Thomas Mills High School ~ Catering Tender

Thomas Mills High School & Sixth Form is a flourishing 11-18 high school situated in the historic town of Framlingham, Suffolk. We set high expectations of our pupils and, together with our well-qualified staff, this leads to excellent teaching and learning.

Pupils travel to the school from across east and central Suffolk, as well as south Norfolk, to experience an academic education of high quality. The school is presenting an exciting opportunity to partner with a Supplier who is able to deliver their vision of promoting the health and wellbeing of their circa 1030 pupils and 100 staff through the catering provision.

Current catering sales revenue is around £300k per annum, but there is considerable upside thought possible with some potential investment in the catering infrastructure. The Client would like to see innovative delivery of emerging food trends that are seen on the high-street and in supermarkets that pupils frequent and therefore need to be reflective in the school dining environment.

There is a need to maximise sales and uptake – this can be achieved by offering a dynamic and bespoke food offering at morning break and lunchtime. The ITT will investigate the addition of a breakfast service and the anticipated impact that this may make.

The key areas of focus for the successful service provider will include; Fresh and innovative menus that are nutritionally balanced and appealing; The best use of local seasonal produce; Efficient and consistent speed of service with great customer interaction; Sustainable solutions for food packaging; Catering staff integration with the School community and support with Curriculum activities. Identifying and potential funding of appropriate additions to the existing offer notably in terms of potentially funding and sourcing a new 6th form/ teacher facing offer in the 6th form hub The Client expects the successful Supplier to evidence, through their bid, how they will deliver these focus areas. The existing team have resilience and consistency in day to day production, but in order to produce the innovative and dynamic food offer required they will need to be supported by an engaged operational team that can demonstrate and upskill menu content to provideservices that meet expectation.

Aside from the food, the environment in which the pupils engage with the catering offer is adequate but lacks some definition and merchandising, so the catering partners will need to consider what the requirements are to drive the whole pupil experience in the dining hall and other service areas. With a contract start date of Summer 2025, the Supplier will need to consider how they will manage the mobilisation and launch the service in what should be an adequate mobilisation timetable.

The Client is seeking a catering service partner that has the ability and appetite to work flexibly and with complete transparency to deliver an exceptional standard of service and take on the development of a loyal and dedicated team. The contract will be for an initial three year-term, (with likely potential for further extension), Litmus are in the process of concluding a consumer insight survey which looks in detail into current levels of satisfaction of the pupils of all ages and the staff, this data and insight report will feature in the ITT data for those shortlisted.

The catering tender presents an exciting time for the School and the Client is looking forwardn to developing a successful partnership with a service provider demonstrating the right cultural fit as well as hunger and appetite continuous improvement. Additional information: Please note, this is a Contract Award Notice, this contract has already been awarded.