Case Study: NHS Trust Catering Equipment Contract

An NHS Trust needed to replace ageing kitchen equipment across a catering facility without the capital expenditure of an outright purchase. They required brand new equipment, fast delivery and a service level that a working hospital kitchen could rely on.

The challenge

Hospital catering cannot stop. The Trust needed modern, high-capacity kitchen equipment to replace equipment that was failing and inefficient — but capital procurement through NHS frameworks is slow, and they needed a solution in place quickly. They also needed certainty: if a piece of equipment developed a fault, they could not wait days for an engineer or a part. The kitchen had to keep running.

What we supplied

We supplied a full set of brand new commercial catering equipment, including:

Commercial cookers and range ovens
Steaming cabinets for high-volume meal production
Hot holding cabinets for temperature-safe meal distribution
Supporting kitchen equipment to complete the setup

All equipment was new — not refurbished, not previously hired. The Trust received manufacturer-fresh kit on day one of the contract.

Delivery and installation

We delivered and installed the full equipment set to a tight deadline. Our team coordinated access around the hospital's operational constraints and had everything in place and tested before the contract start date.

The 8-hour SLA

The contract included an 8-hour fix-or-swap guarantee. If any piece of equipment developed a fault, we would either repair it or replace it with equivalent equipment within eight hours of being notified. For a hospital kitchen serving patients every day, this was non-negotiable — and we met it throughout the contract.

Why contract hire worked for this Trust

No capital outlay — the cost came from the operational budget, not capital. No lengthy procurement sign-off, no depreciation to manage.
Predictable costs — a fixed monthly fee for the duration of the contract with no surprise repair bills.
Brand new equipment from day one — better efficiency, lower energy use and no inherited maintenance issues.
Service cover built in — the 8-hour SLA meant the Trust's facilities team did not have to manage equipment faults. That was our problem to solve.
Clean exit — at the end of the contract, we collected everything. No disposal costs, no surplus asset to manage.

Interested in a similar arrangement?

We work with NHS Trusts, universities, schools, care homes and large businesses on long-term equipment contracts from three months upwards. Pricing is bespoke — based on equipment list, contract length and service requirements.