Provision of Hot Meals under the School Meals Scheme

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

Here is a comprehensive Tender Briefing for the St. Eithne's GNS Hot Meals tender:

1. At a glance

2. Scope of Work

The contractor will provide hot meals under the Department of Social Protection’s School Meals Scheme to St. Eithne's GNS. The service operates for 182 school days per year. Tenderers must select one of three specified service delivery models: Meals Pre-Prepared Off-site and Delivered Ready; Meals Pre-Prepared Off-Site and Heated in the School; or Meals Fully Prepared On-Site.

Key activities and requirements include:

• Meal Provision: Supplying hot meals daily for the 182 school days.
• Menu Planning: Developing and providing a food plan that is fresh, healthy, and nutritious, with options for dietary requirements (lactose-free, gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, halal) and religious observances. The plan must accommodate seasonal variations and include meat/alternatives, seasonal fruit/vegetables.
• Food Standards: Ensuring high standards of food quality, freshness, and nutritional content. This includes maintaining correct food temperatures from delivery to serving, and avoiding cross-contamination for allergies and intolerances.
• Ordering System: Implementing a food ordering system (app, website, email) with defined ordering and adjustment time limits. Imagery of the ordering system must be provided.
• Food Service: Managing distribution, individual packaging, and labelling of meals, including the provision of cutlery and napkins. Imagery of individual packaging and labelling is required.
• Green Procurement: Minimising waste, particularly food waste, and implementing environmentally friendly packaging (recyclable, compostable, biodegradable). A sustainable purchasing policy favouring local, seasonal produce and waste reduction is required.
• Contract Management: Assigning a Key Account Manager (KAM) with proven experience, supported by a nominated back-up KAM.
• Complaint/Incident Management: Establishing a clear process for managing and resolving complaints and incidents, including product recalls, food contamination, customer complaints, and medical incidents.
• Staff Resourcing: Ensuring continuous resourcing with skilled and trained staff, with measures for ongoing training, succession planning, and managing absences.
• Organic Content: A minimum of 10% of the food by value (€) must be certified organic in categories such as cereals, fresh beef, lamb, pork, poultry, fish, vegetables, and dairy products, where possible.
• Reporting: Providing monthly status reports on key information.

3. Background & buyer context

This procurement is for the provision of hot meals under the Department of Social Protection’s School Meals Scheme. St. Eithne's GNS, located at Edenmore Avenue, Dublin 5, is the contracting authority. The tender falls below the EU threshold of €750,000, indicating a national procurement procedure. The School Meals Scheme aims to provide nutritional support to students. The tender documents include a Deed of Renunciation of Rights to a New Tenancy, suggesting the service will be provided under a licence agreement rather than a traditional lease.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

Bidders must meet the following mandatory criteria to be considered:

• Turnover requirement: A minimum average annual turnover of €54,745.60 for each of the three financial years immediately preceding the tender publication date. For consortia, this can be a combined turnover. 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 per claim (if applicable to service delivery models 2, 3, or 4 for fit-out works) or €2.5 million per claim (for advice only).
• Certifications:
• Registered as a Food Business Operator (FBO) with the relevant competent authority (HSE, local authority, or DAFM).
• A minimum of 10% organic content by value in specified food categories.
• Past experience: Details of at least three previous hot catering service contracts (public or private sector) within the last three years. Collectively, these contracts must demonstrate delivery of at least 60% of the average daily meal volume required in this tender. Written references from three referees are mandatory.
• Personnel: Key Account Managers (KAMs) must hold a Food Safety/HACCP qualification and have a minimum of 2 years' experience in a similar role.
• Geographic / facility constraints: Not specified, beyond the service location at the school.

5. Award criteria & scoring

The contract will be awarded based on a combination of quality and price. 1,000 marks are available for qualitative assessment.

Criterion Weight (%) Sub-criteria / Pass/Fail Thresholds