Hot School Meals

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

The contract requires the provision of hot school meals to students at Scoil Íosagáin. The service must comply with the Department of Social Protection's School Hot Meals Scheme. The school has 115 students. The service is required for 182 school days per year.

The contractor must adhere to one of the following service delivery models:

• Meals Pre-Prepared Off-site and Delivered Ready to Eat: Meals prepared off-site are delivered hot to classrooms, ready for immediate consumption at the start of the lunch break.
• Meals Pre-Prepared Off-Site and Heated in the School’s Designated Preparation and/or Servery Area: Meals prepared off-site are delivered and heated on-site before being distributed to classrooms.
• Meals Pre-Prepared Off-Site and Heated in the School by use of an External Pod or Mobile Catering Unit: Similar to the above, but heating occurs in an external pod or mobile unit on school grounds.
• Meals Fully Prepared On-Site: Meals are prepared entirely on-site in the school's designated food preparation area and then served to classrooms.

The school has no on-site preparation area, indicating a preference for off-site preparation and delivery. Tenderers must propose a model that aligns with this constraint. The contractor is responsible for all aspects of service provision, including food, ingredients, preparation, packaging, delivery, serving, cleaning, waste disposal, transportation, and any necessary equipment or fit-out works. The fee per student per day is €3.20 (VAT exempt) and is all-inclusive.

A minimum of 10% of food by value must be organic in specified categories where possible. Tenderers must also comply with nutrition standards for hot school meals.

3. Background & buyer context

Scoil Íosagáin is procuring hot school meals under the Department of Social Protection's School Hot Meals Scheme. This procurement is conducted as an Open Procedure, operating below the EU threshold of €750,000, allowing for national-level flexibilities. The contract's duration and continuation are entirely dependent on the annual allocation of funding from the Department of Social Protection. The school has no on-site preparation facilities, necessitating a delivery-focused service model. The estimated contract value is €200,000 over its potential term.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

Tenderers must meet the following mandatory criteria to be considered eligible for evaluation:

• Turnover requirement: A minimum average annual turnover of €70,000 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 €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 per policy year.
• Professional Indemnity: €6.5 million limit per claim (only relevant for Service Delivery Models 2, 3, or 4 involving fit-out works).
• Certifications: Registered Food Business Operators.
• 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 deliver to the school location.

5. Award criteria & scoring

Criterion Weight (%) Sub-criteria