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How to manage rising costs in your school contracts
How to manage rising costs in your school contracts by Zoe Lloyd-Jones – Lead Procurement Consultant at Education Buying Costs are going up and budgets are struggling to keep up with inflation. The numbers just don’t stack up and for many schools it is difficult to keep your head above water. Education Buying has put […]
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How to buy the best printers and copiers for your school
How to buy the best printers and copiers for your school Printers and photocopiers are expensive, and depending on how much your school uses them and what price plan you are on, costs can soon rack up so it’s good to make sure you have the right contract in place to control your costs. Printers […]
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The easiest ways your school can stay compliant
PCR 2015 explained: How your school can stay compliant PCR15, also known as the Public Contract Regulations 2015 are a set of laws that cover how to conduct procurement in an efficient and compliant manner. There are many regulations to constantly keep track of and to say it can be overwhelming is an understatement! However, […]
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Social Value: how framework agreements make a difference
Social Value: how framework agreements make a difference Education Buying’s new Schools Supplies framework agreement is here With the promise of savings for schools on their everyday essentials, it’s important to know how your new suppliers will bring social value with every purchase. With social value being a big focus for schools and MATs in […]
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Have you thought about how to manage your school’s energy price increase?
Have you thought about how to manage your school’s energy price increase? Lots of suppliers are not taking on any new customers, so the options are limited for anyone coming out of a contract. With energy costs so volatile it can be difficult for your school to obtain savings. Though, we do benchmark prices regularly […]
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How the Queen's Speech outlines the future of public procurement
The Queen's Speech included a keynote update and intention from the Government on the introduction and launching of a new Public Procurement Bill which will replace the existing Public Contracts Regulations 2015 regime.
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How a schools-led buying organisation is changing the education sector forever
How a schools-led buying organisation is changing the education sector forever. Unique, not-for-profit, Public Sector Buying Organisation launched Public procurement in UK education is complex. Ensuring the needs of pupils, teachers and support staff are catered for, while continually improving and maintaining the facilities is a difficult balancing act. For schools, finding time can be […]
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How can stress affect children's mental health?
Stress can affect children in different ways. It's important to be aware of the effects stress can have on mental health and how it can affect the developing brain. Fortunately, schools can do their part to combat the every day stresses that children feel.
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How to write the perfect school tender specification
Figuring out how to write the perfect school tender specification can be hard, but understanding the types of specification and the differences between a framework and DPS will make the tender process much easier.
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The importance of nutrition in Schools
It's vital to develop and maintain a student's positive relationship with food. The importance of nutrition in schools is that it has wide reaching effects on how a student performs in the school day.
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The best ways to grow your Multi-Academy Trust
Finding the best ways to grow your Multi-Academy Trust is vital in ensuring the long-term success of the schools under your banner. Make sure you are legally compliant with advice from leading experts.
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9 ways to save your school from a data breach
Lacking cyber security for your school or MAT can end up costing you massive sums of money if you are left undefended. Here's 9 ways to save your school from a data breach before they can happen.
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Are you ready for the UK's big network switch?
Are you ready for the UK’s big network switch? Telecoms throughout the UK are changing forever in the coming years. BT recently announced that by 2025 the UK’s PSTN network will be switched off in its entirety, meaning all schools will need to start making plans regarding their current telecoms contracts. The PSTN (Public Switched […]
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What are the new procurement thresholds?
What are the new procurement thresholds? The New Year brings new procurement threshold updates! As of the 1st of January 2022, schools and MATs are subject to new procurement ‘thresholds’. You might need to update your internal policies to reflect this new legislation. The procurement thresholds dictate which sections of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 […]
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What does a good contract register look like?
What does a good contract register look like? It can be difficult to put together a contracts register if you’ve never used one before, or have never heard of one. What is a contracts register? A contracts register is a record of all your contracts and agreements held in one place. The biggest benefit is […]
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4 Common Mistakes made about School Contract Basics and How To Fix them with a Contracts Register
There are 4 common mistakes made about school contract basics that are easily solvable, find out how you can fix them with a contracts register.
Read moreThe dos and don'ts of contract management
The dos and don’ts of contract management Public sector procurement is constantly changing and evolving, mismanagement of your contracts can result in your school losing thousands of pounds, so we’ve come up with some dos and don’ts to help you manage your contracts better. Do – Communicate effectively, you need to properly document any changes […]
Read morePublic Sector Procurement: Government Update
Public sector procurement: Government update Recently, we published some of the key updates for them Cabinet Office and how this might affect public procurement. We reported that a new procurement law was to be implemented soon and what this could mean. On the 6th of December 2021, the Cabinet Office published its response to the […]
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Key updates from the Procurement Cabinet Office
Key updates from the Procurement Cabinet Office In late October, Cabinet Office provided an update on the future of public procurement and how it will ‘transform’ via the Green Paper consultation and the Procurement Bill. There were some key factors in this update, ones that will have an impact on schools, colleges and trusts going into the future. Here […]
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What are the top 5 key points to consider when MATs merge?
Whether your MAT is brand new or forming a stronger unit, find out the top 5 tips to make your merger process easier.
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Our 4 top tips to help with energy prices
Our 4 top tips to help you with your energy prices The energy market is facing dramatic price surges, with gas having increased by 300% and electricity by 100% in August 2021, compared to the same time last year (see Table 1). The challenges faced by the energy companies will inevitably have a knock-on effect […]
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Supply chain headaches and how to cure them
Supply chain headaches and how to cure them The last few weeks we’ve seen several headlines like “gas supplies under threat” and “meat could run out in under two weeks”, “petrol supplies threatened by lack of HGV drivers” etc… These are rightly concerning headlines and it’s all to do with the fragile supply chain operating across the UK and beyond. […]
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The importance of Social Value in your school’s tendering
The importance of Social Value in your school’s tendering What is Social Value? Social value is the overall value that schools, MATs, colleges and universities can gain from money that is spent on procurement. This can be from providing improvements through economic, environmental or social areas. Social value, also referred to as ‘sustainable procurement’, should […]
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What do HR professionals do in schools?
What do HR professionals do in Schools? Human resources within a school initially acts as it would within any organisation. The department exists to improve the skills and knowledge of the people within. While this is important, the HR department would also be responsible for helping teachers, heads and other business-related staff – extending their […]
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Schools and MATs beware, a new procurement law is on its way, and it will affect you
Schools and MATs beware, a new procurement law is on its way, and it will affect you Recently the Government released a new ‘National Procurement Policy Statement’. Here’s what our procurement expert, Ben McGirr commented in a recent webinar about the importance of good contract management: “This is particularly timely at the moment. In June, the government published something called the […]
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Contract management tips that will save you money
The 3 best contract management tips that will save you money Contract management is a vital part of the procurement process. After all, the contract is the final document that will control how much or how little you will save yourself. The issue with contract management is that it is a constant process. You should […]
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Green Paper - Transforming Procurement
Procurement proposals post-Brexit In December 2020, the government’s ‘Transforming Public Procurement’ Green Paper announced the key proposals for transforming public procurement post-Brexit. What would change: A new “unit” with the power to intervene and drive-up standards in...
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New freedom to ‘Buy British’ in post-Brexit procurement
The UK’s exit from the EU brings freedoms around contract spend on goods, services and works contracts. A key change is that you can now limit suppliers in certain tenders and be free to ‘Buy British’ only. Which tenders does this apply to? This change applies to 'below threshold' tenders, which are goods/services valued under £189,330 or...
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