Oxfordshire County Council is entering the final stages of re-tendering process for the authority’s property and facilities contract. The current contract is scheduled to come to a close during 2012.

School meals and the council’s cleaning service currently operate independently of this contract; officers proposed in October 2011 to include these services in the new contract.

However, the council’s cabinet insisted that officers should conduct an exhaustive investigation to make sure that under such a new structure, school meals standards in future would be as good if not better than those provided by the county council’s current Food with Thought service.

That evaluation, which has involved detailed scrutiny of bids and site visits to experience first-hand the services being offered by potential providers, has now been completed. On the basis of this evaluation, officers are recommending that school meals should be included in the overall property and facilities contract for the first time.

Insistence on high standards and improvements

Although officers have recommended approval, the cabinet will now have to decide whether it is also convinced that its requirements in terms of quality of service have been satisfied.

Cabinet wished to see the healthy school programmes and Government initiatives maintained, promotions for healthy eating initiatives to continue, all statutory food and health standards conclusively met, and schools to continue to be given the chance to tailor the service to their own needs as is the case at the moment.

It has also been specified that the new provider would have to offer continued professional training for all staff, apprenticeships, management training and development and the continued development of the county council’s current catering service training facilities.

Cabinet will be told that each of the potential providers, who must at the stage remain anonymous as part of national and international tendering process rules, have set out initiatives that go further than meeting the minimum requirements set out by the county council.

Price

Under the proposed new system, the county council would continue to control the school meal price. Potential providers have been told that the price per meal for the new academic year would be £2 – down from the current £2.10.

The council would also maintain the ability to monitor standards on a regular basis.

Staff

Staff currently employed in the provision of catering services through the council’s Food with Thought service would be transferred to the new service provider.

What happens next?

Should cabinet agree with the recommendation from officers that the school meals service should be part of the wider property and facilities contract, the next stage in the process will be for the potential providers to submit their financial offers. These would be considered by Cabinet later in 2012.

Councillor David Robertson, Deputy Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “My cabinet colleagues were clear that they wanted further assurances about standards and officers were asked to conduct rigorous investigations. All of the members of the council’s cabinet are looking to ensure that any new service maintains current standards of quality. Indeed they insisted on proof of improvements to what is provided at the moment.

“Officers are now satisfied that it would be the right thing to do to include school meals in the council’s future re-tendering of its wider property and facilities contract. However, my cabinet colleagues have the final say and will carefully study the evidence presented themselves before debating the issue and coming to a conclusion at our meeting on February 6.”