Provision of Cold Lunches under the School Meals Scheme

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1. At a glance

2. Scope of Work

This tender seeks a single service provider to deliver cold lunches to students at Carrigboy National School under the Department of Social Protection's School Meals Scheme. The estimated contract value is €75,276 over a maximum three-year term, based on a maximum of 82 students per day. The service is for the "Cold Lunch Club" only, with no requirement for an "After School Club."

The contractor will be responsible for:

• Off-site food preparation: All food must be prepared off-site and delivered ready to eat, in compliance with food legislation. Alternative service delivery models will not be accepted.
• Delivery: Food must be delivered to designated drop-off points at the school premises at the agreed time, maintaining the cold chain until consumption.
• Service Provision: The service must be available on each of the 180 days of the school year, as per the school calendar. Payment will be based on actual orders placed by parents/guardians, not on the maximum student capacity.
• Compliance: Adherence to the Department of Social Protection's School Meals Scheme requirements and all applicable environmental, health & safety, hygiene, food, social, and labour laws.
• Reporting: Provision of monthly status reports detailing key information.
• Complaint Resolution: Complaints must be fully resolved within 3-5 days.
• Food Standards: Ingredients must align with a minimum of 10% organic sourcing, as per the "buying-greener-green-public-procurement-strategy-and-action-plan-2024-2027".
• Pricing: The tendered fee per student per day for a cold lunch with water is €1.70. The fee is all-inclusive, covering all costs associated with the service, including preparation, packaging, transportation, delivery, and compliance with Department of Education Technical Note Guidance SDG02 TN-06. No additional charges will be permitted from students, parents, or guardians.

The contract is for a term of one year, with the option for the Contracting Authority to extend it for up to two additional one-year periods.

3. Background & buyer context

Carrigboy National School is procuring catering services for its students under the Department of Social Protection's School Meals Scheme. This scheme is funded annually by the Department of Social Protection, and the continuation of funding is subject to annual application and available budget. The procurement is being conducted as an Open Procedure, operating below the €750,000 EU procurement threshold, but applying relevant national regulations by analogy. The Contracting Authority emphasizes that any resulting contract is entirely dependent on the continued availability of this funding. The school aims to encourage participation from Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and encourages larger enterprises to consider including SMEs in their proposals.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

Tenderers must meet the following mandatory requirements to be considered eligible for evaluation:

• Turnover requirement:
• A minimum average annual turnover of €25,092 for each of the three (3) financial years immediately preceding the date of publication of this CFT.
• Insurance:
• Employer’s Liability: €13 million limit per claim.
• Public Liability: €6.5 million limit per claim.
• Product Liability: €6.5 million limit per claim and in aggregate.
• Motor Cover: Minimum €1.3 million for third-party property damage per accident.
• Crime Insurance: €100,000 per claim.
• Cyber Liability: €1 million per claim and in aggregate per policy year.
• Certifications:
• Registered Food Business Operators.
• Past experience:
• A minimum of three (3) previous contract examples are required. Specific value or complexity of these examples is not stated.
• Personnel:
• Not specified for this tender.
• Geographic / facility constraints:
• Food must be prepared off-site and delivered ready to eat.
• Tenderers may be required to allow the Contracting Authority to inspect their premises/facilities.

5. Award criteria & scoring

Criterion Weight (%) Sub-criteria