Procurement processes

Challenges To A Procurement Process And How To Avoid Them

At Minerva, full compliance with procurement regulations is not just a nice-to-have – it is at the heart of everything we do. Our role is twofold: to ensure that the processes we run are fully compliant, and to support and upskill our clients so that they can feel confident about their own procurement activity.

Abandoning a Tender Process: Practical Guidance for Schools, Academies and Trusts

For maintained schools, academies, and MATs, running an effective and compliant procurement process is essential — but sometimes the best decision is to abandon a tender and start again. Whether your procurement falls under the Procurement Act 2023 (PA2023) or is a below-threshold exercise, understanding when and how you can abandon a process helps protect the you from risk and ensures fairness to bidders.

Understanding the Competitive Flexible Procedure, Request for Proposal, Framework, and Dynamic Markets Options in UK Public Sector Procurement

Procurement is a crucial part of the UK public sector, ensuring transparency, competition, and value for money. The Procurement Act 2023 introduced new tools as well as updates to existing ones, helping contracting authorities (like you) procure goods, services, and works more effectively.

Navigating the Procurement Act 2023: Training, Resources, and Practical Advice

The Procurement Act 2023 officially came into force on 24 February 2025, marking a shift from the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. It’s therefore the biggest change to procurement regs for a decade!

What Tender Documents Do I Need to be Compliant With the Procurement Act 2023?

With the Procurement Act 2023 now in force, understanding how to run a compliant and transparent procurement process does need a little more work on the basis of getting your head around the new regulations.

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…

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: Ensuring School Safety and Compliance: The Critical Role of Professional Building Consultants

We are delighted to have a guest blog by the brilliant Jo Marchant MBE. Jo is an expert in her field. With 15 years’ experience…

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 understood 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…

What To Expect From A Presentation Day

A presentation day is an important part of your tender, whether you are running a Procurement Act 2023 compliant process or a below-threshold Request For Proposal…

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.…

Procurement processes

What To Expect From A Site Visit

A site visit is an important part of your tender process, as it allows bidders to fully understand your school and the ‘on the ground’…

Contract Monitoring – Getting The Best Out Of Your Services: Foundations Of Good Contract Monitoring

You’ve run your tender process, awarded the contract, the new provider has started in your school or Trust, but how can you be sure that…

Procuring Construction and Estate Management Professional Services – A Supplier’s Perspective

With a decade of working with schools and academies on construction and estate management, both as a client and as a consultant, Jonathan Jones of MAC…

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.....

Advice On Writing Catering Tender Specifications

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....

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.

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).

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.

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.

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