Catering Services- Expression of interest

Posted on May 8, 2014May 8, 2014

 

The following document provides you with an overview of the Expression of Interest process. Having read this document thoroughly, operators interested in providing the catering services are asked to formally register their interest by emailing DIIBTender@castlereagh.gov.uk by 12 noon on Friday 30^th May.

1. Background.

1. Castlereagh Borough Council is in the process of redeveloping its flagship leisure facility – Dundonald International Ice Bowl (DIIB). The Council recognises the need in taking such new opportunities forward that it is their responsibility where possible to reflect and support other cross cutting Government strategies such as Transforming Your Care, Sport Matters and Fit Futures. The redevelopment project has a number of key objectives which align it to the Council’s corporate position, all of which supports the need to develop a flagship facility which promotes health and wellbeing whilst working with partners to reduce health inequalities across the Borough and beyond. The Council is therefore considering options for new activities including health and wellbeing elements as part of the overall redevelopment of the facility. The Council is keen to explore tenancy/partnership opportunities at the facility.

2. Dundonald International Ice Bowl is owned and managed by Castlereagh Borough Council. Millions of visitors have passed through its doors to date and it has been one of the main leisure facilities and tourist attractions in Northern Ireland since its opening in 1986. The NI Tourist Board / DETI NI Visitor’s Survey 2010 rated Dundonald International Ice Bowl as the number one participating visitor attraction in Northern Ireland with 618,000 visitors; this was a higher footfall than the Giants Causeway Visitor Centre and the Ulster Museum. It repeated this success in 2011 with a footfall of over 601,000.

c. Dundonald International Ice Bowl is an important service provider in the local area and across the whole of the Province; it currently employs over 100 staff and is supported by a number of SMEs.

d. The Review of Public Administration will conclude on 1 April 2015, with the facility remaining within the enlarged joint Castlereagh & Lisburn council area. The new Council area will host a number and range of further facilities which may be considered for inclusion of a similar arrangement at a later stage.

e. The final design brief for the new facility is yet to be confirmed, however it is anticipated that the facility will include:

• An Olympic sized ice rink
• 24 lane of tenpin bowling
• An indoor softplay area
• A gymnasium
• A 12 court sports hall
• Entertainment and video arcade
• Catering and vending

f. It will also have other activities owned and operated by partners/tenants such as:

• Climbing wall and high ropes
• Offices for several sports’ governing bodies

g. The facility, which will be linked to a health and wellbeing ‘hub’ encompassing GP surgeries, pharmacy and muscular skeletal (rheumatology, physiotherapy and orthopaedics) etc will open in 2017.

 

h. Vending (soft drinks, snacks and coffee/tea etc) within the facility is currently operated in-house. The Council would wish to retain control of this operation but would be amenable to discussions regarding the proximity of such machines to the catering outlets.

 

2. Aim. Whilst the Council currently delivers catering in-house, as part of a value for money exercise, it is currently market testing the outsourcing of this service for the new facility. Therefore the aim of this document is to provide an overview of expectation and is in no form to be considered binding upon the Council.

 

3. Objectives. The Council has 4 prime objectives with regard to this exercise:

a. To provide a catering service which will complement the other facilities, tenants/partners and services contained within the building.

b. To provide a financial return on its capital investment in the facility.

c. To engage with the successful applicant at the earliest opportunity so as to influence the architectural design of the complex. The successful applicant will be expected to fit-out, equip and provide the catering services.

d. To appoint a tenant/partner capable of delivering a catering service to meet the needs of the facility, on behalf of the Council.

 

4. Need. The Council wishes to offer the following catering options within the new facility:

1. Quality Coffee/Tea and accompaniments.

• The Council foresees a demand for a quality coffee/tea ‘island style’ outlet in the main concourse and adjacent to the health hub which will cater for:
  • Waiting parents
  • Visitors to the health hub
  • The more health conscious customer

2. Healthy Food Options.

 

• The long debated dilemma of what children ‘want’ versus what the Council as a responsible body should be encouraging
• The Council supports healthy lifestyles and will soon have within the facility a gymnasium and major health hub
• An appropriate catering offering is deemed necessary

 

The following four categories below reflect what is currently served and it is anticipated these will be sustained in the new facility:

3. Walk In Fast Food.

 

• No advance notice
• Primarily fast food served and eaten in the café area
• Served all day; but peak periods being post school, evenings and weekends

 

4. Children’s Parties.

 

• Generally booked in advance and served following an activity within the Centre
• Primarily fast food served in a dedicated party room
• Occasional requests for healthy option menus
• Parents generally want to know the cost of adding catering when booking a party activity and therefore a number of fixed price menus has to date proved easier to co-ordinate
• Peak periods being Friday to Sunday

 

5. Functions.

• Requests to cater for larger functions in a function/conference room
• This can range from a 3 course sit down meal to finger buffet food
• No peak period identified

 

• With the addition of a 12 court sports hall to the facility, several sporting governing bodies have indicated that they would require catering when hosting sporting events

6. Tea/Coffee at meetings.

• Function/conference rooms are hired out to external groups who often request tea/coffee served with biscuits or scones pre/during/post meeting
• Peak periods being Monday to Friday office hours

 

• It is anticipated that the health hub will also wish to avail of the catering services on offer

The Council would be keen to see a catering service which promotes the use of local produce.

