Blog - Minerva

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A Day In The Life Of Zaagni Lar

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…

Minerva news

Supporting Energy Saving Initiatives In Our Schools

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.

Minerva news

A Day In The Life Of Rhian Begg

Meet Rhian, our team Administrator. Able to turn her hand to most jobs she remains, at heart, an adventurer who loves variety.

What are the new updates to the Selection Questionnaire?

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).

Take Control and Make Your CPD Work For You

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…

Minerva news

A Day In The Life Of Maria Robinson-Pus

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......

The Power Of Personal Networks

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.

Minerva news

A Day In The Life Of Richard Lindsell

Richard is our Tenders and Compliance Officer. He is a committed Harry Potter fan but does not like surprises

Compliance

Social Media Checks – How To Get Them Right

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…

Tender documentation

Have You Actually Read The Question?

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…

Minerva news

A Day In The Life Of Ben Jones

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.

MIS Procurement – Choosing and Implementing the Best System For You

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.

Energy

Energy Efficiency and Price Rises

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.

Minerva news

A day in the life of…..Lorraine Ashover

Meet Lorraine Ashover, Director! This post is part of our regular feature introducing you to our Minerva team.

What Is Continuous Improvement And Does It Apply To Me?

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......

GUEST BLOG: Net Zero and School Catering

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…

Compliance

GUEST BLOG: Future-Proof Your Telecoms: Prepare For The ISDN Switch Off

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…

Minerva news

A day in the life of…. Steve Parker, Procurement Account Manager (Consultant)

Meet Steve Parker, Procurement Account Manager! This post is part of our regular feature introducing you to our Minerva team.

GUEST BLOG: Catering Service Challenges – Food Inflation & Recruitment

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?

Happy School Business Leader’s Day

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!

Transforming Public Procurement – The Changes That Will Affect You

£300 billion of public procurement accounts for around a third of all public expenditure every year and is the largest area of public spending. For this reason, there has been a lot of focus on the opportunity to simplify the regulations now that we are no longer in the EU. Changes to how we procure in the public sector will be happening and it is vital that we get the rules and processes right.

The Procurement Blog