CASE STUDY #1 Schools Tendering Service - Liverpool The cost of catering for a schools' catering service in Liverpool was running at plus £60k per annum. The School also required a refurbishment of the sixth form facilities. Following a review with the consultancy, it was decided to go to a formal tender process to potentially out-source the catering services. We managed the whole process from PQQ (pre-qualification) through ITT (invite to tender) and contract award. The successful caterer was appointed after a thorough scoring process and final presentation which including a panel from the school. A newly refurbished sixth form and new menus & marketing in the main canteen increased participation and drove down the cost of catering – as was the new catering company’s plan. The full tender process took ten consultative days initially. The school then was able to bolt on an additional two days per term for on-going caterer and service reviews to ensure the contract was delivered as per the ITT. |
CASE STUDY #2 Motorway Services – Purchasing & Operations An independent motorway services group required additional support for its group purchasing policies. We assisted with a supplier tendering program for food and non-food lines. We followed this up by writing a new purchasing policy for the group for future use. For the day to day operations, we actively recruited a new ‘Operations Manager’, hosting a selection day of tests and interviews to select the ideal candidate. The group benefited from the consulting resource - based on assigning two full consultative days per month and further ad-hoc projects being bolted on as required. This was a cost effective way for the group to add additional expertise as and when required. |
CASE STUDY #3 Tender for a large manufacturing site in North West We managed a multi outlet catering tender service for a large manufacturing site in Cheshire. After agreeing a timetable to suit the site, the consultancy reviewed the current catering services, gathered information and wrote the tender specification, including the client specific objectives. A new contract caterer was appointed for a three year term based on the tender responses, site visits and scoring matrix. The tender process from review, PQQ, ITT to award was fourteen consultative days. Further to the tender program we were later asked to conduct a contractor review of services two years into the contract. At the time the consultancy also conducted a feasibility study for bringing the catering services in-house. This resulted overall in an improved service delivery by the caterer, billing issues resolved and ultimately a contractor extension. This resource allowed the Client to benefit from independent expertise in the contract catering market to deliver better outcomes for the end user and the Company. |
CASE STUDY #4 Cumbria School – In-house support We successfully supported a School in Cumbria with its in-house catering provision. After initially conducting the ‘five point audit’ a project plan was put in place to turn the service around. A £30k catering deficit was turned into a £24k operating surplus with the introduction of dedicated finance systems, purchasing, and cost control. We also helped to recruit a new catering manager and mentored the catering team to achieve its targets. A combination of revamped menus, new outlets, and strict control measures ensured the success of the catering operations and the Schools’ desire to remain in-house. |