The Council currently operates a restaurant licence with alcoholic beverages being served as part of a substantial plated meal. It also serves alcohol at ‘closed’ corporate events. It is not anticipated that alcohol would be served in public areas, in other circumstances

5.Process. Whereas it is the Council’s preference to have one operator providing all of the catering services in the new facility, it recognises that some interested parties may wish to express their interest in specific elements. The process to be followed will be:

a. Expressions of Interest. Interested parties are asked to register their interest by emailing DIIBTender@castlereagh.gov.ukby12 noon on Friday 30^th May.

b. Interested parties who register an Expression of Interest, will be invited to a site inspection and powerpoint overview of the project, with Council Leisure Officers on either of the following dates:

Tuesday 3^rd June @ 1430 hrs

Thursday 5^th June @ 1030 hrs

This will take place at Dundonald International Ice Bowl. Please confirm your attendance and preferred date in your Expression of Interest email (paragraph 5a above).

c. Interested parties will then be given until 12 noon onFriday 25^th July 2014 to submit their commercial proposal / business plan, addressing the issues in Appendix A, and in sufficient detail to enable the Council to assess your submission using the scoring matrix at paragraph 6. This should be either emailed to: DIIBTender@castlereagh.gov.uk or hard copied posted to:

Jeremy Knox

DIIB Project Manager

Dundonald International Ice Bowl

111 Old Dundonald Road

Dundonald

BT16 1XT

• The Council cannot accept responsibility for postal or delivery delays.

• The Council does not bind itself to accept any Expression of Interest received.

d. Paper evaluation of the proposals.

e. Negotiations – if necessary.

f. Final evaluation.

g. Presentations to be given to the Leisure Park Board (LPB) – TBC.

h. Notification will follow consideration by the Leisure Park Board.

6.Scoring Matrix. The submissions will be evaluated by the following scoring matrix:

a. Commercial proposal/business plan 65%

b. Previous relevant experience 25%.

3. Design, appearance and image in keeping with the host facility 10%

7.Standing Costs. The successful applicant will be responsible for the following (list is not exhaustive):

a. Rates – if under lease

2. Public Liability Insurance – £5 million

2. Employers Liability Insurance – £10 million

2. PRS and PPL costs

2. Utility costs

2. Maintenance and repair of the demised areas and site curtilage.

2. Waste disposal

2. Service Charge

8. TUPE.

a. Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 and Service Provision Change (Protection of Employment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006. Whilst a catering service is to continue to be provided at Dundonald International Ice Bowl, the Council is considering outsourcing as a means of delivering this service which would result in a change of employer for the Council catering staff located at Dundonald International Ice Bowl, therefore TUPE would apply.

b. At present 6 staff employed by Castlereagh Borough Council are assigned to catering at Dundonald International Ice Bowl under Leisure Services contracts of employment.

1. 1 x Catering Manager

2. 2 x Senior Cook

3. 1 x Cook

4. 2 x Catering Assistants

9.Area.

a.The main area under consideration for the catering will be on the ground floor within the main complex. To enable a planning application to proceed, an area of 308sqm has been assigned, inclusive of kitchen, stores and seated areas.

b. Appendix B gives the intended floor space available to the catering operator. The operator will have latitude to liaise with the Council re the positioning of offices or stores etc within this area.

c. It is anticipated that the Quality Coffee/Tea and accompaniments will be located in the main concourse, ground floor. The exact location will be determined in consultation with the successful applicant.

d. An additional ‘servery’ has been located on the first floor adjacent to the function suites. Due to the topography of the site and the building design, this can be accessed directly from ground level without the need to access lifts and enter the main concourse. It is anticipated that this servery will facilitate an operator wishing to bring in pre-prepared food when catering for a function, without the need to disrupt the general flow on the main kitchen. To enable a planning application to proceed, an area of 25sqm has been assigned. It should be noted that this area will not form part of the lease but will be available to service functions within the facility.

10. Agreement. A legal agreement will be drawn up by the Council’s solicitors and issued to the successful organisation. The term of the agreement will be negotiated.

11.Further Information.

a. Further information on the project can be obtained by contacting:

Jeremy Knox

DIIB Project Manager

Dundonald International Ice Bowl

111 Old Dundonald Road

Dundonald

BT16 1XT

jeremyknox@castlereagh.gov.uk

Tel No: 02890 809 101

12.Summary. The Council welcomes ideas and is open to suggestions regarding the proposed provision of these new facilities. It is not the Council’s intention to stipulate a fixed rent but rather will consider each submission on its own merit and how that meets the Councils’ objectives. Applicants must however state a suggested rent per square metre.