BWG Foodservice, part of the Wholesale Division of BWG Foods, has been selected by St. James’s hospital in Dublin for the exclusive supply of food and non-food catering requirements. As part of the €2 million euro per annum contract, BWG Foodservice will supply over 700 products across 10 categories which had previously been serviced as part of a multi-source arrangement, making it a new and unique arrangement in the Irish hospital system.
John Moane, Managing Director of BWG Food’s Wholesale Division, said St. James’s and BWG Foodservice were pioneering an innovative new supply solution in the sector and the company’s ability to meet St. James’s single-source objectives including compatibility and cost effective solutions were the key factors in winning the contract.
“When looking to move to a simplified single-source supply format, the management at St. James’s set out with very clear objectives to find a partner which could help them reduce order and processing times and maintain and manage cost levels. They were also focussed on quality assurance so full traceability as well as minimising the carbon footprint were other major considerations. BWG Foodservice, with our purpose built multi-temperature facility in Dublin – one of three strategic locations around the country – and our extensive fleet of multi temperature trucks allows us to do this because we can deliver ambient, chilled, frozen, fresh and non-food items as part of a one stop shop solution,” said Moane.
St. James’s Hospital caters for approximately 1,000 patients and staff every day and BWG Foodservice will provide food and non-food products across 10 categories such as ambient, fresh, frozen and meat.
Vincent Callan General Support Services Manager from St. James’s Hospital, said “Previously the Hospital had sourced food products from multiple different suppliers which is the industry norm, but we were keen to improve administrative, logistical and vendor management efficiencies and also to achieve value for money by leveraging economies of scale and the market knowledge and business practices of the single source food supplier.”
Seamus Priest Senior Procurement Manager at St. James’s added, “We were conscious to choose a company which had the necessary expertise and capacity to deliver on the terms so it is great to have BWG Foods , an Irish owned and operated company, on board capable of providing the full supply solution. St. James’s Hospital is the first in the country to adopt this model and its proving to be successful from both a cost and operational point of view.”
In order to streamline the ordering system for St. James’s, BWG Foodservice has developed unique password-protected links, as part of its online platform, for the exclusive access of catering staff.
“We are continually upgrading and enhancing our digital presence as customers’ preference for online ordering increases. This was a major consideration for us in being able to provide St. James’s staff with a secure, easy-to-use system where they can track and manage supplies. It also enables us to ensure faster turnaround times and well managed stock levels, with this information included in reports back to the hospital,” said Moane. “Our private label range, Chef’s Kitchen, has also given us an advantage in being able to provide high quality brand-equivalent goods at a lower cost. We’re delighted to have been selected by St. James’ hospital as their single source food catering supplier and we look forward to working with the team to make the partnership a success.”
BWG Foodservice has a proven track record in the Irish healthcare system, having previously been awarded a €2.5 million contract from the HPSG (Hospital Services Procurement Group) to supply the catering departments of 16 hospitals across Ireland, and also holds contracts to supply the HSE.
