Published
By Toby Belshaw
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has moved to continue the English capital's provision of free school meals, with CPC/Tenet equipped to assist.
You might have read in the news how Tower Hamlets Council became England’s first local authority to fund universal, free school meals for all its pupils, up to the age of 16. This announcement built upon the recent offering by Mayor Khan, which committed to a full 12 months of priceless on-site meals for the capital’s primary-age pupils. Meanwhile, a poll published by the Food Review Working Group in September found a sizeable 82% of prospective Labour voters, as well as 53% of their Conservative counterparts, supported the future expansion of free school meal provision. With the direction of travel projecting an increased demand for on-site school catering, you might be considering a re-tender of your catering contract to sufficiently handle this upsurge. Reassuringly, whether you're expecting or already experiencing an increase at your primary or secondary institution, CPC is ready and equipped to assist you.
Our current Outsourced Catering Services framework is the latest in a line of CPC catering supplier provisions, previously used by some 400+ institutions around the United Kingdom. Refreshed in 2022, the framework is designed to help education establishments procure their catering contracts more effectively, with the intent of initiating supplier competition, driving potential savings and delivering on the requirements of schools, academies and FE bodies. A pool of no fewer than 36 suppliers comprise this nation and region-spanning 32-lot framework, each one assessed and approved by CPC to affirm their quality and ability. In 2023, the agreement was recommended by the Department for Education (DfE), following a process that evaluates a framework’s suitability, ease of use, compliance with procurement regulations and value for money, while taking school comments into account.
Alternatively, your education institution could benefit from Tenet Education Services’ tailored, On Demand support, which takes the strain of your catering contract procurement experience. A provider of procurement project management, Tenet undertakes more than 300 tenders for the education sector per year, bringing successes and satisfaction to a variety of institutions. With a record of accomplishing savings and improving services, catering consultancy ranks among the Tenet specialities, with more on the scope of support offered at TenetServices.com. Both Tenet and CPC operate as not-for-profit organisations under the CPL Group umbrella, with surplus funds reinvested in education through its ‘Giving Back’ charitable programme. Since its establishment in 2019, more than £1 million has been reinvested via ‘Giving Back’, helping institutions make purchases and bringing a host of worthy projects to life.