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Since the pandemic, energy rates have been volatile. We teamed up with Zenergi, to review what is happening in the energy market. Now that it is starting to calm down, we want to give you all the information you need to make the best buying decisions.
Energy Masterclass: How To Leverage A Favourable Energy Market Read More »
In the third of our series of blogs on writing tender specifications, we focus on detailed issues around cleaning and the key areas you need to include – which might not always be as clear as you think…..
Advice on Writing Cleaning Tender Specifications Read More »
Minerva achieved Cyber Essentials accreditation in January this year, after months of hard work, and what felt like a million new tracking documents, policies and training sessions. But what does Cyber Essentials actually mean for us and our customers?
Cyber Essentials: The Advantages for Minerva and our Customers Read More »
Catering is one of the contracts that Minerva deals with most frequently. So, we know what you need to include in your specification so that you get the best outcome. Read on to get the benefit of our wisdom….
Advice On Writing Catering Tender Specifications Read More »
With procurement support and training for schools, academies and Trusts diminishing, I have decided to try and plug the gap in this blog and related webinar by looking at how you can write a fit for purpose specification to help you run your tender processes more efficiently and effectively.
General Advice On Writing A ‘Fit For Purpose’ Specification Read More »
On the face of it, recruitment and retention may not seem to have a direct link to procurement. However, with rising resignation rates, we can expect to pay more for recruitment which further squeezes our budgets. We need to understand what the levers are that encourage retention.
Staff Retention by Role: Unpicking The Reasons Why Your Staff Leave Read More »
Jo Marchant, author of the brilliantly practical “The School Premises Handbook”, has worked in school estate management for the last 15 years. In this blog, Jo shares with us her thoughts on how to align your estates vision with your educational vision. Your eductional vision should influence everything you do, from how you run your
Aligning Your Estates Vision With Your Educational Vision Read More »
Celebrating Service Excellence At Minerva Procurement Consultancy Services, we are thrilled to announce the results of our Annual Customer Service Survey, conducted in conjunction with National Customer Service Week. This year’s survey yielded fantastic feedback from our valued clients, and we couldn’t be more delighted to share the results with you including a very special
Minerva Procurement Consultancy Services Annual Customer Service Survey Results Read More »
Communitas PR is a marketing communications consultancy working exclusively in the education sector both in the UK and internationally. Director Ken Stevens has designed and led on a number of whole-school launches and website developments for Mayesbrook Park School, as well as South Bank Engineering UTC , Barking and Dagenham School Improvement Service (BDSIP) and The Lion Academy Trust. In
How To Make Your School Stand Out From The Crowd Read More »
IT is a massive area and understanding what you need to audit and how you should go about it is equally massive. In this blog, Neil Limbrick uses his considerable expertise to help you focus your attention on the areas you should be concentrating on and signposts some of the resources that can really help you.
Your IT Audit: What You Must Do, What You Should Do and What You Could Do Read More »
Our aim at Minerva is to ensure that we provide an excellent service and make a big difference to our clients.
However, we also feel that we should be making a bigger difference to the wider world.
Read how we are working on our client’s behalf with B1G1 to make this a reality.
Minerva and B1G1 – Working With Our Clients To Make A Positive Contribution To Society Read More »
My name actually means ’thank you very much’ and I am passionate about charity; especially for widows and orphans. Contracts Officer My role is to support the ever increasing role of Minerva as it relates to preparing Commercial Legal Agreements and Contract Monitoring Process Say “Hi” to everyone, whisper a short prayer, put on my laptop
A Day In The Life Of Zaagni Lar Read More »
Jamie Wade, Acer Trust’s Chief Operating Officer, presents Icknield Community College with their well deserved Highly Commended Prize for making an energy saving of 22% through simple and effective changes.
Supporting Energy Saving Initiatives In Our Schools Read More »
Meet Rhian, our team Administrator. Able to turn her hand to most jobs she remains, at heart, an adventurer who loves variety.
