The subject of school food budgets may not be the most glamorous, but it is a vital component of a school’s expenditure. This is why the finance manager of a well-known London school decided to review and investigate the advantages of using a food procurement company.
They recognised their food budget was a large expenditure and had not been thoroughly reviewed for a number of years. However, they were confident it was an area where savings could be made and help ease the schools budget burden. This has become even more pertinent by the escalating price of food in the UK.
This is when they discovered CaterBuy.
CaterBuy are a food and catering procurement company working with an ever-increasing number of schools, academies and colleges. The CaterBuy approach is quite different as it looks to enable education facilities to provide their own “in-house” catering over the frequently more expensive practice of outsourcing the service to a contractor. As an independent purchasing group, CaterBuy are able to negotiate very competitive prices and supply deals.
CaterBuy indicated they could help save the school money without the hassle of needing to switch suppliers. The school has now been a member of CaterBuy for several years and has seen great success by utilising its procurement services. Through CaterBuy, the school has significantly reduced its costs, increased efficiency whilst ensuring that it could provide high-quality meals to its pupils and staff.
The school has seen a marked improvement in controlling food costs since using the CaterBuy service despite the general rise in food costs across the UK. CaterBuy procurement consultants have become a vital part of the school’s financial planning and supply chain management, enabling them to benefit from savings achieved through collective negotiations by a large group and gain greater control of their food expenditure.
If you would like to learn more about what CaterBuy could do for your school, please get in touch.