Provision of Hot Meals under 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 177 students at St. Manchan's National School under the Department of Social Protection's School Meals Scheme. The service must be available on each of the school's 182 operational days annually. The contract is for an initial term of one year, with the possibility of two one-year extensions.

The contractor must adhere to one of four specified service delivery models:

• Model 1: Meals Pre-Prepared Off-site and Delivered Ready to Eat: Meals are prepared off-site and delivered hot to classrooms, ready for consumption at the start of the lunch break (13:00hrs).
• Model 2: Meals Pre-Prepared Off-Site and Heated in the School’s Designated Preparation and/or Servery Area: Meals are prepared off-site, delivered, and then heated on-site in the school's designated area before being distributed to classrooms.
• Model 3: Meals Pre-Prepared Off-Site and Heated in the School by use of an External Pod or Mobile Catering Unit: Similar to Model 2, but heating occurs via an external pod or mobile unit on school grounds.
• Model 4: Meals Fully Prepared On-Site: Meals are prepared entirely on-site within the school's designated food preparation area.

The contractor is responsible for all aspects of service provision, including food, ingredients, preparation, packaging, delivery, catering equipment, serving, cleaning, waste disposal, transportation, licensing, pest control, utilities, and any necessary fit-out or building works. The contractor will not be permitted to charge students, parents, or guardians for the meals or services.

The school currently has a compact, functional food preparation and service area near the main entrance, equipped with a commercial oven, sink, storage, a fly killer, and pest control services. Tenderers must assess this area during the mandatory site visit.

The contract requires compliance with the Department of Social Protection's School Hot Meals Scheme and nutrition standards. A minimum of 10% of food by value must be certified organic in specified categories (cereals, fresh beef, lamb, pork, poultry, fish, vegetables, dairy) where possible.

3. Background & buyer context

This procurement is driven by St. Manchan's National School's requirement to provide hot meals to its students under the Department of Social Protection's School Meals Scheme. The scheme is funded annually by the Department of Social Protection, and the continuation of the contract is contingent on the annual allocation of this funding. The school operates 182 days per year. The procurement is conducted under an Open Procedure, as the estimated contract value falls below the €750,000 EU threshold for certain regulations. The contract is for social and other specific services, operating under a Light Touch Regime.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

Bidders must meet the following mandatory requirements to be considered eligible for evaluation:

• Turnover requirement:
• Minimum average annual turnover of €103,084.80 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 limit for third-party property damage per accident.
• Crime Insurance: €100,000 per claim.
• Cyber Liability: €1 million per claim and in aggregate.
• Professional Indemnity: €6.5 million limit per claim (only applicable for Service Delivery Models 2, 3, or 4 involving fit-out works).
• Certifications:
• Registered Food Business Operators.
• Key Account Managers (KAMs) must hold a Food Safety/HACCP qualification and have a minimum of 2 years' experience in a similar role.
• 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.

5. Award criteria & scoring

The tender will be awarded to the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT) based on a combination of price and quality. While specific scoring weights are not detailed in the provided extract, the evaluation process involves two stages: first, assessing eligibility against the selection criteria, and second, evaluating compliant tenders against the award criteria. The contract will be awarded to a single service provider.

6. Submission requirements

Tenderers must submit their bids electronically via the eTenders platform. The submission must adhere to the following:

• Method statement / response document: Tender Response Document (TRD) must be used, following the CFT format and responding to each element in order. No alteration of the CFT or TRD is permitted.
• CVs: Not explicitly mentioned, but KAM roles require specific qualifications and experience.
• Pricing schedule: Must be submitted as per Appendix 2. The price per meal is fixed at €3.20 (VAT exempt).
• Case studies: Not specified for this tender.
• Declarations:
• Tenderer's Statement (Appendix 3), signed and scanned, confirming acceptance of contract terms.
• Declaration as to Personal Circumstances of Tenderer (Appendix 4).
• Tax Clearance Access Number and Tax Reference Number for online verification.
• Disclosure of any Registrable Interest.
• Declaration of independent tender preparation.
• Mandatory site visit: Required on 2026-09-07 by appointment only (contact [email protected]).
• Submission portal: www.etenders.gov.ie. Tenders must be uploaded and submitted via the electronic tenderbox before the deadline. File size limits apply (250MB per file, 2GB total).

7. Key dates & process

8. Contract terms that matter

• Term: 1 year, with an option for two further 1-year extensions.
• Payment terms: 30 days in arrears, based on €3.20 (VAT exempt) per student per day.
• Key SLAs/KPIs: Complaints to be resolved within 3-5 days. Monthly status reports required.
• Liquidated damages or penalty regimes: Not specified for this tender.
• Termination clauses: Either party may terminate with 14 days' notice if a breach continues for 14 calendar days. Termination also possible if funding is no longer available.
• IP ownership: Not specified for this tender.
• Sub-contracting rules: Not specified for this tender, but consortium bids are permitted.
• Parent-company guarantee or bond requirements: Not specified for this tender.

9. Risks, red flags & unusuals

• Funding dependency: The contract is entirely dependent on annual funding from the Department of Social Protection. The school reserves the right to cancel the competition or contract if funding is unavailable. This introduces significant risk for the contractor regarding contract continuity.
• Mandatory site visit and appointment: While standard, the requirement for appointment booking via a specific email address and the tight timeframe before the clarification deadline necessitates prompt action.
• Service Delivery Model constraint: Only the four specified models are accepted; alternatives will lead to rejection. Tenderers must select and commit to one.
• Fit-out works responsibility: The successful tenderer is responsible for any building works required to meet compliance and food legislation, as identified during the site visit. This cost is included in the fixed meal price.
• Light Touch Regime: While below EU thresholds, the procurement is modelled on an open procedure, but the flexibility of LTR applies, meaning not all EU regulations are strictly enforced.

10. SME fit assessment

This tender is structured to be accessible to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with experience in catering services.

• Who can credibly bid: A catering company with established food safety protocols (HACCP qualification for KAMs), experience in delivering meals to institutions, and the financial capacity to meet the turnover requirement (€103,084.80 average annual turnover). Companies capable of operating within one of the four specified delivery models, including potential on-site heating or full preparation, are suitable.
• Consortium/sub-contracting: Consortium bids are permitted, allowing SMEs to partner with others to meet requirements or share risk. Sub-contracting is not explicitly detailed but implied by consortium arrangements.
• Indicative bid-prep effort: Bid preparation would likely require 5-10 days, involving site visits, understanding the specific school environment, preparing the TRD, pricing, and completing declarations.
• Pwin signal: The tender is for a single provider. The fixed price per meal (€3.20) and the responsibility for all costs, including potential fit-out works, suggest that experienced providers with efficient operations will have an advantage. The funding dependency is a key risk factor for all bidders.

11. Where to dig deeper

• Source RFT filename: CFT Hot Meals - St. Manchan's NS 17540D.docx
• eTenders CFT ID: Not explicitly stated in the provided text.
• Contact email / clarification portal: Messaging facility on www.etenders.gov.ie. For mandatory site visit appointments: [email protected].
• Most important attachments:
• Appendix 1: Requirements and Specifications
• Appendix 2: Pricing Schedule
• Appendix 5: Services Contract
• Appendix 7: Property Licence