Effective Procurement Planning
In this blog we look at the crucial aspects of procurement, to help you with your planning. To be most effective, you should consider: key…
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Compliance
Guest Blog: How to Exit a Contract You’re Unhappy With: A Guide for Schools and Trusts
Disclaimer: Anything posted in this blog is for general information only and is not intended to provide legal advice on any general or specific matter.…
Understanding the Procurement Act 2023: A Practical Guide to a Selection of Key Changes for Schools and Academy Trusts
The introduction of the Procurement Act 2023 has brought with it a new wave of changes for public sector procurement. For schools and academy trusts,…
Guest Blog: Understanding New Food Waste Legislation and Its Impact
Food waste management is undergoing significant changes, with new legislation having taken effect on 31 March 2025. Businesses and workplaces, particularly educational institutions, will need…
Navigating the Stages of a Competitive Flexible Procedure Tender Process Under The Procurement Act 2023
Navigating the complexities of The Procurement Act 2023 (TPA2023) can be daunting for schools and other public sector organisations. Understanding the various stages of the…
Does My Tender Need To Be Compliant With The Procurement Act 2023?
If you understand how to value a contract under the old Public Contracts Regulations 2015 then (good news!) you understand how to value it under…
Understanding the New Procurement Act 2023: A Summary for Schools, Academies, and Multi-Academy Trusts
The landscape of public procurement in the UK has undergone significant changes with the introduction of the Procurement Act 2023, which came into force on…
What Happens At The End Of An Above Threshold Tender Once We’ve Made A Decision?
If your tender is above threshold for The Procurement Act 2023 (or The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 if your tender has already started), then there…
Guest Blog: Contracts: Key Terms and Things To Look Out For
Disclaimer: Anything posted in this blog is for general information only and is not intended to provide legal advice on any general or specific matter.…
Guest Blog: What To Look For When Entering Into A Contract
Disclaimer: Anything posted in this blog is for general information only and is not intended to provide legal advice on any general or specific matter.…
Guest Blog: Preventing And Responding To A Cyber Attack
Neil Limbrick is an independent consultant who has worked in an IT Strategy Role with MATs and Schools for over 20 years. He is currently…
Navigating the Stages of a Restricted Procedure PCR2015 Tender Process
Navigating the complexities of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR2015) can be daunting for schools and other public sector organisations. Understanding the various stages of…
ISO:9001 certification – a benchmarking case study
We are very proud to be ISO:9001 accredited (read more about why it matters here) and recently completed our annual surveillance audit, which were very…
Does my tender need to be PCR2015 compliant?
First question – are you an independent school? If you are, then the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR2015) doesn’t apply to you. You can stop…
Advice on Writing ICT Managed Service Tender Specifications
In the last of our blogs on writing tender specifications, we are focusing on the dark art of ICT Managed Service and they key things you need to include.
Advice on Writing Cleaning Tender Specifications
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.....
Cyber Essentials: The Advantages for Minerva and our Customers
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?
General Advice On Writing A ‘Fit For Purpose’ Specification
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.
Your IT Audit: What You Must Do, What You Should Do and What You Could Do
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.
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).
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…
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…
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: 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…
GUEST BLOG: Education Establishment Building Maintenance: Statutory Compliance
With costs rising and contractors thin on the ground, the key to successful compliance is forward planning, specifying to the detail the work you want done and excellent record keeping. Remember, even if you contract property management to a third party you are still the client and still responsible.
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.
GDPR and the importance of being a graceful swan
The swan metaphor is used to describe the perception of calm, control and graceful action whilst under the waterline, out of the public gaze, the…
Public Procurement Regulations Update & Case Law
As you're probably aware, there have been a number of changes to the UK's Public Procurement Regulations over the last year, not least the Government's Green Paper review of OJEU legislation and amendments to the Public Contract Regulations (2015).
ISO:9001 – what is it and why does it matter?
ISO:9001 – What is it and why does it matter? What is ISO:9001? ISO:9001 is an international quality management system standard. Clear as mud? Let’s…
How good is good?
How good is good? Is 95% Good? Sounds like an obvious question and if it was your exam result, you would probably be very happy…
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