One of the biggest misconceptions in school catering – whether that’s independent or state schools – is ‘if we want to improve quality, we will need to spend more.’ However, this isn’t always the case.
In many cases, the real opportunity isn’t in what you’re buying, but how you’re buying it.
Looking beyond the food bill
At Marlborough College, the catering operation was already highly regarded. The school was spending £1.4m a year on food and catering supplies and pupils were being fed well, the team had a strong reputation, and day-to-day operations appeared to be running smoothly.
On the surface, there was little reason to make changes.
However, as with many large catering operations, success can sometimes mask inefficiencies that have developed over time. Processes become established, supplier relationships evolve, and administrative tasks are absorbed into daily routines without anyone stepping back to ask whether there’s a better way. ‘Working’ and ‘working well’ are two different things.
The value of a forensic review
This is when we came in. Rather than focusing solely on food prices, we conducted a detailed review of Marlborough College’s purchasing and procurement processes.
What emerged wasn’t about expensive ingredients or poor supplier performance. Instead, the review uncovered a range of hidden inefficiencies that had accumulated over time:
- A complex supplier base that created unnecessary administration
- Time-consuming manual processes
- Thousands of paper-based transactions
- Procurement practices that had not been challenged or reviewed for some time
None of these issues were causing obvious problems but together they were creating friction, consuming valuable time and preventing the operation from performing at its full potential.
Buying smarter, not cheaper
One of the most common misconceptions in procurement is that savings can only be achieved by reducing quality or switching to lower-cost products.
However, as the Marlborough project demonstrated – the opposite can be the case. The results included:
- Food costs reduced significantly
- Supplier numbers reduced by 20%
- Key local suppliers retained
- Digital systems replaced thousands of manual processes
- New products introduced to improve the food offer
The savings didn’t come from buying cheaper food, they came from buying smarter.
Mike Naworynsky OBE, previous Director of Operations at Marlborough College, our client at the time of the project, said: “Our dedicated and experienced catering team is passionate about their role and the importance of serving the Marlborough family. To support them, we modernised our support systems and procurement approach. Litmus guided us through this transformation, constantly engaging with our team to understand their needs and highlighting what was possible. The solutions they designed and implemented have revolutionised our operations, yielding significant food cost savings and streamlining processes.”
Could your procurement processes stand up to scrutiny?
An independent review can provide the perspective needed to identify inefficiencies that have been hidden as they are ‘just the way things are done’. The organisations that achieve the best outcomes aren’t necessarily spending less. They’re ensuring every part of their procurement process is working as effectively as possible.
The question is simple: if your current purchasing processes were subjected to a forensic review, what would you discover?
To learn more about the challenges identified, the solutions implemented and the results achieved, read the full Marlborough College case study here.
The Litmus team
