Farming

Catering Services and Food Procurement (CSFP) Toolkit

Invitation to tender (ITT)

The Invitation to tender (ITT) is the process by which a contractor is selected to provide goods and/or services. The ITT should be prepared by the user department/budget holder and Procurement. An example ITT can be found under Templates and resources below. Clause 8 - Ingredients and Products - within the specification of requirements, consists of two alternatives. The relevant clause can be chosen in accordance with the type of contract sought in relation to ingredients and products: (A) Catering Services and Supply or (B) Authority Purchased.

The objectives are to ensure that the selected contractor:

  • is the best qualified to provide value for money (VFM) catering services and/or food direct from wholesalers/producers
  • will introduce and proactively pursue the principles of the Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative throughout the term of the contract

The ITT selection process should identify suitably qualified organisations that would be capable of achieving the required level of service and/or quality of products, as shown in the Catering Specification.

Evaluation of ITT submissions

The ITT evaluation process comprises of three stages:

  1. The evaluation of the tenderer's technical ability and organisation capability;
  2. The interview of those who achieve above the minimum 50% score in point 1 above;
  3. The assessment of the costed proposal for services as specified in the Catering Specification.
Stage 1: Technical ability and organisation capability

Each member of the evaluation panel should independently assess each supplier's submission based on the scoring criteria set out in the evaluation pack. An example ITT evaluation model can be found under Templates and resources below.

Each member of the panel should present their scores to the Facilitator prior to evaluation panel meeting. The ITT evaluation panel normally involves the following interested parties:

  • End User
  • Budget Holder/Project Manager/Technical Advisor
  • Representative from Trade Unions
  • Representative from Staff Restaurant Committee

A representative from Procurement would normally be appointed to chair/facilitate the evaluation meetings. For continuity, it is helpful if the evaluation panel members are the same for the PQQ and ITT evaluation. The objective of the evaluation panel is to arrive at a single agreed score for each of the questions answered by the tenderers.

Stage 2: Interview and tender clarification

Those tenderers who achieve the 50% threshold can then be invited to an interview to present their proposals for providing the specified service. The panel members can then ask questions on areas requiring clarification from the ITT and/or the interview. At the end of the interview, the panel can confirm or adjust the scores from the original evaluation meeting. Until this stage is complete, the panel should not be aware of the proposed costings/prices of the tenderers.

Stage 3: Assessment of costings / prices

A trained accountant or proficient procurement professional (not involved in the project) should undertake an analysis of the proposed costings of each of the tenderers. An accounting model, which will compare the costs on a like for like basis and allocate a score, will need to be utilised. The score calculated from the Costings/Prices should then be added to the confirmed agreed score from the evaluation panel. The highest score is then declared the winner.

Below, under Templates and resources, is an example of Defra’s Invitation to Tender Evaluation Model. It is the Contracting Authority’s responsibility to use an appropriate evaluation mechanism to ensure a fair, transparent and auditable process.

The PSFPI checklist can be used to determine whether the selected contractor has abided by the aims of the PSFPI.

Templates and resources

Page last modified: 21 February 2008
Page published: 21 February 2008

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs