Provision of Hot Meals under the School Meals Scheme

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1. At a glance

2. Scope of Work

This tender seeks a contractor to provide hot meals to students at Garranbane National School under the Department of Social Protection's School Meals Scheme. The service will operate on each of the school's 182 operational days per year. The estimated contract value is €400,108.80, with an indicative annual value of €166,369.60.

The contractor will be responsible for the complete provision of hot meals, from preparation to delivery. Tenderers must specify their chosen Service Delivery Method from the following options:

• Meals Pre-Prepared Off-site and Delivered: Meals are prepared at an external facility and delivered to the school for heating and serving.
• Meals Pre-Prepared Off-Site and Heated in the School: Meals are prepared off-site and then heated at the school's designated servery area.
• Meals Fully Prepared On-Site: All meals are prepared and cooked at the school's premises.

Key operational requirements include:

• Meal Provision: Delivering hot meals at a rate of €3.20 (VAT exempt) per student per day.
• Nutritional Standards: Meals must comply with the "Nutrition Standards for Hot School Meals" and incorporate a minimum of 10% organic ingredients by value in specified categories (cereals, fresh beef, lamb, pork, poultry, fish, vegetables, dairy).
• Ordering System: Tenderers must detail their proposed food ordering system (app, website, email) including time limits for ordering and adjustments, and provide imagery.
• Food Service: This includes individual packaging, labelling, provision of cutlery and napkins, and distribution to students. Imagery of packaging and labelling is required.
• Food Plan: A varied, healthy, and nutritious food plan is required, accommodating dietary needs (allergies, intolerances, religious observance, vegetarian, vegan, halal, lactose-free, gluten-free).
• Food Standards: Maintaining high standards of food quality, freshness, and nutritional content, with measures to mitigate menu fatigue.
• Temperature Control: Ensuring correct food temperatures from delivery to serving, in compliance with food legislation.
• Cross-Contamination Prevention: Implementing measures to avoid cross-contamination for allergies and intolerances.
• Contract Management: Assigning a Key Account Manager (KAM) with relevant experience, supported by a nominated backup KAM.
• Complaint/Incident Management: A robust system for managing product recalls, food contamination, customer complaints, medical incidents (foodborne illness, allergies), and food quality issues.
• Staff Resourcing: Ensuring continuous resourcing with skilled, trained personnel, with measures for quality and continuity, staff training, and succession planning.
• Green Procurement: Detailing approaches to waste minimisation (especially food waste), use of environmentally friendly packaging, reduction of plastics, and a sustainable purchasing policy favouring local, seasonal produce and suppliers with minimal waste.

3. Background & buyer context

This procurement is conducted by Garranbane National School under the Department of Social Protection's School Meals Scheme. The scheme aims to provide nutritional support to children attending national schools, particularly in disadvantaged areas. The tender is being issued as an Open Procedure, indicating a competitive process to select a service provider. The estimated value of the contract falls below the EU procurement threshold of €750,000, allowing for a streamlined process under Irish regulations. The school is located in Garranbane, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford. The tender documents do not explicitly mention an incumbent provider or a specific programme driving this procurement beyond the established School Meals Scheme.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

Bidders must meet the following mandatory criteria to be considered:

• Turnover requirement: A minimum average annual turnover of €166,369.60 for each of the three financial years immediately preceding the tender publication date. This can be met by combined turnover if submitting as a consortium. Audited financial statements with an unqualified audit report are required.
• Insurance: The successful tenderer must hold the following insurances:
• 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).
• Indemnity to Principal clauses are required for Employer's Liability, Public Liability, and Product Liability policies.
• Certifications: Tenderers must be registered as Food Business Operators (FBOs) with the relevant competent authority (HSE, local authority, or DAFM). A copy of the acknowledgement of notification or approval certificate 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. These contracts must have been for food catering services of a similar nature, scale, and value to this tender. Collectively, these examples must demonstrate the capacity to produce/deliver at least 60% of the number of meals required in this competition. Written references from three referees for these contracts are mandatory.
• Personnel: A nominated Key Account Manager (KAM) must have proven experience in a similar role and scope. A CV (max 2 A4 pages) for the KAM and a nominated backup KAM is required. KAMs 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.

5. Award criteria & scoring

The contract will be awarded based on Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT), with a qualitative assessment weighted at 1000 marks and price not explicitly scored but implied through the €3.20 per meal fee. Tenderers must achieve a minimum of 70% in each sub-criterion where indicated. Failure to meet this threshold will result in elimination.

