For many schools, procuring a new catering contract can feel like a daunting task. Tendering is time-consuming, highly regulated and often involves balancing a wide range of priorities – from budget and compliance to nutrition, service quality and the needs of pupils.
For special schools, those challenges can be even greater.
Every school is unique, but special schools often have additional considerations that need to be reflected throughout the procurement process. From supporting pupils with complex needs and specialist dietary requirements to ensuring suppliers understand the wider role that catering plays within the school day, it’s essential that any tender is built around the school’s individual circumstances rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
Putting schools first
Our consultants take the time to understand every school’s priorities before a tender begins. By working closely with leadership teams, catering stakeholders and governors, we develop procurement strategies that reflect each school’s objectives and create a fair, transparent process that delivers the right long-term outcome.
That collaborative approach helped support Wyre Forest School, in Kidderminster, through its catering tender process. Wyre Forest School is a specialist school for children aged 4-19 years old with complex special needs.
Reflecting on the experience, Elaine at Wyre Forest School said: “Litmus managed every aspect of the tender process with professionalism and fairness. They took the time to understand our unique requirements as a Special School. Their contact process is thorough and reliable.”
Understanding what makes special schools different
Over many years, we’ve worked alongside schools across the UK, giving us valuable insight into what works well in different education settings. That knowledge doesn’t just inform our tendering approach – it also enables us to drive innovation.
We recently launched the UK’s first Consumer Insight programme pilot designed specifically for special schools, marking it as the first initiative of its kind in the sector.
Recognising that traditional written surveys don’t always provide an accessible way for pupils with SEND to share their views, we’ve developed an inclusive, visual-led approach that enables students to give meaningful feedback on every aspect of their catering experience, from food choices and portion sizes to the dining environment and service.
The programme also allows schools to benchmark their findings against insights gathered from hundreds of schools nationwide, helping them understand where they’re performing well and where opportunities for improvement exist.
While Consumer Insight and procurement are different services, the findings from our Consumer Insight programmes help shape our approach to tendering by providing valuable insight into what pupils and schools value, as well as highlighting opportunities for improvement.
Making the right procurement decisions
Choosing the right catering partner is one of the most important decisions a school can make. A well-managed tender not only delivers value for money but also creates the foundations for a catering service that supports pupil wellbeing, enhances the school experience and meets the needs of the whole school community.
If your school is considering a catering tender and would like independent support from an experienced consultancy that understands the education sector, click here to find out more about how we can work with you.
The Litmus team
