The High School of Dundee

Case study

Given our School is situated in the centre of the busy city of Dundee with numerous food outlets within a short walk from the school gates, I wanted to ascertain whether the school was getting value for money from our contract caterer. We also needed to be clear that the offer for our pupils could compete and provide better quality and value than local outlets in the area and finally we wanted to develop closer trading links by using local suppliers for the supply of cost effective fresh produce.

Following an exploratory meeting with consultants Balance Partnership we decided that a sensible plan of action would be for them to prepare a detailed overview of our current operation and costs with recommendations as to how to best to proceed in order to achieve our overall key objectives.

Following a number of exploratory site visits and information gathering, the consultants presented their report, it was evident that there was scope for the School to consider and review its policy, not only in the short term but more importantly in the longer term with regard to improving the service offered to its pupils, staff and visitors and how we might best manage the requirements at our new sports facility.

Client's Comments

The consultant's report was able to provide the School with a number of options, e.g. in addition to highlighting some area’s of cost reduction, they helped us with our decision to return to an in-house operation and the associated restructuring of our dining room counters and food offer. They also helped with the appointment of our catering manager and still assist the School with monitoring its supplies and operational performance as required.
Charles Sharp, Bursar