Management Regulations between
Forestry Commission and
Catering Tenant at Haughmond Hill
Introduction
This document sets out the management regulations for the establishment, day to day operation and review of Haughmond Hill Café. These management regulations along with the Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) form part of the Lease and will be used to monitor the Forestry Commission’s (FC) expectations.
These regulations describe more fully than the Lease, the practical day to day operating principles, procedures and policies required for the effective day to day operation of the café. These management regulations will be under constant review by the FC and may be amended after consultation with the Tenant.
Site Description Haughmond Hill
Haughmond Hill has been managed by the Forestry Commission for over 30 years. It currently receives approximately 170,000 day visits per year. The 158 hectare site is situated 4km west of Shrewsbury town centre. Haughmond is the only site in Shropshire to offer accessible woodland trails and stunning views across Shrewsbury and beyond.
The site is managed by the Marches forest team based near Ludlow; the main contact for the site is the part-time Recreation Ranger who lives locally. Haughmond Hill is managed for recreation, forestry and wildlife and as such is a working woodland, subject to cyclical forestry operations. Site maintenance is carried out by a combination of FC staff and contractors.
The Haughmond Hill car park ordinarily opens daily from 6am closing at 7pm in the winter, extending to 8.30pm during the summer. Access by foot is available 24 hours a day / 365 days per year.
Haughmond Hill Café and Catering Offer
Establishment
The Forestry Commission will appoint one member of site staff to facilitate and co-ordinate the start up of the Café at Haughmond Hill. This team member will be the FC Beat Manager.
A Pre-Commencement meeting will be arranged by the FC for the first day of site presence by the Tenant and its representatives. At this meeting, lines of communication, site restrictions, site safety procedures and protocols will be confirmed.
In addition, prior to or just after opening a secondary meeting will be held between the Forestry Commission and the Tenant and the Tenants staff, to establish good working relationships and common understandings.
To aid in the effective occupation of the Tenant at Haughmond Hill, Appendix 1 is an agreed Communication Matrix. It details individual Forestry Commission and Tenant staff members, their areas of direct responsibility and chains of command. Matrix to be completed on successful Tenant selection.
Haughmond Hill Café and Catering Offer should be operated on the basis of the following criteria and ethos:
General Operating Regulations
a) Goods and Services
The FC was the world’s first State Forest Service to receive full Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) accreditation. Therefore it is very important that any wood or wood related products used through the café are from sustainable sources. Any timber using nonindigenous woods must be FSC certified (or other equivalent environmental accreditation standard).
b) Food and Drink Products
The sale of Food and drink in the café will reflect the ethos, setting and aspiration of Haughmond Hill. Food and drink supplied by Catering Tenants should adhere to the purchasing ethos and principles of both organisations. The FC ethos is detailed in operational guidance Food Offer and Service Standards Appendix 2. The Forestry Commission are requiring a high quality catering offer that is focused on locally sourced products and a high standard of customer care and service.
The FC would happily discuss the café holding a Premises Licence allowing the sale of alcohol. If desired the Tenant should discuss this with the FC.
C) Non-Food & Drink Products
The Tenant is not permitted to sell non-food and drink products from Haughmond Hill Café except for branded goods supplied by the FC. Trail Guides/maps and any other leaflets FC may produce from time to time are to be sold by the Tenant as arranged. These remain the responsibility of the FC to produce. A commercial arrangement will be negotiated for the supply of these publications to the Tenant.
d) Mobile Catering Units
The FC retains the rights to deploy mobile catering units at Haughmond Hill for special events. When this provision is put out to competitive tender the Tenant will be given the opportunity to bid for the rights to manage mobile catering units at these events.
e) Marketing
As a Government organisation the FC has to work carefully and within strict Government guidelines regarding use of its name, locations and brands. Occasionally the FC may not be able to be as free as some commercial organisations to use, adapt or evolve its brand. However, every effort will be made by the FC to work proactively with the Tenant to establish and maintain an effective and business-like marketing relationship.
Marketing Resources
Detailed in the contacts list Appendix 1 are the FC staff who will work directly with the Tenant. These staff members will work proactively with the Tenant to develop marketing strategies, delivery plans and joint initiatives.
On-site Signage, Branding & FC Messages
The café will trade under the name Haughmond Hill Café and a branding document was provided with the tender documentation. It is the responsibility of the Tenant to adhere to this branding document at all times during the Lease term but its acknowledged that support from FC will be required to aid the practical roll-out and on-going use of this brand.
Application of the brand (both FC and Haughmond Hill) must be agreed with the Beat Manager prior to being used. This is common across the estate and reflects the importance that the FC attributes to its brands and identities.
During the period of set-up, the FC will produce all artwork at no cost to the operator, after which the operator will be responsible for purchasing/paying for production of the agreed items.
Should signage, leaflets etc appear on site, without the knowledge or agreement of the FC, then the FC reserves the right to remove them without notice to the Tenant.
Branding Guidelines can be found at Appendix 3
Tenant Monitoring and Review
a) Management Meetings
Regular management meetings will take place between the FC and the Tenant and its representatives to help ensure good communications and quick resolution of any problems. This will include discussion of these Management Regulations, the assessment of key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and the resolution of any issues. The initial frequency of these meetings will be monthly but they will be under constant review by the FC and may be amended following consultation with the Tenant.
b) Key Performance Indicators
The KPI’s will be used to formally monitor performance of the Tenant prior to each management meeting and will be used to measure performance and guide improvements in the operation of the café.
c) Tenant Review Meeting
Every year a formal Tenant review meeting will be held – this may be convened more frequently initially if required by either party. It will be held at either Haughmond Hill or Mortimer Forest Office and will be the forum for any formal Lease related issues.