A Day In The Life Of Rhian Begg Read More »
As of April 2023, the Selection Questionnaire (SQ) has undergone several updates . These changes will affect the documentation that schools use to procure goods and services from suppliers when running a process compliant with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR2015).
What are the new updates to the Selection Questionnaire? Read More »
Do you feel that there is so much CPD available that you do not know where to start? Or that nothing is on offer at all? Perhaps you know exactly what you need but do not know where to find it. Or you just want some help to point you in the right direction. In
Take Control and Make Your CPD Work For You Read More »
Meet Maria! She is our PAM, a fan of 90s movies and very competitive at Crazy Golf. These are all requirements for working at Minerva……
A Day In The Life Of Maria Robinson Read More »
Rhian has been running Business Managers Networks in Oxfordshire and Berkshire for nearly 10 years. Here she tells us why they are so important and top tips for setting up your own.
The Power Of Personal Networks Read More »
Ben Hart is the Co-Founder and Director of Social Media Check (www.socialmediacheck.com) with over 15 years working as an accredited detective and senior investigating officer in roles that included major investigations utilising online searching and data interrogation. Given that online activity has become a key part of our behaviour, social media checks have become an integral
Social Media Checks – How To Get Them Right Read More »
I can certainly remember from my time at school, especially around exam time, one of the key mantras from the teachers was “make sure you have read the question multiple times before you start to answer it.” This must seem blindingly obvious, but even now we see multiple times when the person we are interacting
Have You Actually Read The Question? Read More »
Richard is our Tenders and Compliance Officer. He is a committed Harry Potter fan but does not like surprises
A Day In The Life Of Richard Lindsell Read More »
Meet Ben, our Procurement Account Manager. He is an expert on Fuller’s Beers and is a fully paid up member of the Dad’s Cab taxi service.
A Day In The Life Of Ben Jones Read More »
MIS Procurement, on the surface appears straightforward with the DfE recommending suppliers and comparators but scratch below the surface and thinks can be a bit more complicated.
MIS Procurement – Choosing and Implementing the Best System For You Read More »
Unless you secured a fixed rate contract covering this period (well done you!), every school and Trust is dealing with energy price increases. It is not all bad news, however, as Chris Prentice looks at the incentives and opportunities to cut costs and save money.
Energy Efficiency and Price Rises Read More »
John Edwards, of 3e Associates, NetZero, procurement and strategic advisor to the academies and education sector, Angela Tregear, Professor of Marketing at University of Edinburgh Business School and Adam Wilkinson, Founder of Impact Measurement Limited provide a practical guide to the fundamental changes that we need to make in the delivery and management of school
GUEST BLOG: Net Zero and School Catering Read More »
Can you “Kaizen” a pupil or “Poka-Yoke” a parents’ evening. Maybe not, but continuous improvement is vital in any setting, as Steve Parker explains……
What Is Continuous Improvement And Does It Apply To Me? Read More »
Meet Lorraine Ashover, Director!
This post is part of our regular feature introducing you to our Minerva team.
A day in the life of…..Lorraine Ashover Read More »
If the COVID pandemic taught us anything, it is that effective communication is critical for schools to remain operational. The telecoms industry has entered a period of significant change in recent years, as we transition away from traditional phoneline-based telephone systems and toward a world where VoIP is the default. Liam Bonthron, Head of DB
GUEST BLOG: Future-Proof Your Telecoms: Prepare For The ISDN Switch Off Read More »
You will know, from your weekly shop, that food prices are soaring and there is no chance of this stopping any time soon. A perfect storm of Brexit, Covid and the war in Ukraine has contributed to this ever worsening situation. How is this impacting our school meals and what we can do to work together to manage the situation and minimise the impact?
GUEST BLOG: Catering Service Challenges – Food Inflation & Recruitment Read More »
10th June 2022 is School Business Leader’s Day – you were probably so busy that you did not even notice. We’re all aware of the continued challenges faced by the SBL community, But, as always, the SBL Community is there to support each other and lift people up when needed. What a bloody brilliant bunch you all are!
Happy School Business Leader’s Day Read More »
