One sentence summary – Bedford Borough Council has agreed to a new school meals contract with Caterlink, the incumbent provider, after receiving no alternative bids during the tender process, in order to maintain the provision of school meals, even though the new contract comes at a higher cost, which will affect families paying for school meals, while those eligible for income-related free school meals will not face any changes, and schools will need to use their pupil premium budget to cover the additional costs.
At a glance
- Bedford Borough Council has agreed to a new school meals contract with Caterlink
- No alternative bids were received during the tender process
- Caterlink’s new offer came at a significantly higher price
- Families paying for school meals will be affected by the increased prices
- Schools will need to use their pupil premium budget to cover the additional costs
The details
Bedford Borough Council agrees to new school meals contract
Bedford Borough Council has recently agreed to a new school meals contract.
The decision was made due to the expiration of the previous food service contract.
This expiration required the council to re-tender or cease the service altogether.
Council receives no bids from alternative providers
During the tender process, the council did not receive any bids from alternative providers.
This left them with limited options.
Consequently, they decided to continue working with the incumbent provider, Caterlink.
Caterlink justifies increased cost
This decision was made despite the fact that Caterlink’s new offer came at a significantly higher price.
In fact, the price offered by Caterlink was close to 20% higher than the current price.
Caterlink justified the increased cost by highlighting factors such as the rising cost of living, inflation, and fuel prices.
These factors needed to be taken into account for the new contract.
It is worth noting that food inflation is higher than national inflation.
This contributes to the overall increase in prices.
The new contract’s impact will primarily affect families who pay for school meals.
These families will experience the burden of the increased costs.
On the other hand, those eligible for income-related free school meals will still receive them without any cost.
However, schools themselves will need to allocate funds from their pupil premium budget to cover the additional expenses.
Bedford Borough Council had a total of 25 schools and 27 sites interested in the contract.
This further highlights the significance of this decision.
This school meals contract is unique.
The council is one of the few remaining local authorities that continue to offer a buyback school meal service.
In terms of pricing, primary school meals will now cost £2.82 per meal.
Secondary school meals will be priced at £2.92.
It is crucial to emphasize that the council’s decision to accept the offer from Caterlink was driven by the necessity to ensure the uninterrupted provision of a school meals contract.
Despite the price increase and limited alternatives, continuing the service was deemed paramount.
In summary, Bedford Borough Council has agreed to a new school meals contract with Caterlink, the incumbent provider, after receiving no alternative bids during the tender process.
The decision was made to maintain the provision of school meals, even though the new contract comes at a higher cost.
Families paying for school meals will be affected by the increased prices.
Those eligible for income-related free school meals will not face any changes.
Schools will need to utilize their pupil premium budget to cover the additional costs.
The new contract pricing will be £2.82 for primary school meals and £2.92 for secondary school meals.
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| bedfordshirelive.co.uk |
|---|
| – Bedford Borough Council has agreed to a new school meals contract – The new contract will result in an increase in prices for schools using the service – |
| The council is one of the few remaining local authorities offering a buyback school meal service – The former food service contract ended, requiring the council to re-tender or cease the service – No bids were received during the tender process, so the council went back to the incumbent provider, Caterlink – Caterlink explained that the cost of living, inflation, and fuel rises needed to be taken into account with the new contract – |
| The price offered by Caterlink was close to 20% higher than the current price – Food inflation is higher than national inflation – The council did not have other options on the table and had 25 schools, 27 sites interested in the contract – |
| The decision was made to accept the offer in order to continue providing a school meals contract – Families that pay for school meals will be impacted by the increased costs – Those on income-related free school meals will still receive them for free – Schools will have to pay for the increased costs from their pupil premium budget – |
| The cost per meal for primary school meals will be £2.82 and £2.92 for secondary school meals. |
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