How benchmarking is driving smarter purchasing for Solihull Catering Services?

For local authority catering teams, balancing quality, cost, and compliance has never been more complex. Shifting supply chains, evolving menus, and ongoing budget pressures mean that even long-standing procurement strategies can quickly become outdated.

Over the past year, we have been working closely with Solihull Catering Services – which provides school meals to thousands of pupils across Solihull and the surrounding areas. We provide quarterly benchmarking reports to help the team better understand how their purchasing compares with the wider industry. The partnership has delivered valuable insights – highlighting opportunities to reduce costs, strengthen supplier negotiations, and ensure better value across the board.

A clearer view of the market

One of the most immediate benefits of benchmarking has been visibility. By comparing Solihull’s purchasing data against industry-wide pricing, the team has been able to identify where costs were out of step with the market – and, crucially, why.

Paul Wayman, Head of Catering Services at Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, explains: “To maximise the value from suppliers, we must challenge individual prices and switch products when price increases are proposed.  I’m aware that some other catering providers have a more general agreement with a purchasing consortium – often at a corporate or city/county-wide basis – and therefore miss the opportunity to do this, meaning they must either absorb the higher cost of provisions or pass it on to schools.”

This flexibility has enabled Solihull to take a more proactive approach, using data to challenge suppliers and refine purchasing decisions.

Avoiding ‘price drift’ in a changing market

The post-COVID supply landscape left many catering services relying on substitute products that were available at the time, rather than those offering best value. Without a clear benchmark, these temporary decisions can quietly become permanent – and costly.

“We found that some of the products we were purchasing were on the list due to them being available during the supply chain difficulties post-COVID, not due to them being good value,” Paul continues. “Wholewheat pasta is the most prominent example – and without benchmarking reference prices it’s easy to drift into thinking that the price paid is normal.”

With our data, Solihull has been able to reset expectations and realign purchasing with current market rates.

Unlocking value across the entire basket

While large-volume items often receive the most attention in contract negotiations, smaller purchases can collectively represent significant missed savings.

Through benchmarking, Solihull identified a range of products – such as gluten-free pasta – that had never been rigorously reviewed due to their relatively low volume. These marginal gains cumulatively resulted in meaningful financial gains.

Adapting to evolving menus

Catering services are constantly evolving, with menus increasingly reflecting sustainability goals and changing dietary preferences. For Solihull, this has meant a shift away from fresh meat towards frozen and plant-based options.

However, legacy contracts don’t always reflect these changes. With our insights, the team have been able to reassess their purchasing basket in line with current demand – highlighting high-cost items, identifying alternatives, and supporting more effective renegotiation with suppliers.

Strengthening supplier accountability

Benchmarking has also brought greater transparency to supplier relationships – particularly in areas like green grocery, where pricing is often based on a high level of trust. A traditional contract means that market prices are submitted to the service by the supplier and fixed for six weeks.

Paul comments: “Unless a considerable amount of time is spent tracking the market independently, it’s impossible to know if the price the service was charged was fair.”

By retrospectively analysing the items invoiced against Quenelles’ data, it showed that the service paid a small but consistently higher price paid than the benchmark rate for some items. Solihull decided to reformulate the menu to make advantage of in-season favourable prices.

A partnership built on insight

Reflecting on the collaboration, Paul Wayman highlights the practical value of having reliable, independent data: “Without benchmarking, it’s very difficult to know whether the prices you’re paying are competitive. Quenelles has given us the confidence to challenge, adapt, and ultimately make better decisions for the service.”

Paul Wright, Managing Director at Quenelles, adds: “What we’ve seen with Solihull is exactly why benchmarking matters. It’s not just about identifying where costs are higher, it’s about giving catering teams the insight they need to take action. Whether that’s renegotiating with suppliers, switching products, or rethinking menus, data-driven decisions lead to better outcomes.”

With regular benchmarking reports, Solihull Catering Services now has an ongoing mechanism to monitor performance, adapt to market changes, and continuously improve value for money.

If you’d like to learn more about how benchmarking could support your catering operation, get in touch with us here.

The Quenelles team