Teach-Primary-Issue-20.1

www.teachwire.net | 33 L E ADERSH I P P rocurement is not the most exciting part of school leadership, but right now it is one of the most important. With primary budgets under increasing strain, every purchase carries weight. Leaders are expected to meet legal requirements, secure the best value and free up staff time, all while managing complex contracts that can be far bigger than they first appear. For many primary schools this can feel daunting, THIS WAY! School improvement advice for headteachers and SLT MIDDLE LEADERS | CPD | SUBJECT LEADERSHIP How to make PROCUREMENT work for you especially when only a few people in the building are responsible for navigating the rules. For many schools, having trust-wide support can make the process feel more manageable. At Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust (BDAT), the ability to buy at scale, centralise workload and bring schools into shared decision making has improved value for money and strengthened compliance. Those benefits are significant, but they are not automatic. They’ve come from learning what works, putting clear processes in place and planning ahead. Start with clarity Effective procurement starts with understanding the value of what is being bought and how that determines the next steps. Some primary schools underestimate the value of a contract. A service that looks like £25,000 a year becomes a £125,000 procurement once it runs across a five-year contract, and it is the total value that ultimately matters, not the annual figure. Therefore, a clear scheme of delegation prevents mistakes. Schools should know which approvals are needed at different thresholds, which routes are required and when a tender or framework becomes necessary. Once the total value of a contract reaches around £75,000, a formal tender with competitive bids is usually required. Higher values, or procurements