Purpose

As per the Committee Decision taken in June
2023 and confirmed in July 2024, the council is changing from the
current model for delivering corporate catering and eventing
services.
A tender process has been executed to engage a single
concessionaire with specialist food industry expertise to assume
delivery responsibility for cafés, catering and event/
function services across a number of venues including, but not
limited to the City Hall, Bristol Museum and Art Gallery (BMAG), M
Shed, Central Library, Create Centre, Lord Mayor’s Mansion
House and BCC Parks Cafes and kiosks.
An Officer Decision is required to make the final award.

Content

To award the Corporate Catering and Events
Contract to Compass Contract Services (UK) Limited trading as
Restaurant Associates Venues

Alternative options considered

Option 1 - Do nothing – Continue to
operate multiple contracts and run the Parks Cafes as an in-house
operation. Deemed unacceptable due to level of risk, complexity and
duplication associated with contract management, and inability to
harness scales of economy in operating the service to deliver
increased revenues to the council
Option 2 - Multiple separate contracts – Continue to operate
separate contracts per location/ location group. The Parks Cafes
were taken to market as an entity and no bids were received. The
portfolio comprises a wide variety of offerings: some successful
and established and others with significant development
requirements. This made it likely that bidders would
‘cherry-pick’ and therefore not address the fundamental
growth and risk reduction/ efficiency objectives of the
initiative.