Provision of Meals Pre-Prepared Off-site and Delivered Ready to Eat 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 Scoil Mhuire. The service delivery model is strictly defined as "Meals Pre-Prepared Off-site and Delivered Ready to Eat." This requires meals to be prepared at an external facility and delivered hot to each classroom, ready for consumption at the start of the student lunch break. The service must be provided on each of the 182 school days per year.

Key activities and requirements include:

• Meal Preparation: All meals must be prepared off-site.
• Ingredient Sourcing: A minimum of 10% of food by value must be certified organic in categories including cereals, fresh beef, lamb, pork, poultry, fish, vegetables, and dairy products, where possible.
• Delivery: Meals must be delivered hot to each classroom in a timely manner, ensuring they are available at the beginning of the student lunch break.
• Service Model Compliance: Only the specified "Meals Pre-Prepared Off-site and Delivered Ready to Eat" model is acceptable. Any deviation will result in tender rejection.
• School Calendar Adherence: The contractor must provide service on each of the 182 school days annually, as per the school calendar provided.
• Student Numbers: The service is for approximately 40 students.
• Lunch Time: Student lunch time is at 12 pm.
• Food Safety and Nutrition: Meals must comply with the Department of Social Protection’s School Hot Meals Scheme and meet specified nutrition standards.
• Reporting: Monthly status reports detailing key information are required.
• Complaints Resolution: Complaints must be fully resolved within 3-5 days.
• Key Personnel: A Key Account Manager (KAM) is required, holding a Food Safety/HACCP qualification and a minimum of 2 years' experience in a similar role.

The contract is for a term of one year, with the possibility of up to two one-year extensions.

3. Background & buyer context

Scoil Mhuire Belcruit is procuring catering services under the Department of Social Protection's School Meals Scheme. This initiative aims to provide nutritious meals to students. The procurement is being conducted as an Open Procedure, operating below the EU threshold of €750,000, allowing for national-level procurement flexibilities. Funding for the scheme is provided by the Department of Social Protection (DSP) and is allocated on a school-year basis, requiring annual application by the school. The contract's continuation is entirely dependent on the availability of this DSP funding. The school is located in Belcruit, Kincasslagh, Letterkenny, Co Donegal.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

Tenderers must meet the following minimum requirements to be considered eligible:

• Turnover requirement:
• Minimum average annual turnover of €23,296.00 for each of the three financial years preceding the tender publication date.
• Insurance:
• 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 limit of €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.
• Certifications:
• Registered Food Business Operators.
• Food Safety/HACCP qualification required for Key Account Manager.
• Past experience:
• Not specified for this tender.
• Personnel:
• Key Account Manager (KAM) 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 for off-site preparation and delivery to the specified school address.

5. Award criteria & scoring

The tender will be awarded based on a combination of price and quality. The specific weighting between price and quality is not explicitly stated in the provided text, but the process is described as a single-stage tender where eligible tenders are evaluated against award criteria.

Criterion Weight (%) Sub-criteria