The Supply of a Canteen Catering Services for St Brigids School Dundalk

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 canteen catering services for St Brigid's Special School in Dundalk. The service encompasses the preparation and delivery of daily meals to students and staff. The contract is structured for a term of three years, with an estimated total value of €50,000.00.

The core activities required of the successful bidder include:

• Daily Meal Preparation: Provision of hot meals for students and staff. The service must cater to the specific dietary needs of students attending a special school.
• Menu Planning: Development and implementation of a varied and nutritious menu, compliant with relevant food safety and nutritional guidelines for school catering.
• Food Sourcing and Supply Chain Management: Procurement of all necessary food ingredients and supplies. Emphasis will be placed on sourcing fresh, quality ingredients.
• Canteen Operations: Management of the school canteen facility, including food preparation, cooking, serving, and post-meal cleaning.
• Hygiene and Food Safety: Adherence to the highest standards of food hygiene, safety, and environmental health regulations. This includes HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) implementation and maintenance.
• Waste Management: Efficient management and disposal of food waste in accordance with environmental regulations.
• Staffing: Provision of appropriately trained and vetted catering staff, including cooks, servers, and supervisors.
• Reporting: Submission of periodic reports on service delivery, including meal uptake, customer feedback, and any incidents.

The service is expected to operate on school days. The "Hot-Meals-Calculator-Primary-Schools-02102025.xlsx" document, referenced in the tender metadata, suggests a calculation basis for contract value, implying a need to align service provision with student numbers and grant payments. The daily grant payment per student is stated as €3.20, with 182 school days per year.

3. Background & buyer context

St Brigid's Special School (Dundalk) is procuring canteen catering services to ensure the provision of nutritious meals for its student population. This procurement aligns with the Department of Education's ongoing commitment to supporting the health and well-being of students, particularly those with special educational needs, through access to appropriate catering. The tender is issued under the Open Procedure, indicating a desire for broad market engagement. The estimated contract value suggests a requirement for a service scaled to a special school environment, where specific dietary considerations are paramount. There is no mention of an incumbent provider in the provided metadata.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

Bidders must meet the following minimum requirements to be considered for this tender:

• Turnover requirement:
• Annual Turnover: €0.00 (not specified for this tender).
• Insurance:
• Public Liability: Not specified for this tender.
• Employer's Liability: Not specified for this tender.
• Product Liability: Not specified for this tender.
• Professional Indemnity: Not specified for this tender.
• Cyber Insurance: Not specified for this tender.
• Motor Insurance: Not specified for this tender.
• Certifications:
• ISO/EN/BS Standards: Not specified for this tender.
• Registration Bodies: Not specified for this tender.
• Past experience:
• Minimum of 0 comparable projects (not specified for this tender).
• Personnel:
• Named roles with minimum years' experience: Not specified for this tender.
• Geographic / facility constraints:
• The service is for St Brigid's Special School, Dundalk, County Louth. No specific geographic radius or facility constraint is stated beyond the service location.

5. Award criteria & scoring

The award criteria will be based on the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT). The evaluation will consider both price and quality.

Note: The specific weighting for price and quality, along with detailed sub-criteria and any minimum scoring thresholds, are not detailed in the provided metadata.

6. Submission requirements

Bidders are required to submit the following documentation and information:

• Method statement / response document: Not specified in the provided metadata.
• CVs: Not specified in the provided metadata.
• Pricing schedule: A pricing schedule is implied by the award criteria but its specific format and template are not detailed.
• Case studies: Not specified in the provided metadata.
• Declarations:
• Economic and Financial Standing Information (likely via ESPD or equivalent).
• Bona Fides declarations.
• Tax clearance.
• Conflict of Interest declarations.
• Mandatory site visit: Not specified for this tender.
• Submission portal: Tenders must be submitted electronically via the eTenders platform. Specific formatting rules for electronic submissions are not detailed.

7. Key dates & process

8. Contract terms that matter

The contract is for a fixed term of three years. Details regarding extension options are not specified. Payment terms are not detailed, but standard public sector prompt payment directives will apply. Key Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are not specified in the provided metadata. Similarly, liquidated damages or penalty regimes, termination clauses, intellectual property ownership, sub-contracting rules, and parent company guarantee or bond requirements are not detailed. Standard GDPR, FOI, and prompt payment clauses are expected to be included in the full contract documentation.

9. Risks, red flags & unusuals

The primary unusual aspect of this tender is the very low estimated contract value of €50,000.00 over three years (€16,666.67 per annum). This value is significantly lower than typical catering contracts for educational institutions, even special schools. This low value, combined with the absence of specified minimum financial, insurance, or experience criteria, suggests that the tender may be structured to attract a wide range of providers, potentially including smaller, local businesses or social enterprises. The "Hot-Meals-Calculator-Primary-Schools-02102025.xlsx" document, if it contains specific parameters that result in this low value, could be a key factor in understanding the expected scale of operations. The lack of detailed award criteria weighting also presents an ambiguity for bidders aiming to optimise their submissions.

10. SME fit assessment

This tender appears to be structured to be accessible to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). The absence of explicit minimum turnover, insurance, or extensive past experience requirements suggests that a smaller, specialised catering company could credibly bid. The low overall contract value also aligns with the financial capacity of many SMEs.

• Who can credibly bid: A small to medium-sized catering business with demonstrable experience in providing school meals, particularly those with experience catering to specific dietary needs or special educational settings. A strong focus on food safety, hygiene, and menu planning will be essential.
• Consortium or sub-contracting: Not specified in the provided metadata. However, given the likely SME focus, consortium bids or the use of specialist sub-contractors for specific elements (e.g., dietary advice) might be permissible, though this would need confirmation.
• Indicative bid-prep effort: Given the limited information on specific requirements and the potential for a less complex submission, bid preparation effort might range from 5-10 days for a well-prepared SME. This would involve understanding the school's specific needs, developing a compliant menu, and preparing pricing.
• Pwin signal: The low value and lack of stringent pre-qualification criteria suggest an open market. There is no clear indication of an incumbent provider or a framework that would favour a specific bidder. The primary "Pwin" signal would be the ability to demonstrate a cost-effective, high-quality service tailored to the specific needs of a special school.

11. Where to dig deeper

• Source RFT filename(s): [Hot-Meals-Calculator-Primary-Schools-02102025.xlsx] (referenced metadata)
• eTenders CFT ID: Not specified in the provided metadata.
• Contact email or clarification portal: Not specified in the provided metadata.
• Most important attachments:
• "Hot-Meals-Calculator-Primary-Schools-02102025.xlsx"
• Full tender/RFT document (when available)
• Contract Conditions (when available)