These Management Regulations and KPIs will be reviewed at this annual meeting and may be amended after consultation with the Tenant.
d) Health & Safety Review Process
In line with FC operating procedures the Tenant will:
· Provide and make available all Accident Books for regular inspection to be reviewed annually. Any lessons learned will be discussed and any actions recorded and undertaken within an agreed timescale.
· The Tenant and the Forestry Commission will review the building, site and Fire Risk Assessment annually and update as required.
· Should a serious accident or a trend of accidents emerge at any point in the year, a full investigation may take place. The Tenant and the Forestry Commission must be made aware of either of the above circumstances as soon as they occur.
· The Tenant must inform the FC of any accidents within 7 days. Any RIDDOR reportable accidents must be reported to the FC within 24hrs. The Tenant must make the FC aware of either circumstance as soon as they occur.
· The Tenant is expected to hold an annual site Health & Safety meeting where emergency procedures are tested and discussed with all staff. Copies of this meeting will be made available to the FC on request.
Site Requirements
a) Opening Hours
The Lease includes minimum Opening Hours. During events, whilst it is not considered essential to open for longer than the minimum opening hours, it is considered beneficial for both parties. The Forestry Commission will be looking to agree extended opening hours for such events.
In extreme weather conditions (e.g. very strong wind or snow) or for an outbreak of any notifiable disease the Forestry Commission may consider it prudent to close Haughmond Hill to the public. As events such as these are Acts of God the Forestry Commission will not pay compensation to the Tenant, but will ensure that it is consulted prior to closure. The Forestry Commission will make all reasonable endeavours to keep Haughmond Hill open.
The expectation is that the Cafe will be open all year, with the exception of Christmas Day, at the following times:
Summer Months
7 Days per week 1st April to 30th September
10:00am to 16:00pm.
Winter Months
Minimum 5 Days per week to include weekends 1st October to 31st March
10:00am to 15:00pm.
If the Tenant wishes to deviate from these times for an emergency which prevents operation of the normal service, prompt communication with the FC must take place. The expectation is that the Tenant will contact the Recreation Manager on the morning in question before 9:30am. Details of the communication channels are detailed in the Communication Matrix.
The operating hours will be clearly communicated through appropriate signage
b) Building Security & Cash Storage
The building will be correctly secured at the close of business each day and the Tenant or staff will inspect all external doors, windows, locks and security shutters prior to leaving.
The Tenant will provide details of cash storage and handling procedures to the FC Recreation Manager in advance of the first day of site presence. The Tenant will regularly review these procedures and risk assessment making the FC aware of any significant changes to cash storage or handling.
c) Site Access Barriers
Access to the car park is protected by a gate at the entrance and alligator teeth on the exit. Locked bollards prevent vehicles approaching the café building. The Tenant will be provided with site keys to allow access for staff. The Tenant must keep an up to date list of all those that have been issued with codes and/or access keys. The FC reserves the right to change the locks and/or access procedures but will give the Tenant reasonable prior notice.
To restrict unauthorised vehicle access the bollards will be locked closed and the Tenant will be expected to ensure this is the case other than when service vehicles/deliveries require access.
d) Deliveries
Where possible all deliveries need to be made during site opening hours. If deliveries are required outside of these times, the Tenant must provide their own staff provision to open and close the external and internal site access barriers.
e) Environmental Management System and Waste
The Forestry Commission has an Environmental Management System (EMS) which provides a framework for improving the environmental performance, quality, and effectiveness of environmental management throughout the organisation. The process is aimed at reducing environmental impacts, so they become more of a part of overall business operations. This relates directly to waste management, as stated in our Environmental Policy commitment to: ‘Reduce our production of waste and promote recycling and recovery’.
This EMS complies with the International Standards Organisation (ISO) 14001 Environmental Management Systems and the Forestry Commission successfully achieved full accreditation in 2012.
Waste Hierarchy
The Tenant is expected to make arrangements for the disposal of all rubbish generated through its operations. The Tenant will take reasonable measures to:
· prevent waste, and
· apply the ‘waste hierarchy’ when you transfer waste.
The ‘waste hierarchy’ has been transposed into UK law through the Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011.
Packaging
All packaging should be biodegradable and where appropriate be FSC certified (or other equivalent environmental accreditation standard).
f) Cleanliness
Litter bins are to be provided by the Tenant in the immediate vicinity of the café. These should be emptied and stored in the compound at the end of the day. Please refer to the branding guidance on litter bins.
Moveable bins, skips and other waste receptacles must be securely locked away in the provided compound at the close of business each day.
Areas of the café not visible to the public should be kept tidy at all times and rubbish should not be stored in these locations for any reason.
Internal and any external seating areas agreed in addition or forming part of the Lease will be regularly cleaned by the Tenant or the Tenant’s staff and all rubbish will be removed from tables within 15 minutes of the customer leaving.
At the close of business each day the café tenant staff will remove any rubbish or litter within a 50 metre radius of the café building and external seating area. This requirement will be under constant review by the FC and the frequency and radius may be amended after consultation with the Tenant.
g) Toilets
The Tenant will be responsible for the unlocking, locking, cleaning, maintenance and replenishment of all consumables (i.e. toilet paper & soap) in the two unisex café toilets. The two toilets will form part of the Lease.
The toilets will open and close in line with the café operating hours. The toilets must be made available at all times to all Haughmond Hill visitors not just café customers.
Both toilets will be cleaned at least once daily the Tenant will be expected to provide the necessary staff provision and equipment to meet these requirements.
h) Interior layout
The café is a small unit and easily becomes cluttered; there is a woodland mural at one end of the room and two canvas prints showing views of the Hill. Further pictures and advertising on the walls should be avoided.