Encore wins £21m Glasgow Caledonian University catering contract

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 more than 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 has already introduced to GCU a series of innovations and brand initiatives that have sought to reflect the beliefs and profile of both students and staff.