Call for Tender for the provision of hot meals under the School Meals Scheme to Cloonakilla National School - 18395C

AI-generated analysis of the documents. Check the official notice and any amendments for current submission details.

1. At a glance

2. Scope of Work

The contract involves providing hot meals to students at Cloonakilla National School under the Department of Social Protection’s School Meals Scheme. The successful contractor must deliver meals daily for a total of 394 students, across 182 school days per year. The contractor is required to adhere to specific nutritional standards and service delivery models.

The key activities include:

• Meal Preparation and Delivery:

• Meals must be prepared off-site and delivered hot to classrooms before lunch.

• Options for service delivery include:

• Meals pre-prepared off-site and delivered ready to eat.

• Meals pre-prepared off-site and heated on-site in the school’s designated area.

• Meals fully prepared on-site in the school’s kitchen.

• Compliance:

• All meals must comply with the nutritional standards set by the Department of Social Protection.

• A minimum of 10% of the food provided must be certified organic.

• Service Availability:

• Service must be available every school day, with meals served at 12:20 PM.

• Reporting:

• Monthly status reports on service delivery and compliance with nutritional standards.

• Mandatory Site Visit:

• Bidders must conduct a site visit to assess the food preparation area, which is approximately 4m x 2m and located adjacent to the school gym.

3. Background & buyer context

Cloonakilla National School is seeking to procure catering services for its hot meals program as part of the Department of Social Protection’s School Meals Scheme. This procurement is timely as the school aims to enhance its meal offerings in alignment with government initiatives to improve student nutrition. The contract is essential for ensuring that students receive healthy meals daily, which supports their educational performance and well-being.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

Bidders must meet the following eligibility and selection criteria:

• Turnover requirement:

• Minimum annual turnover of €229,465.60 for the last three financial years.

• Insurance:

• Public Liability: €6,500,000.00 for any one claim.

• Employer's Liability: €13,000,000.00 for any one claim.

• Product Liability: €6,500,000.00 for any one claim.

• Motor Cover: Minimum limit of €1,300,000.00 for third-party damage.

• Cyber Liability: €1,000,000.00 for any one claim.

• Certifications:

• Not specified for this tender.

• Past experience:

• Not specified for this tender.

• Personnel:

• Key Account Manager (KAM) must hold a Food Safety/HACCP qualification and have a minimum of 2 years of experience in a similar role.

• Geographic / facility constraints:

• Not specified for this tender.

5. Award criteria & scoring

Bids will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

The evaluation will follow the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT) principle, focusing on the balance of price and quality.

6. Submission requirements

Bidders must submit the following documentation:

• Method statement / response document: Follow the provided template, adhering to any page limits.
• CVs: Include CVs for key personnel, with a maximum of 2 pages each.
• Pricing schedule: Use the specified template for pricing.
• Case studies: Provide 2-3 case studies of similar projects, with values ranging from €50,000 to €200,000.
• Declarations: Include ESPD, Bona Fides, Tax clearance, and Conflict of Interest declarations.
• Mandatory site visit: Attend the site visit on 24th June 2026 at 15:00, by appointment with Keith Kelly ([email protected]).
• Submission portal: All documents must be submitted via the eTenders portal, following specific format rules.

7. Key dates & process

8. Contract terms that matter

The contract will be for a term of 12 months, with the possibility of two one-year extensions. Key terms include:

• Payment terms: Payments will be made on a 30-day arrears basis.
• Service Level Agreements (SLAs): Compliance with nutritional standards and timely delivery of meals.
• Liquidated damages: Not specified, but failure to meet SLAs may result in penalties.
• Termination clauses: The contract may be terminated with 14 days' notice if breaches are not remedied.
• IP ownership: Not specified for this tender.
• Sub-contracting rules: Not specified for this tender.

9. Risks, red flags & unusuals

Potential risks and concerns include:

• Funding dependency: The contract is contingent on annual funding from the Department of Social Protection, which is not guaranteed.
• Mandatory site visit: Failure to attend the site visit may result in disqualification.
• Strict compliance requirements: Non-compliance with nutritional standards could lead to penalties or contract termination.

10. SME fit assessment

This tender is suitable for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with experience in catering services. Viable bidders should possess:

• Relevant certifications (e.g., Food Safety/HACCP).
• Experience in providing similar services to schools or institutions.
• The capacity to handle the scale of service required (394 students).

Consortium or subcontracting arrangements are encouraged to enhance capacity. Bid preparation may require approximately 5-10 days of effort. The presence of stringent eligibility criteria and the potential for funding issues may signal a moderate to high level of competition, particularly from established firms.

11. Where to dig deeper

• Source RFT filename: Call for Tender (CfT) - Hot Meals - Cloonakilla NS 18395C.docx
• eTenders CFT ID: not specified
• Contact email: [email protected]
• Important attachments:
• Appendix 1: Requirements and Specifications
• Appendix 2: Pricing Schedule
• Appendix 5: Services Contract