Contractual compliance in outsourced hospital food services: analysis of compliance with the provisions of the terms of reference

Abstract

Hospital Food and Nutrition Units are complex, as they are composed of several interdependent activities, which makes the outsourcing process advantageous from an organizational point of view. Strict control during the execution of the contract is crucial to ensure that quality standards are maintained, in addition to enabling the continuous identification of areas for improvement. The research aimed to evaluate compliance with the obligations described in the Terms of Reference by the outsourced company responsible for the meal production service at a university hospital. This is a quantitative and descriptive study, carried out between November and December 2024. The data were analyzed through a Microsoft Excel® spreadsheet, using descriptive statistics. Based on the analysis of the terms of reference, 270 criteria were identified, arranged in 09 categories: general standards; health license; acquisition of inputs, receipt, storage and inventory control; adaptation of menus; preparation and distribution of meals; quality control; and human resources, which obtained compliance of over 85%. The inadequacies were observed in the categories of equipment, utensils, materials and physical facilities, and good environmental practices. Despite the high percentage of geral compliance (84.1%), the unsatisfactory items are considered critical, representing a risk to food safety and the health of diners. The study concludes that establishing the necessary procedures clearly in the bidding processes is not sufficient for the feasibility of these standards, which demonstrates the importance of this analysis and of new studies that contribute to the implementation of improvements in these processes.