Swindon Academy is an all through school catering for pupils aged 2-19 years across two sites in the Pinehurst & Penhill areas of Swindon. The academy has been independent of the local authority since gaining academy status in October 2007. The academy currently accommodates almost 1600 pupils & staff.
Swindon Academy’s main aim is to provide a multitude of learning opportunities within a vibrant, creative and inclusive environment, whereby students can discover their strengths, talents and interests and pursue them to the highest standards to become the best they can be, whilst developing creatively, socially, emotionally and spiritually.
The Background
Minerva Procurement was approached by Swindon Academy due to a requirement to carry out a procurement exercise for cleaning services at the school. The current cleaning contract was ending in the following August and, due to the contract value, Swindon Academy was required to carry out a tender which complied with the relevant OJEU tender regulations.
Glynn Porter, Estates and Assets Manager, was pleased with their current outsourced cleaning service however the tender procedure would allow him to review proposals from the whole market. In addition, he could ensure they were compliant and achieving value for money in their cleaning service for the duration of the new contract.
It was agreed that assistance from Minerva to conduct the procurement project would be advantageous to Swindon Academy. The procurement project was planned and mobilised in collaboration with Glynn and Sam Jadeja, Director of Finance & Administration.
Once completed by Minerva Procurement the tender documentation, which included a ‘Memorandum of Information’, ‘Pre-Qualification Questionnaire’ and ‘Invitation to Tender’, were made available. A contract notice was sent to the OJEU website which informed the market of the available opportunity at Swindon Academy.
11 expressions of interest were received from which five suppliers were shortlisted and were sent the ‘Invitation to Tender’ document which requested the systems, staff, resources and methodology the suppliers would use to complete the cleaning service as well as a full breakdown of costs for the cleaning service. A presentation day was also organised to allow suppliers the opportunity to ‘bring to life’ their proposal to representatives from Swindon Academy.
After a complete assessment and review the tender results were shared with Swindon Academy to enable them to award the contract. A full procurement audit report was provided which acts as an audit trail for the tender project. Further meetings were then held with the successful supplier to discuss the implementation of the new service which required training and new equipment to be delivered to the school ahead of the new term.
The Results
After the main Invitation to Tender stage Swindon Academy had five full proposals available to review. The successful supplier offered to continue the high-quality service whilst committing to a set cost of the service up to a maximum of five years.
Deadlines for this process were extremely tight, especially as a full and compliant two stage OJEU tender had to be completed. All deadlines were met on time and the contract was awarded with ample time for mobilisation to be completed ahead of the new school year.
Customer Feedback
“I can’t thank you enough for the professionalism of yourself and Nathan. Given the extremely tight time schedule to complete the cleaning procurement the whole process was handled brilliantly from start to finish. Thanks again.”
Glynn Porter, Estates & Assets Manager, Swindon Academy
“Working with Minerva Procurement was a positive experience from start to finish. The timescales for the tender project were very tight due to the new cleaning contract having to be in place before the start of the new school year. However, Minerva were clear and professional in their approach to the project and the timescales involved. Minerva Procurement kept us updated throughout the process to understand what progress was being made and what decisions had to be made at each stage.
The documentation and conduct of Minerva Procurement was professional throughout. We would not hesitate to recommend their services to other Academies.”
Sam Jadeja, Director of Finance and Business Administration, Swindon Academy
