Win Tenders with Sustainable Catering Strategies

1. Respond to Growing Procurement Demands

Many organizations—especially public-sector and corporate buyers—have now embedded sustainability in catering into their evaluation criteria.

• UN standards for sustainable consumption require vendors to demonstrate reduced energy use, waste, and packaging throughout the entire lifecycle .

• FAO guidance for the food services sector recommends targeting a 50% food-waste reduction by 2030, something tender evaluators expect from serious bidders .

By embedding eco friendly catering practices into your proposal, you're aligning directly with those procurement guidelines and giving evaluators the assurance they need.

2. Show Quantifiable Environmental Impact

Tenders often include scoring for environmental impact. Here’s how sustainability can boost your score:

• Waste reduction: FAO estimates food loss and waste contribute 8–10% of global greenhouse gases; halving it yields a one-sixth drop in food systems’ footprint 

• Resource efficiency: FAO/UNEP highlight converting surplus food to compost or biogas as a circular best practice—remarkably relevant to catering services .

Integrate metrics—e.g., “We’ll reduce plate waste by 30%, track surplus output in real time, compost organic refuse”—into your tender to show tangible environmental credentials.

3. Improve Operational Efficiency & Cost Transparency

Detailing sustainable catering services in your tender can also yield operational benefits like:

• Waste audits & analytics: FAO suggests tracking both pre- and post-consumer food loss, using data to reduce overproduction and trim costs by 2–6%.

• Tech-enabled kitchens: Efficient refrigeration and waste-to-energy systems lower costs and enhance tender competitiveness.

Highlight in your proposal how sustainability tools also translate to leaner operations and stronger margins, something evaluators and procurement officers love.

4. Boost Brand & Stakeholder Alignment

Tender committees often want to partner with vendors who reflect their values:

• Sustainable corporate catering signals a shared commitment with environmentally conscious organizations, tying into their ESG goals.

• Clients increasingly expect statements like “zero single-use plastics,” donation of surplus food, and sustainable sourcing—FAO reports that catering and restaurants are leading on food-donation strategies.

• Buyers want alignment. When your brand reflects their ESG goals like zero waste, local sourcing, no single-use plastics, you move from vendor to strategic partner. This strengthens your positioning and increases renewal and upsell potential.

Being vocal about environmentally friendly catering practices helps position your brand as a purpose-driven, trustworthy partner.

5. Tell a Compelling Sustainability Story

Beyond stats, don’t overlook narrative appeal:

• Showcase how your sustainable catering services contribute to global SDGs (like FAO’s support for SDG 12.3 on food waste reduction) 

• Illustrate real-world results with client case studies or pilot projects—like achieving X% waste reduction, compost outputs, or donated meals.

• Highlight partnerships with sustainability-focused vendors to cover circular packaging, local sourcing, or green transport.

This makes your tender much more memorable—and meaningfully different—than those with generic statements.

Final Takeaway

Sustainability sells, but only when it’s backed by numbers and embedded in operations. With the right data, partners, and story, sustainable catering doesn’t just help you compete. It helps you win, profitably.

Want to strengthen your next bid? Let Klimato help you build a sustainability strategy that wins tenders and drives margin.