ESS Awarded Bedfordshire Police Catering Contract

18 July 2023

The Energy, Government and Infrastructure sector of ESS, part of Compass Group UK & Ireland, has won the Bedfordshire Police catering contract.

Key to the award was the company’s commitment to welfare through a variety of food offers and environments that enable officers and staff to relax during their breaks. The successful tender met the client’s objective of providing great value for money for its people.

Under the five-year contract, ESS is delivering catering and hospitality services at sites in Bedford and Luton. The restaurants are serving dishes from the company’s Global Kitchen brand which comprises concepts from across the world that meet a variety of tastes.

Customers in both locations will benefit from a micro-market providing 24/7 access to healthy, nutritious food and a variety of snacks and hot and cold drinks.  

The force appointed ESS based on its successful partnerships with clients including City of London Police, Thames Valley Police, Kent Police, Surrey Police, Sussex Police and the Metropolitan Police Training Centre. During the past year, ESS has also added the Metropolitan Police and Hertfordshire Constabulary to its growing portfolio.

The contract is being delivered by ESS Government Services, which supports high-profile sites across police, secure environments, local and central government with clients including the Ministry of Defence, Department of Work & Pensions, Department of Health, Welsh Government and Welsh Parliament.

Lorraine Chown, Head of Estates and Facilities for Bedfordshire Police, commented:

“Reintroducing onsite catering services has without exaggeration transformed the feel of our sites and put the heart back into them. The ESS staff could not be more friendly or more helpful, with the food and drink offerings of great quality at affordable prices. Our staff and officers have especially welcomed the micro-markets, allowing them access to coffee and food whenever they need it. This has been a positive step for the Force, reinforcing our commitment to staff health and wellbeing, and ESS have excelled so far in helping us achieve this.”

Ronnie Kelman, Managing Director – ESS Energy, Government & Infrastructure, commented:

“We’re delighted to be working with Bedfordshire Police to feed their officers and staff. We’ve introduced exciting new food concepts for customers at the Bedford and Luton sites, supported by micro-markets to meet the 24/7 demand. This is another fantastic addition to our police business and we’re continuing to enhance our restaurant and operational feeding offers to deliver great experiences to our police customers.”