EXCELLENCE IN CATERING PROCUREMENT Without TUCO’s procurement support, school meals in Denbighshire would have cost the council an extra £270,000 this year. But it’s the back-office assistance – due diligence, market intelligence and EU tender support - that staff value just as highly.

Denbighshire has some of the lowest staffing ratios, portion and waste control, annual spend, via 19 EU compliant priced school meals in . The local menu monitoring and also competitive frameworks. authority was able to freeze meal prices purchasing.” This gives its members purchasing right across the county for seven years Had Denbighshire Council not ‘muscle’ that they wouldn’t have on their before the recent rise in food costs worked with TUCO on this competitive own. “Because we are relatively small, forced them to add an extra 20p. procurement activity, it would have paid our spending power is quite low, Ian This is something that catering an additional £270,000 this year. comments. “So, the fact that we join manager, Ian Kemp has mixed feeling TUCO is a professional membership together with others under the TUCO about. “Despite the rise, we are still one of body for in-house caterers, procuring food umbrella, means that we benefit from the most competitive school catering and beverages for 46 local authorities and being a member alongside bigger services in the country. It’s all down to 443 universities and colleges and driving authorities.” lots of hard work around marketing, down costs on over £140m of combined The local authority’s frozen food spend WHAT’S ON THE MENU? Denbighshire Council’s school meals and catering service spends more than £1.2m a year through TUCO. Here’s the breakdown of latest spend and savings:

ANNUAL SPEND SAVING SAVING PROCESS FRAMEWORK (AUG 16 - JUL 17) % AMOUNT SAVING

CATERING LIGHT & HEAVY £1.75 £7,163.92 0.85% £0.00 EQUIPMENT £59.67

CONFECTIONERY, SNACKS, £2,815.86 5.20% £154.46 £0.00 CAKES & ANCILLARY PRODUCTS

FRESH/FROZEN MEAT & £73.47 £36,714.52 19.62% £0.00 POULTRY £8,888.20

£135,228.78

FROZEN & CHILLED FOODS £405,074.76 29.57% £25,103.64 £0.00

£9,738.01

£1,106.85 FRUIT & VEGETABLES £133,398.13 5.14% £707.69 £0.00 “The fact that we £5,413.66 join together with 11.46% £47,973.04 GROCERY PROVISIONS & others under the TUCO £373,765.53 7.16% £202.35 £6,000.00 CHILLED FOODS umbrella, means that 11.46% £64.96 we benefit from being £257.24 INNOVATIVE FOOD CONCEPTS £44,362.30 3.00% £0.00 £1,114.79 a member alongside bigger authorities.” MILK, DAIRY, MORNING £2,476.57 £156,030.92 5.14% £6,000.00 GOODS & BREAD SUPPLY £5,977.98 - Ian Kemp, Denbighshire SOFT DRINKS & FRUIT JUICE £65,845.00 19.51% £15,960.19 £0.00 Council TOTAL £1,225,170.94 £260,503.29 £12,000.00 immediately contacted all the companies School meals in that might supply products containing About TUCO Denbighshire – dehydrated and pasteurised eggs. “She quickly put our minds at rest,” Ian explains. TUCO is the leading who’s being served? Denbighshire also benefit from the market intelligence that is freely available professional 54 primary schools to them as a TUCO member. Ian emails membership body Jane if he needs any catering industry for in-house caterers research data or an update on legislation, 7 secondary schools saving time hunting for the information operating in the higher himself. and further education 1 commercial outlet in a Sustainability is a key priority for sector. Also among its most councils and it’s something that craft centre TUCO also helps Denbighshire achieve members are more than through catering procurement. “We 40 local authorities 7,500 meals a day have a contract with a Welsh butcher,” throughout the UK who Ian explains. “Their meat is supplied via TUCO’s frozen food supplier, keeping benefit from savings denbighshireschoolmeals.co.uk everything on one invoice and in one and support for their vehicle, reducing our carbon footprint catering operations. @denbschoolmeals and supporting a local company at the same time.” Bread and morning goods also come from a supplier within the It provides a platform would have been £170,000 (29.5%) higher county, Welsh milk is bought for schools where members can this year without TUCO’s support. Costs on and a Denbighshire company distributes soft drinks and fruit juice would have also cheese and other dairy items which the Share and celebrate been 19.5% greater if the council hadn’t council buys through TUCO. achievements; Learn worked with TUCO. In total, food and drink As incomes are reducing in via a range of courses, would have cost the council an additional households, Ian has noticed more 10% across nine different categories, had it families trying to save by giving their kids professional advice, not procured through TUCO. packed lunches. This, he says, is a cost training and study tours; These figures are calculated by that is hidden within the weekly shop, Grow their business benchmarking against the prices of but it makes parents feel they are saving other purchasing organisations through money. The council are trying to address through the latest Quenelles’ food price monitoring service this by demonstrating the benefits market research, trends or by comparing prices from winning of a hot school meal and although and analysis; and Buy tenders against the average of all other the key message is cost – there is also tenders TUCO received. evidence that a proper nutritionally via TUCO’s EU compliant Ian Kemp thinks benchmarking is balanced school meal helps children catering frameworks a really important service. “TUCO’s to concentrate during the afternoon and wide range of assessment shows us that we are achieving session in school. best value for the local authority. This, in “We do price comparisons of a typical suppliers – maximising turn, helps us to price our school meals packed lunch to a typical school meal value through the competitively.” and it’s the hot meals that always come combined £140m+ Procurement process costs are a out on top.” With Denbighshire’s keen significant expense for Denbighshire eye on efficiency, this is something that annual spend of TUCO Council and without TUCO’s support, the is set to continue. members. local authority would have spent an extra £12,000 administering EU tenders. Another way that TUCO has helped If you would like to Denbighshire is via due diligence. Ian Kemp “Any information I find out how TUCO can and his staff have a close relationship with need, if there are any support your council’s TUCO’s six-strong procurement team. “Any food scares, then Jane information I need, if there are any food catering department, scares, then Jane Eve [Head of Contracts Eve will check with call us: 0161 713 3420, email at TUCO] will check with suppliers and see suppliers [and] I can us: [email protected] or visit if any of the foods in question are being get reassurance to delivered to Denbighshire. Then I can get www.tuco.ac.uk/buy reassurance to members of the council members of the council quickly.” quickly.” Speed is of the essence in any type of food scare. Last year there was a - Ian Kemp, Denbighshire panic in the food service industry about Council contamination in eggs from abroad. Ian Kemp got in touch with Jane Eve and she