Caterers invited to tender for multimillion-pound retirement housing contract
Caterers are being invited to tender for a multimillion-pound contract with national retirement housing provider Hanover.
The five-year deal to cater for its 59 extra care housing estates will have the option to be extended twice for 12 months, taking it to a total of seven years.
Claire Anderson, Hanover's director of extra care housing, said that residents want a flexible catering provision that offers a substantial, well balanced and nutritious diet according to their individual needs, together with sourcing of local sustainable produce where possible.
The new contract will be split into three regional areas, where the potential catering provider will have the choice to bid for one, two or all three regional areas.
Janet Mizzen, a 65-year-old Hanover resident, has been recruited to the tender process to represent the views of the end-user.
Since joining the team, she has attended management meetings, collected resident views and reviewed the catering contract pre-qualifying questionnaire.
Mizzen said: "There is a lot more to it than just providing meat and two veg. Selecting a good catering provider is paramount if older people are to maintain good health through healthy eating.
"It is very important that the catering teams on each estate have a good knowledge of each resident's individual needs."
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By Janie Manzoori-Stamford
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