Cold Lunch Club 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 single service provider to deliver cold lunches to students at Scoil na Maighdine Mhuire under the Department of Social Protection's School Meals Scheme. The contract is for the provision of catering services for a "Cold Lunch Club."

The contractor will be responsible for:

• Meal Preparation: All food must be prepared off-site and delivered ready to eat. No on-site preparation or service delivery model other than this will be accepted.
• Delivery: Food must be delivered to designated drop-off points at the school premises at an agreed time. The cold chain must be maintained up to the time of consumption.
• Service Volume: The service is required for a maximum of 164 students per day. The estimated total contract value over a maximum 3-year term is €150,552.00, which equates to a maximum of 88,560 meals over three years. The contractor will only be paid for meals ordered by parents/guardians.
• Meal Specification: Each cold lunch must include 4 items plus a drink (water). This comprises 2 servings of vegetables, salad, or fruit, and 1 serving of wholemeal or brown bread, or a similar carbohydrate. The rate of payment for a lunch with a drink is €1.70 per student.
• Compliance: Services must be delivered in full compliance with the Department of Social Protection's School Meals Scheme and all applicable food legislation. Compliance with the Department of Education's Technical Note Guidance [SDG02 TN-06] is mandatory.
• Reporting: Monthly status reports detailing key information are required.
• Complaint Resolution: Complaints must be fully resolved within 3-5 days.
• School Calendar: The school calendar will be provided at the beginning of each school year.
• Contract Term: The initial contract term is one year, with the possibility of up to two one-year extensions.

The contract explicitly excludes the sale of optional add-ons or extras.

3. Background & buyer context

Scoil na Maighdine Mhuire, located in Ballymun, Dublin 9, is procuring catering services for its students under the Department of Social Protection's School Meals Scheme. This scheme aims to provide nutritional meals to students in primary schools. The procurement is being conducted as an Open Procedure, operating below the €750,000 EU threshold, but applying relevant national regulations by analogy. The contract's duration and value are contingent on the annual allocation and availability of funding from the Department of Social Protection. The school is encouraging participation from Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and larger enterprises are encouraged to include SMEs in their proposals.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

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

• Turnover requirement: A minimum average annual turnover of €50,184.00 for each of the three financial years immediately preceding the tender publication date.
• Insurance: The following insurances must be held for the term of the contract:
• 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 per policy year.
• Certifications: Tenderers must be registered Food Business Operators.
• Past experience: A minimum of 3 previous contract examples are required. Specific details on the size or complexity of these examples are not explicitly stated as mandatory selection criteria in the provided text.
• Personnel: Not specified for this tender.
• Geographic / facility constraints: Food must be prepared off-site and delivered. The school premises are located at Shangan Road, Ballymun, Dublin 9. Tenderers must be able to deliver to this location.

5. Award criteria & scoring

Criterion Weight (%) Sub-criteria