The NCVO, a charitable organisation providing business, legal, training and developmental support to other charitable and voluntary organisations, provides a conferencing venue in Kings Cross, North London. The conference catering service is provided for in-house, led by a cook and a team of permanent agency staff. The cook, after many years service was retiring and this prompted the NCVO management to question how they should caterer in the future. In order to make this decision, the NCVO needed to understand all the options in detail.

• The NCVO commissioned Review Consultancy to carry out a full Options Appraisal.
• The Options Appraisal included reviewing customers’ assessment of the current standards and what they desire from a future service, detailing all the available options, explaining their advantages and disadvantages from the NCVO’s perspective, costed budgets involving recognised companies in the various fields of transported foods, contract catering and franchising to compare with an in-house option.
• An assessment of the catering facilities, service standards and policies was also undertaken to give the NCVO management a full appraisal and cost implications to support their decision making.

• The NCVO has implemented the service improvements recommended as part of the report and has decided to remain in-house.
• Review Consultancy is continuing its support of the NCVO through helping it develop a new in-house service, supporting restructuring and recruitment, improving suppliers and product quality and overall service levels.