RESOLVED:

A. That Cabinet agreed to award to Bidder A (as detailed in the Confidential Appendix to this report) a contract for provision of the school meals catering service at Merton PFI secondary schools for a period of 3 years from 1 January 2022, with an option to extend for up to two further years at the discretion of the Council.

B. In accordance with Contract Standing Orders (CSO 24.3) that authority was delegated to the Director of Children, Schools and Families to exercise, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Children and Education, the council’s option to grant one or more extensions of the contract term for any period up to two further years beyond the expiry of the initial contract term on 31 December 2025.

The Cabinet Member for Children and Education presented the report, thanking officers for their work. The report followed a previous Cabinet decision to remove catering from the PFI contract which covered a number of schools and therefore this report sought to award a contract for the provision of school meals catering to these schools following a bidding process to identify a supplier.  

RESOLVED:

A. That Cabinet agreed to award to Bidder A (as detailed in the Confidential Appendix to this report) a contract for provision of the school meals catering service at Merton PFI secondary schools for a period of 3 years from 1 January 2022, with an option to extend for up to two further years at the discretion of the Council.

B. In accordance with Contract Standing Orders (CSO 24.3) that authority was delegated to the Director of Children, Schools and Families to exercise, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Children and Education, the council’s option to grant one or more extensions of the contract term for any period up to two further years beyond the expiry of the initial contract term on 31 December 2025.