Guaranteeing healthy, balanced meals that comply with health standards every day, while respecting strict budget constraints: a real challenge for local authorities.
To meet these needs, many local authorities and schools turn to public purchasing groups. Among these, UGAP (Union des groupements d'achats publics) is a key partner. It offers a complete range of services dedicated to school catering: food supplies, equipment, logistics services and administrative support.
In this article, find out how UGAP simplifies public purchasing, supports the quality of school meals and assists those involved in the catering industry on a daily basis.
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Let's find out how UGAP supports local authorities and facilitates the management of their purchases.
UGAP (Union des Groupements d'Achats Publics) is France's only general public purchasing group. Its mission? To facilitate purchasing by public institutions such as schools, colleges, town halls and hospitals, by offering pre-negotiated contracts with approved suppliers.
In practical terms, this means that a school canteen can place orders directly via the UGAP catalog, without having to issue a call for tenders. The result: considerable time savings, guaranteed legal compliance and a lighter administrative burden.
UGAP offers a wide choice of products, furniture and equipment for the catering industry.
Communities can find :
When local authorities do not use UGAP, they have to issue a public invitation to tender for every major purchase, a process that is often long and complex.
Thanks to the central purchasing unit, they benefit from contracts that have already been validated, and can buy in full compliance. This makes procedures more secure, while focusing on the quality of the meals served.
👉 To find out more : The 3 compulsory training courses in catering
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Let's take a look at the key aspects of school canteen management.
School canteens must guarantee a balanced and appropriate diet for their children. UGAP is fully aware of these challenges, and supports them with a range of products that comply with the Egalim law, including organic, local and labelled products (Label Rouge, MSC, AOP, etc.).
This means that local authorities can easily incorporate 50% sustainable products into their menus, without having to take any additional steps.
This collaboration is a real asset, enabling us to reconcile quality, traceability and cost control.
In foodservice, food safety is an absolute priority. The equipment listed by UGAP complies with hygiene and safety standards(HACCP, CE, food materials). This means that canteen managers and chefs can work with reliable tools, reducing the risk of non-compliance or contamination.
School catering plays a key role in the ecological transition. On this issue, UGAP is once again present, as it integrates environmental criteria into its contracts, which encourages responsible purchasing:
All these choices enable local authorities to reduce their carbon footprint while promoting regional producers.
👉 F urther information: Contract catering: the organic and local trend
UGAP plays a strategic role in school catering, providing canteens with solutions and services to facilitate their day-to-day management.
By centralizing the needs of a large number of local authorities, UGAP obtains better prices from suppliers, passing on the savings to each institution and offering uniform purchasing conditions for all.
For school catering managers, this means :
In short: less red tape, more efficiency and better cost control.
In addition to foodstuffs and equipment, UGAP also lists digital solutions tailored to the needs of school canteens. Thanks to these tools, establishments can equip themselves with meal-tracking software, inventory management or connected cashiering systems. This gives them a global view of their business, reinforces traceability and enables them to effectively reduce food waste.
To help canteen managers increase efficiency and simplify their day-to-day operations, UGAP offers a number of practical features and services:
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Modernizing a school canteen also means digitizing its processes. That's where Innovorder comes in, as a partner to local authorities and an expert in collective catering.
Our cash register, sales management, inventory tracking and reporting solutions can be easily integrated into UGAP contracts, for fluid, centralized management in line with public sector requirements.
With UGAP, local authorities have a turnkey solution for easily managing their school catering purchases: simple, reliable, economical and sustainable. And thanks to Innovorder's digital tools, they can go even further: optimized cash receipt, enhanced traceability and improved day-to-day performance.
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