Authority
      I.1) Name and addresses
             Aylesbury High School
             Aylesbury High School, Walton Road, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP21 7SX, United Kingdom
             Tel. +44 1276673880, Email: tenders@litmuspartnership.co.uk
             Main Address: https://www.ahs.bucks.sch.uk/
             NUTS Code: UKJ1
      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.3) Communication
      The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at: https://litmustms.co.uk/respond/4Y239HNB5V
      Additional information can be obtained from: the abovementioned address
      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: Aylesbury High School ~ 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 Aylesbury High School       
      II.1.5) Estimated total value:
      Value excluding VAT: 1,816,685       
      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:
      UKJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
      
      II.2.4) Description of procurement: Aylesbury High School is a historic institution dating back to 1598, with the current school opening in 1959. It is the only girls' grammar school in North Buckinghamshire. Renowned for its high educational standards and strong vision and values, the school is both popular and oversubscribed. It serves students aged 11 to 18 from Aylesbury and North Buckinghamshire and in 2023 was awarded “Outstanding” by Ofsted.
The school currently has approximately 1,358 students, with 931 in Years 7 to 11 and 427 in the Sixth Form. The staff comprises 101 teaching and 78 non-teaching members.
For further information, visit the school website at Aylesbury High School - Home
Basis of Contract
The school is seeking a catering contractor with extensive experience to provide catering services at Aylesbury High School. The contractor must be highly creative and innovative, capable of introducing new food concepts while remaining adaptable in their approach to menus to accommodate the diverse range of pupil tastes and dietary requirements.
It is essential that the chosen contractor has extensive knowledge and expertise in providing healthy food options that are fresh, seasonal, locally sourced, and prepared on-site. This includes being well-versed in nutritional standards and requirements and ensuring that the menus are designed to fuel pupils throughout the day.
The school also seeks a contractor whose focus is not only on food quality but also on service delivery and customer satisfaction. The contractor will be expected to conduct a comprehensive review of the current catering services and provide recommendations on enhancing the existing offerings. The primary aim is to deliver a superior catering experience that aligns with the school's vision and values.

The chosen contractor must propose innovative ways to make the contract more environmentally friendly and carbon-neutral, applying sustainability principles to both contract delivery and the contractor’s organization. The contractor's sustainability approach must align with the school’s values.
The contract being tendered runs from 1st August 2025 to 31st July 2028 for an initial three-year period, with an option to extend for a further two years at the discretion of the client. The contract will operate as a Guaranteed Performance Contract, with the successful contractor offering the school a guaranteed return/cost for the provision of catering services. Sovereignty of the cash tariff will remain with the school throughout the contract.
The contract covers the provision of all catering services within the school, which currently includes breakfast, mid-morning breaks, lunch, Sixth form café offer, hospitality, and free-issue requirements. Free school meals and hospitality will be charged based on consumption and at net food cost.
While value for money is a key objective of the competitive tender process, the school is not obliged to accept the lowest price. Contract value:
Sales performance per annum is circa £363,337
See SQ Document for more information.
      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: 1,816,685       
      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: 28/03/2025 Time: 12:00
      IV.2.3) Estimated date of dispatch of invitations to tender or to participate to selected candidates: 07/04/2025       
      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-Buckinghamshire:-School-catering-services./4Y239HNB5V

To respond to this opportunity, please click here:
https://litmustms.co.uk/respond/4Y239HNB5V
   VI.4) Procedures for review
   VI.4.1) Review body:
             Aylesbury High School
       Aylesbury High School, Walton Road, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP21 7SX, United Kingdom
       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: 12/02/2025

Annex A