Encore Secures Glasgow Caledonian University Catering Contract

It has been revealed that Encore Hospitality Services has won the catering provider contract at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU), worth an estimated £21m over the contract period to the partners.

The deal, for a four-year period with a three-year option, includes the provision of all catering and hospitality services for the university - and involves the management of six outlets for the use of GCU’s 1800 staff and 16,000 students from over 100 countries.

Encore, the external catering division of Cordia - the arm's length company set up by Glasgow City Council to run its frontline services - won the new contract following a competitive tender. The contract win will protect the employment of 73 staff.

Encore had previously held the GCU contract for the last 10 years, eight of these while still part of Glasgow City Council’s Direct & Care Services department.

David Melvin, who recently took over as Cordia’s managing director from his previous post as operations director, said: "Make no mistake about it, this is a significant contract on a UK scale that was firmly on the radar of the biggest catering companies in the business.

"These companies brought their considerable resources to bear in a bid to take this work, and it is an outstanding achievement to have won it against such competition.

"The winning of any contract is cause for celebration, and I believe the award of this contract shows recognition of the highly innovative approach we have brought to the table, in particular since the birth of Cordia, with a standard of quality provision that has resulted in a more than doubling of annual turnover.

"That we have won it is testament to the hard work and imagination of our head of commercial strategy David Potter and Frank McCabe, Encore’s in-house manager, whose team has developed and grown a strong relationship with GCU over the last decade and two previous contracts.

"It is also, I believe, recognition that the quality of the food and service we provide is the very best in our sector and that we are committed to sourcing the finest local ingredients, recruiting the best staff and providing the best working conditions.

“We are about retaining what’s best in the public sector, but we also now have commercial acumen. It is a ‘third way’, the best of both worlds, and I believe that makes us even better at what we do.

Therese Fraser, GCU’s head of campus services, said: "GCU is looking forward to the challenges of catering for a diverse customer base which Universities now represent.

"Cordia have recognised the importance of our international offering while complementing the existing services. Their commitment to the University’s environmental agenda is to be commended."

Encore's relationship with GCU has seen a series of innovations and brand initiatives that have sought to recognise the beliefs and profile of both students and staff.

These include:

• The introduction of Cafe Roots - a brand that fully embraces Fair Trade products and reversible vending, with the highest level of recyclable and biodegradable packaging.
• Menus that recognise the ethnic diversity of GCU's students, including the introduction of a special menu for African students - who now total 300 of the GCU student population. This and other such moves saw students vote Encore the top provider of ethnic catering on campus in Scotland.
• Introduction of an electronic points reward system for staff dining where lecturers and support staff gained points for healthy eating. These points can be exchanged for rewards such as iPods and DVD players.

In addition, Encore and GCU have developed a strong relationship that has resulted in both community benefits and academic development.

Encore was presented with the rare accolade of the GCU ‘Shield’ in recognition of voluntary work carried out at a community centre in the Sighthill area, including the design and installation of a high-quality industrial community kitchen made available by school amalgamations.

The shield shows the university’s unique motto ‘For the Common Weal’ (For the Common Good) and is presented to partners who share GCU’s values and actions in terms of social benefit.

A partnership has grown between Cordia and GCU Business School - with initiatives including a day-long visit by GCU MBA students to Cordia's Glasgow headquarters and field experience, as well as the introduction of a Cordia management course at GCU and David Potter becoming a guest lecturer on the MBA course.

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