6. Submission requirements

Tenderers must submit their response using the provided Tender Response Document (TRD). Key submission components include:

• Tenderer Details: Full legal name, registered address, contact information, company registration number, country of registration, and website. Details of any subcontractors or consortium members.
• Mandatory Requirement Confirmation: Confirmation of attendance at the mandatory site visit and submission of a separate declaration (Appendix 1). Confirmation of the chosen Service Delivery Method.
• Declarations:
• Declaration of no conflicts of interest and no anti-competitive behaviour, submitted on company headed paper.
• Declaration of personal circumstances, confirming absence of grounds for exclusion (e.g., criminal convictions, bankruptcy, grave professional misconduct).
• Tax clearance confirmation.
• Insurance Declaration: Confirmation that required insurances will be in place upon contract award.
• Selection Criteria Documentation:
• Turnover figures for the last three financial years.
• Copies of audited financial statements for the last three years with unqualified audit reports.
• Confirmation of FBO registration with supporting documentation.
• Details of three previous contract examples (Section 9 of TRD).
• Client references for each contract example.
• Award Criteria Responses: Detailed responses to all qualitative award criteria (Sections A-D) within the TRD, including imagery where specified.
• CVs: Curriculum Vitae for the proposed KAM and nominated backup KAM (max 2 A4 pages each).
• Pricing: The fee is fixed at €3.20 per meal (VAT exempt).
• Checklist: Completed Tender Submission Checklist.

7. Key dates & process

8. Contract terms that matter

• Payment Terms: Payment of fees will be made on a 30-day arrears basis.
• Contract Term: Not explicitly stated, but implied to cover multiple school years given the 182-day operational period.
• Termination: Either party may terminate with 14 days' notice if a breach continues for 14 calendar days. Breaches capable of remedy must be addressed within 30 days of a written request.
• Service Credits: Not explicitly detailed, but monthly status reports are required.
• Sub-contracting: Not explicitly detailed, but consortium arrangements are permitted.
• Parent Company Guarantee/Bond: Not specified.

9. Risks, red flags & unusuals

• Mandatory Site Visit: While not explicitly dated, the TRD states attendance is mandatory and failure to attend will lead to disqualification. Tenderers must confirm attendance and submit a separate declaration.
• Minimum Organic Ingredient Requirement: The requirement for a minimum of 10% organic ingredients by value in specific categories adds a layer of complexity to sourcing and cost management.
• Combined Experience Threshold: The 60% meal volume threshold for past experience must be met collectively across three contract examples, allowing flexibility but requiring careful aggregation of data.
• Fixed Meal Price: The €3.20 per meal fee is fixed and VAT exempt, leaving no room for price negotiation on this core element.
• Detailed Qualitative Criteria: The extensive qualitative award criteria, with strict minimum pass marks for sub-criteria, require a highly detailed and well-structured response.

10. SME fit assessment

This tender is structured to be accessible to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) with established catering operations.

• Viable Bidders: SMEs with a proven track record in food catering, particularly hot meal provision, and the capacity to meet the insurance and FBO registration requirements can credibly bid. The turnover requirement of €166,369.60 annually is achievable for established SMEs.
• Consortium/Sub-contracting: The tender explicitly allows for consortium submissions, enabling smaller firms to pool resources and experience to meet the selection criteria. Sub-contracting is not explicitly detailed but is implicitly possible within consortium structures.
• Indicative Bid-Prep Effort: Preparing a compliant bid will require significant effort, likely 10-15 days, due to the detailed qualitative responses, documentation requirements (financials, references, CVs), and adherence to the TRD structure.
• Pwin Signal: The tender is open procedure, suggesting a competitive process. There is no clear indication of an incumbent or a sole-supplier framework. The primary Pwin factors will be the quality of the proposed service, adherence to nutritional and green procurement standards, and the ability to meet all mandatory and qualitative criteria.

11. Where to dig deeper

• Source RFT Filename: TRD - Hot Meals - Garranbane National School 17159I.docx
• eTenders CFT ID: Not specified in provided text.
• Contact / Clarification Portal: Not specified in provided text.
• Key Attachments:
• Tender Response Document (TRD)
• Appendix 1 (Mandatory Declaration)
• Appendix 5 (Services Contract - Schedule D: Service Level Agreement)