Provision of Meals Prepared Off-site and Delivered Ready to Eat under the School Meals Scheme

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

This tender seeks a contractor to provide hot meals prepared off-site and delivered ready to eat to Scoil Íosagain CBS in Limerick, under the Department of Social Protection's School Meals Scheme. The service operates on a single-stage tender basis.

The contractor will be responsible for the end-to-end process of meal preparation, packaging, and delivery to the school. The service must be provided on each of the 182 school days per year, with exceptions for unforeseen circumstances.

Key activities and requirements include:

• Meal Preparation: Meals must be prepared off-site in a facility compliant with all relevant food safety regulations.
• Delivery: Meals are to be delivered ready to eat to the school. The specific delivery model is "Meals Pre-Prepared Off-site and Delivered Ready to Eat".
• Service Days: The service must be provided on 182 days per year.
• Nutrition Standards: Meals must comply with the "Nutrition Standards for Hot School Meals" and the requirements outlined in Appendix 1 of the tender documents.
• Dietary Requirements: The food plan must include options to accommodate students with food intolerances, allergies, and religious observances, such as lactose-free, gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, and halal options.
• Ordering System: Tenderers must detail their proposed food ordering system (e.g., app, website, email), including ordering and adjustment time limits. Imagery of the ordering system must be provided.
• Food Service: This includes individual packaging and labelling, provision of cutlery and napkins, and distribution to students. Imagery of individual packaging and labelling is required.
• Food Plan and Standards: Tenderers must propose a food plan that is fresh, healthy, and nutritious, with variety and options for dietary needs. They must also describe their approach to maintaining food quality, freshness, nutritional content, correct food temperature, and avoiding cross-contamination.
• Contract Performance: This involves contract management, complaint/incident management (including product recall, food contamination, medical incidents), and staff resourcing.
• Green Procurement: Tenderers must detail their approach to waste minimisation, waste management, and sustainable purchasing policies, including reducing food waste and using environmentally friendly packaging.
• Key Personnel: A Key Account Manager (KAM) with proven experience is required, along with a nominated back-up KAM. CVs for both are mandatory.

The contractor will be paid €3.20 (VAT exempt) per student per day for each hot meal provided.

3. Background & buyer context

Scoil Íosagain CBS in Limerick is procuring catering services under the Department of Social Protection's School Meals Scheme. This scheme aims to provide nutritious meals to students, supporting their health and educational outcomes. The procurement is being conducted as an Open Procedure, indicating a competitive process to select a service provider. The estimated contract value falls below the EU threshold of €750,000, meaning it is subject to national procurement regulations. The school operates 182 days per year, defining the operational period for the contract.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

Tenderers must meet the following criteria to be considered:

• Turnover requirement: A minimum average annual turnover of €138,611 for each of the three financial years immediately preceding the tender publication date. This requirement can be met by the combined turnover of consortium members. Audited financial statements with an unqualified audit report are required.
• Insurance: The successful tenderer must hold the following insurances for the contract term:
• 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.
• Professional Indemnity: €6.5 million limit per claim (only relevant for Service Delivery Models 2, 3, or 4 involving fit-out works).
• Certifications: Tenderers must be registered as Food Business Operators (FBOs) with the relevant competent authority (HSE, local authority, or DAFM). Proof of registration or application submission is required.
• Past experience: Tenderers must demonstrate experience by providing details of at least three previous contract examples (public or private sector) within the last three years. Collectively, these contracts must demonstrate the successful delivery of hot catering services of a similar nature, scale, and value. Specifically, the average number of meals produced/delivered per day across these examples must be 60% or more of the number of meals required in this tender. Written references from three referees for these contracts are mandatory.
• Personnel: A Key Account Manager (KAM) must hold a Food Safety/HACCP qualification and have a minimum of 2 years of experience in a similar role. CVs for the KAM and a nominated back-up KAM (max 2 A4 pages each) are required.
• Geographic / facility constraints: Not specified for this tender.

5. Award criteria & scoring

The contract will be awarded based on a combination of qualitative and price criteria, with the qualitative aspects carrying significant weight. A total of 1,000 marks are available for the qualitative assessment.

Criterion Weight (%) Sub-criteria