Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Wyre Forest School
Habberley Road, Kidderminster
Worcestershire
DY11 6FA
tenders@litmuspartnership.co.uk
Telephone
+44 1276673880
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UKG12 - Worcestershire
Internet address(es)
Main address
one.3) Communication
The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at
https://litmustms.co.uk/respond/MU2628TCJ4
Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address
Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted to the above-mentioned address
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
one.5) Main activity
Education
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Wyre Forest School ~ Catering Tender
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 55524000 - School catering services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
The successful Supplier will be required to provide Catering services for Wyre Forest school.
We are a broad-spectrum special needs school for children aged 3 to 19. We also have Russell House, a 16-bed weekly residential unit. We have only been in our building since April 2015. Before this the school was on two sites following the Wyre Forest restructuring in 2011 (Bewdley Road site, formerly Blakebrook, and Comberton Road site, formerly Stourminster).
two.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT: £530,000
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.2) Description
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKG12 - Worcestershire
Main site or place of performance
Worcestershire
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
The successful Supplier will be required to provide Catering services for Wyre Forest school.
We are a broad-spectrum special needs school for children aged 3 to 19. We also have Russell House, a 16-bed weekly residential unit. We have only been in our building since April 2015. Before this the school was on two sites following the Wyre Forest restructuring in 2011 (Bewdley Road site, formerly Blakebrook, and Comberton Road site, formerly Stourminster).
We share our campus with Baxter College. We also have a vocational hub and a Sixth Form which prepares children for life after school. Offsite we run the award-winning Blossom Tree Café in Springfield Park.
We work tirelessly to meet the needs of all the children, so they develop and progress academically, socially, emotionally and physically. Our values of enthusiasm, resilience, honesty, teamwork and trust shine out from all that we do. We have an exciting curriculum which is broad and balanced and make the use of our specialist facilities, including soft play, dark room, sensory rooms, vocational hub, hydropool, gym and riding for the disabled. We are also a communication specialist school and use sign-a-long, PECS and communication passports. We are passionate about the benefits of outdoor education from Forest Schools and The John Muir Award to outdoor pursuits, working the land and exploring the Wyre Forest. This work is crucial in building emotional resilience, teamwork and independence.
The contract covers the scope for the provision of all catering services within the School, including hospitality and free issue requirements.
The duration of the contract offered is three years commencing on 1 January 2026, concluding on 31 December 2028, with the opportunity to extend by up to an additional two years at the discretion of the governing body. There are 190 academic days each year, plus 5 teacher training days which require no catering service. There are currently 371 students and 304 staff, however this number is anticipated to increase to circa 427 during the period of the contract, with the addition of a number of extra classrooms.
The contract is offered on a ‘guaranteed performance’ basis. Currently Meal Deals of salad, main and pudding are at a maximum of £2.53 for pupils and staff £2.90, charged on consumption with margin applied. Currently circa 210 – 230 lunches are served each day, with circa 160 being plated and served via the classrooms, the remainder via the dining room service point. The School has a variety of dietary requirements that need accommodated, including allergies, sensory and individual pupil preferences.
The residential centre is open for meals Monday to Thursday during term time only and commence a week after the main School, consequently serving for 185 days.
It is appreciated that a level of investment may be identified as a requirement of your bid, and therefore bidders are encouraged to provide detailed information of any equipment felt necessary. Bidders must provide the equipment make, model and cost and a justification of how this equipment will assist in fulfilling the proposal and potential of the service. All investment suggested must be fully justified within the Service Development and Finance sections of your Bidder Response. The level of investment provided will be at the School’s discretion, subject to the method of obtaining the investment for the required equipment.
The quality of food provision will be critical and indeed your organisation must be flexible enough to source bakery, meat, fruit and vegetables and dairy products through local suppliers. It is expected that menus will feature and utilise products in season.
Please see SQ Document for more information.
two.2.5) Award criteria
Price is not the only award criterion and all criteria are stated only in the procurement documents
two.2.6) Estimated value
Value excluding VAT: £530,000
two.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Start date
1 January 2026
End date
31 December 2030
This contract is subject to renewal
No
two.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited
Envisaged minimum number: 5
Maximum number: 10
Objective criteria for choosing the limited number of candidates:
A minimum of 5 suppliers and a maximum of 10 suppliers will be taken forward to the tender stage of the process. Where less than 5 suppliers meet the minimum standards, only those that meet the minimum standards will be taken through to the tender stage. Where more than 5 suppliers meet the minimum standard, those suppliers with the highest scores will proceed to the tender stage.
two.2.10) Information about variants
Variants will be accepted: Yes
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: No
two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No
two.2.14) Additional information
To respond to this opportunity please click here: https://litmustms.co.uk/respond/MU2628TCJ4
Section three. Legal, economic, financial and technical information
three.1) Conditions for participation
three.1.2) Economic and financial standing
Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents
three.1.3) Technical and professional ability
Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Restricted procedure
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
four.2) Administrative information
four.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
Date
11 April 2025
Local time
12:00pm
four.2.3) Estimated date of dispatch of invitations to tender or to participate to selected candidates
26 May 2025
four.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted
English
Section six. Complementary information
six.1) Information about recurrence
This is a recurrent procurement: No
six.2) Information about electronic workflows
Electronic ordering will be used
Electronic invoicing will be accepted
Electronic payment will be used
six.3) Additional information
The contracting authority considers that this contract may be suitable for economic operators that are small or medium enterprises (SMEs). However, any selection of tenderers will be based solely on the criteria set out for the procurement.
It will be the supplier's responsibility to obtain any necessary documents in order to submit a response by the closing date and time.
The contracting authority reserves the right not to award any or part of the contract which is the subject of this contract notice and reserves the right to terminate the procurement process at any time.
The contracting authority will not be liable for any costs incurred by those expressing an interest in tendering for this contract opportunity.
The contracting authority will consider variant bids, evaluating them (so far as the variant or the evaluation of the variant is in the opinion of the contracting authority practicable) on the same basis as a conforming bid, but shall not be obliged to accept any such bid in preference to a conforming bid even if the variant bid scores more highly. No variant will be considered unless the bidder simultaneously submits a conforming bid.
For more information about this opportunity, please visit the Delta eSourcing portal at:
https://litmustms.co.uk/tenders/UK-UK-Worcestershire:-School-catering-services./MU2628TCJ4
To respond to this opportunity, please click here:
https://litmustms.co.uk/respond/MU2628TCJ4
GO Reference: GO-2025213-PRO-29423187
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
Wyre Forest School
Habberley Road, Kidderminster
Worcestershire
Worcesters
tenders@litmuspartnership.co.uk
Telephone
+44 1276673880
Country
United Kingdom