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.

1. At a glance

2. Scope of Work

This tender seeks a contractor to provide hot meals under the Department of Social Protection's School Meals Scheme to Gaelscoil na Camóige. The contract involves the preparation and delivery of meals for the school's students. The estimated value of the contract is €380,889.60 over its potential three-year duration. The school operates for 182 days per year, and the contractor must provide service on each of these days.

The scope of work includes:

• Service Delivery: Tenderers must propose one of three service delivery methods:

1. Meals Pre-Prepared Off-site and Delivered Ready to Heat.
2. Meals Pre-Prepared Off-site and Heated in the School.
3. Meals Fully Prepared On-Site.

• Meal Provision: The contractor will provide hot meals to students. The Contracting Authority will pay €3.20 (VAT exempt) per student per day for each hot meal provided.
• Organic Ingredient Inclusion: Meals must include organic ingredients, meeting a minimum of 10% organic by value (€) in specific categories (Cereals, fresh beef, lamb, pork, poultry, fish, vegetables, and dairy products) where possible, aligning with the "buying-greener-green-public-procurement-strategy-and-action-plan-2024-2027".
• Food Safety and Hygiene: Compliance with Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 Annex II and I.S. 340:2007 "Hygiene in the Catering Sector" is mandatory. Daily cleaning and disinfection of preparation and servery areas are required.
• Waste Management: The contractor is responsible for managing all waste in accordance with the Waste Management (Food Waste) Regulations 2009, the School Sector Climate Action Mandate 2024, and all relevant laws. This includes providing bins and arranging sustainable daily waste and recyclable material removal from the property.
• Pest Control: Implementation and maintenance of pest control measures, including regular inspections and corrective actions, are required.
• Facility Requirements: The contractor will be granted a licence to enter and use a designated property for the installation of food regeneration facilities and associated works. This includes the right to use a car space. The licence period is 12 months, extendable for two additional one-year periods, subject to satisfactory service and funding.
• Works and Equipment: Works are detailed in Schedule 2 of the Property Licence. Upon termination, the contractor must remove their equipment, save for immovable fittings, and make good any damage. Immovable fixtures and fittings will vest in the Licensor.
• Reporting: Monthly status reports detailing key information are required.
• Complaints Resolution: Complaints must be fully resolved within 3-5 days.

3. Background & buyer context

Gaelscoil na Camóige is procuring catering services under the Department of Social Protection's School Meals Scheme. This initiative aims to provide nutritional meals to students in primary schools. The procurement is being conducted as an Open Procedure, indicating it is open to all eligible economic operators. The estimated contract value falls below the €750,000 EU procurement threshold, dictating the procedural requirements. The school is located at Orchard Road, Clondalkin, Dublin 22. The tender documents include a Property Licence and a Deed of Renunciation of Rights to a New Tenancy, suggesting the contractor will be granted a licence to occupy and develop specific school premises for catering facilities, rather than a traditional lease.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

Bidders must meet the following criteria to be considered:

• Turnover requirement: A minimum average annual turnover of €126,963.20 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.
• Insurance: The successful tenderer must hold the following insurances for the contract term:
• Employer’s Liability: €13 million limit per claim/series of claims.
• Public Liability: €6.5 million limit per claim/series of claims.
• Product Liability: €6.5 million limit per claim and in aggregate.
• Motor Cover: Minimum €1.3 million for third-party property damage per accident.
• Professional Indemnity: €6.5 million limit per claim (relevant for fit-out works/alterations).
• Professional Indemnity (advice only): €2.5 million limit per claim.
• Cyber Liability: €1 million limit per claim and in aggregate.
• Crime Insurance: €100,000 limit per claim.
• Certifications: Tenderers must be registered as Food Business Operators (FBOs) with the HSE, local authority, or DAFM.
• Past experience: Not specified for this tender.
• 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 for this tender, beyond the requirement to operate from the designated school property.

5. Award criteria & scoring

The contract will be awarded based on the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT). The specific weighting between price and quality is not detailed in the provided extract. However, the tender documents indicate that Tenderers will either pass or fail each selection criterion. Failure in any selection criterion will lead to exclusion from the competition. The award criteria will be evaluated against the submitted Tender Response Document (TRD).

Criterion Weight (%) Sub-criteria