Scottish Government staff canteen facilities information: FOI release

Information requested

1. What is the total annual cost of operating staff canteen facilities across all Scottish Government buildings for each of the last five financial years?

2. Please provide a breakdown of canteen operating costs (e.g. staffing, food procurement, utilities, maintenance, and external contracts) for the most recent financial year available.

3. What level of public subsidy is provided to staff canteen services, including the difference between operating costs and revenue generated from sales, for each of the last five years?

4. Do the Scottish Government’s canteen services operate in-house or via external contractors? If external, please provide the names of contractors, contract values, and contract duration's.

5. To what extent are food and drink prices in Scottish Government canteens set to recover full costs, and what internal policies or guidance govern pricing strategy?

Response

Please find below the information you have requested. These figures relate to the five core Scottish Government sites that provide catering services.

1. What is the total annual cost of operating staff canteen facilities across all Scottish Government buildings for each of the last five financial years?

It should be noted that Q1 and Q3 are asking for the same figure using different terminology.

The ‘total operating cost’ (Q1) is calculated by taking the total of all costs associated with the provision of catering services and subtracting the total of all income achieved through the delivery of those services. Total operating cost is, therefore, a net figure and being the difference between the total of all costs and the total of all income it is also the value that is charged by the contractor to the Scottish Government in order to provide the service - otherwise known as the ‘subsidy’ (Q3).

2020/2021	£1,876,252
2021/2022	£1,763,387
2022/2023	£1,878,036
2023/2024	£1,971,090
2024/2025	£1,957,194

2. Please provide a breakdown of canteen operating costs (e.g. staffing, food procurement, utilities, maintenance, and external contracts) for the most recent financial year available.

Staffing	£1,966,086
Food procurement	£892,599
Utilities	Not separately measured
Maintenance	£21,652
External contracts	£18,392

3. What level of public subsidy is provided to staff canteen services, including the difference between operating costs and revenue generated from sales, for each of the last five years?

2020/2021	£1,876,252
2021/2022	£1,763,387
2022/2023	£1,878,036
2023/2024	£1,971,090
2024/2025	£1,957,194

4. Do the Scottish Government’s canteen services operate in-house or via external contractors? If external, please provide the names of contractors, contract values, and contract durations.

All canteen services to the Scottish Government are provided by a single external contractor as follows: Please see Public Contracts Scotland notice ref: AUG457743
External contractor: BaxterStorey
Contract value: £12,225,000
Contract duration: up to 6 years

5. To what extent are food and drink prices in Scottish Government canteens set to recover full costs, and what internal policies or guidance govern pricing strategy?

The prices charged in Scottish Government canteens are reviewed annually. They are set at a level that covers food costs and VAT, and that also make a contribution to overheads. There are no internal policies or guidance that relate to pricing strategy for this contract.

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