Decision details

A procurement process has been initiated by the Director of Adults and Health for the award of the contract for food supply and delivery of the Meals on Wheels service to customers in the community and West Sussex County Council operated Directly Provided Services (Day Centres).

The existing contract arrangements will expire on 18th October 2022 following the current 7-year contract coming to its fully extended end. The current contract operates 365 day a year and delivers approx. 200,000 meals a year to around 700 registered customers living in the community and has an annual value of around 1.2m. In a BAU year the contract also provides around 20,000 Day Centre meals. A competitive procurement process will be undertaken for the Meals on Wheels contract to commence on 19th October 2022 for a period of 5 years initially plus any potential extensions, up to a maximum of 7 years in total.

West Sussex County Council has carried out internal reviews and analysis of the future feasibility of the service and preferred procurement process to be used. The process has passed through the Council’s Commercial and Procurement boards with representatives from legal, procurement and commercial services and the preferred procurement option is to undertake a competitive procurement process to replace the existing contract arrangement.

The service currently runs on a cost neutral basis to the Council and the procurement and subsequent award will replicate this model.

The Director of Adults and Health will be asked to award the contract  to commence on 19th October 2022 for a period of 5 years initially plus any potential extensions, up to a maximum of 7 years in total.

The Director of Adults and Health has approved the award of the contract, as detailed within section 2 of the report, to Apetito Limited, to run from the 19 October 2022 for an initial duration of 5 years, with the option to extend for a further two (2) years to a maximum term of 7 years.

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