To prepare a catering budget for company approval, show the complete amount payable, explain the headcount and attach a written quotation. Your approver should see what the event needs, which costs are confirmed and when payment must be released.
A menu price alone cannot answer those questions. For a Singapore company event, your proposal should account for minimum orders, delivery, setup, GST and any extras. Present these alongside a clear spending limit so finance can approve the booking without repeated clarification.
Establish the event requirements and approval rules
Start with a short event brief: purpose, date, location, attendance and meal times. Explain the practical reason for catering, such as keeping employees on site during a training session with a fixed lunch break.
Before requesting prices, check your company’s meal allowance, approval threshold and purchasing process. Find out whether the limit includes GST, whether multiple quotations are required and who owns the budget. Record the department or cost centre that will pay.
If you already have a total spending ceiling, work backwards. Allow for GST and fixed charges before deciding what you can spend on food per person. Otherwise, choosing a menu at the full per-person allowance can leave no room for delivery or setup.
Match the catering format to the programme. Rasa Catering’s meeting packages offer half-day and full-day options. For an afternoon session, review the high tea menus against the refreshments required. Compare actual inclusions before assuming one format costs less.
Set a headcount you can justify
Separate invited guests from expected attendees and the final quantity you intend to order. Include organisers, trainers and support staff who need meals. Count special dietary meals within the total unless they are genuinely additional portions.
Use registrations or team confirmations to support the estimate. If attendance is uncertain, prepare a base scenario and a higher-attendance scenario, then state the deadline for confirming numbers.
Check the selected package’s minimum order. Rasa’s buffet catering menus list a minimum of 30 guests. If only 25 people will attend, calculate the cost of the minimum purchase and divide it by 25 to show the effective cost per attendee. This makes the financial impact visible before approval.
Build an itemised cost breakdown
List the menu name, price per person, chargeable quantity and food subtotal. Add separate rows for any quoted delivery, setup, staffing, equipment or beverage charges. Mark included items clearly so they are not budgeted twice.
Ask about additional costs for restricted access, stairs, special delivery times or extra collection trips where relevant. These are questions to resolve, not automatic charges to assume.
Rasa’s published buffet terms state a S\$150 charge before GST for setup and two-way delivery, waived for orders of 50 guests or more. Confirm that this applies to your chosen package and address. If your headcount changes across that threshold, recalculate the whole order.
Keep optional upgrades separate. Approvers can then remove an extra dish or equipment upgrade without unpicking the essential catering budget.
Show GST and the complete approval amount
Singapore’s prevailing GST rate is 9%. For a quotation subject to GST, show the taxable subtotal, GST and total payable separately. Do not add GST again where prices already include it. Ask finance to assess any input-tax recovery separately; keep the full supplier payment visible.
Here is an illustrative budget for 40 attendees, using a S\$20 buffet starting price and the published standard setup and delivery fee. It assumes no other charges and requires a written quotation before booking.
| Budget item | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Buffet food | 40 × S\$20.00 | S\$800.00 |
| Setup and two-way delivery | Assumed applicable fee | S\$150.00 |
| Subtotal before GST | Food plus delivery and setup | S\$950.00 |
| GST | 9% × S\$950.00 | S\$85.50 |
| Estimated supplier payment | Subtotal plus GST | S\$1,035.50 |
| Internal contingency | 5% of supplier payment, rounded | S\$51.78 |
| Maximum approval requested | Payment plus contingency | S\$1,087.28 |
The estimated supplier payment works out to S\$25.89 per attendee, including GST. That is the figure to compare with a GST-inclusive company allowance. The contingency is an internal reserve, not a quoted supplier charge.
Explain why the recommended option offers value
Present one recommendation and, where useful, a lower-cost alternative. Compare the same headcount, meal times, dietary requirements and service arrangements. Include the total payable and cost per attendee for each option.
Explain the difference in operational terms. A package that covers the required refreshments may avoid a separate purchase. A simpler menu might meet the same needs at a lower total cost. Identify any work that would move to your own team, such as arranging serving equipment.
Avoid judging value by dish count alone. State why the selected menu suits the schedule and guests, then quantify the saving from any optional items removed. This gives the approver a decision rather than a list of prices.
Give the contingency a specific purpose
Use a contingency only where uncertainty remains. The example’s 5% is a planning choice, not a compulsory fee or universal standard. Explain what it covers, such as a small increase in attendance before the amendment deadline.
Known costs belong in the main estimate. An unresolved delivery charge should be confirmed, not hidden in a general allowance.
Name who can authorise use of the reserve. State that spending above the approved ceiling requires further approval. If numbers and charges are fixed, reduce or remove the allowance according to company policy.
Plan approval around payment and amendment deadlines
A budget can be acceptable while the payment timetable is impossible for finance. Rasa’s published terms specify a 30% non-refundable deposit, full payment one week before the event and amendments finalised at least one week beforehand. Confirm the applicable dates in your quotation.
Work backwards from those dates, allowing time for approval, supplier onboarding, purchase-order creation and payment processing. Check that the company can meet advance-payment terms before committing.
Show the deposit and balance as instalments of the total, not additional expenses. Record cancellation or postponement terms and the amount at risk once payment is made. Give the approver a decision deadline that leaves enough time for the purchasing process.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should a catering budget include?
Include food, delivery, setup, GST and quoted extras, with contingency shown separately.
How do I calculate cost per attendee?
Divide the total payable, including applicable charges and GST, by expected attendance.
Is the deposit an additional cost?
No. It forms part of the total payment.
Is a contingency always necessary?
Only when uncertainty remains and company policy permits it.
When should I request approval?
Allow enough time for purchasing and payment before the caterer’s deadline.