A sole cater to provide both the event catering and café provision, which would assist targeting wider audiences and develop our product in current and new markets. A sole caterer will:

1.    Bring our product in line with our competitors to make an attractive commercial offer

2.    Enable income recovery from the pandemic and generate extra income as budgeted

3.    Launch an improved product & service offering, to ensure our place in the market is appropriate to potential clients we wish to target

4.    Streamline the customer journey and improve the service we offer to our clients

5.    Improve the wider visitor experience to the Town Hall to tie in with the Museum opening in 2021

To award the contract to Elegant Cuisine for the provision of the Town Hall Café and events catering following a competitive tender exercise.

Elegant Cuisine was assessed as being the most economically advantageous supplier based on cost and quality following a procurement process undertaken in line with the Council’s Constitution and Public Procurement Regulations.

To maintain separate café provision and event catering – not preferred. With the café contract expiring in July 2021 and the new museum coming on line later in 2021 this was a perfect opportunity to review catering provision and move to a single catering contract, which has a number of benefits for the Council and service users.

Decision taken by Nigel Kennedy, Head of Financial Services

Decision taken in consultation with Susan Sale, Head of Law and Governance