Discover how Litmus Partnership helped Affinity Learning Partnership run a compliant tender process for their catering contract across all schools within the trust.
Budget Negotiations
Independent support for catering and cleaning budget reviews. Litmus helps you assess, challenge and negotiate fair, evidence-based budgets with confidence.
Bringing clarity, context and confidence
When your catering or cleaning provider presents a new budget, it’s not always easy to know whether the figures are fair or competitive. At Litmus Partnership, we bring clarity, context and confidence to every stage of the process.
Drawing on our benchmarking data, market intelligence and sector expertise, we provide the evidence you need to assess proposed budgets, challenge assumptions and negotiate effectively — ensuring you secure the best possible value without compromising service quality.
Turning complex budget discussions into clear insights
Budget reviews can be challenging. Rising costs, fluctuating inflation and supplier pressures can all make it difficult to judge what represents fair value. Without a clear view of market trends or comparable data, organisations risk agreeing to inflated budgets that don’t reflect true sector conditions.
Litmus helps you take control of these discussions by providing transparent, evidence-based insight into what good looks like — and what represents fair value in today’s market.
With decades of experience and the sector’s most comprehensive education data, we uncover opportunities others miss
With Litmus by your side, you’ll enter budget negotiations equipped with clear facts, sound reasoning and the confidence to reach the right agreement.
What's involved?
We combine data analysis, market knowledge and practical negotiation support to ensure your budget discussions are informed, balanced and strategic.
Our support typically includes:
- Reviewing proposed catering or cleaning budgets in detail
- Benchmarking costs against comparable organisations and current market data
- Assessing the impact of inflation and sector-specific cost drivers
- Providing evidence and recommendations to inform negotiations
- Supporting client–provider discussions to achieve a fair and sustainable outcome
The benefits
Our approach ensures every pound spent is justified and every proposal is transparent.
We help you:
- Understand whether a proposed budget is fair, realistic and market-aligned
- Challenge provider assumptions with independent data and analysis
- Achieve savings without compromising service quality
- Strengthen relationships through open, evidence-based negotiation
- Build confidence and control in financial decision-making
The result is reassurance — knowing your budgets reflect true market value and support sustainable service delivery.
Why choose the Litmus Partnership
With decades of experience in catering, cleaning and soft facilities management, Litmus Partnership combines independent insight with hands-on sector expertise.
Our consultants understand both the commercial realities faced by providers and the financial pressures on clients. We bridge that gap — helping you negotiate with confidence, maintain transparency and secure lasting value.
We don’t just support negotiations; we help you build trust and achieve balance between cost and quality.
Client Success Stories
Discover how we’ve helped organisations across education, healthcare, business and the public sector achieve measurable improvements in quality, efficiency and value.
Discover how Litmus Partnership helped Marlborough College approach a re-design of their historic dining space through consumer insights.
Discover how Litmus Partnership helped Marlborough College approach a re-design of their historic dining space through consumer insights.
Discover how Litmus Partnership helped Marlborough College approach a re-design of their historic dining space through consumer insights.
Discover how Litmus Partnership helped Marlborough College approach a re-design of their historic dining space through consumer insights.
Discover how Litmus Partnership helped Wellington College & Eagle House School successfully negotiate and improve their facilities services.
Insights And News
Stay informed with the latest industry insights, expert commentary and project updates from the Litmus Partnership team.
- EducationRead More
Benchmarking and performance – are you really in control of your school’s operational contracts?
- Consumer Insight | Education | Public SectorRead More
Coming Soon: A new Consumer Insight Programme for special schools
- Education | Public SectorRead More
Financial Awareness Day 2025: How schools can drive greater financial efficiency through smarter catering management
Take the next step
If you’re entering a new budget cycle or reviewing a provider proposal, now is the time to ensure you’re making decisions based on facts, not assumptions.
Get in touch to discover how Litmus Partnership can help you negotiate budgets that reflect true market value and deliver long-term financial sustainability.
Contact Us
We love to connect with business leaders that want to make a change. Contact our friendly team to request a no obligation chat about your current challenges and goals.