They say laughter is the best medicine. In his new series of articles, Nigel Milligan shares some funny but poignant stories taken from his own experiences, which he hopes will raise a smile and strike a chord with SBLs
This month I would like to question whether framework pricing gives best value to schools, to do this, I want to share a funny story which may strike a chord with you all. Throughout my life I have always tried to have an open and honest approach to life and will always see the funny side of things. There are lots of positive benefits to this that help to make the working day more pleasurable and rewarding.
Around 20 years ago, I was based in a transport office for a civil engineering company. I quickly got to know everyone across the company, developing a rapport with them. One morning after a particularly hectic start to the day, one of the directors (who I hadn’t seen too much of) came into the office. I still chuckle about his greeting – “Why are you always so (expletives) happy all of the time?!!”
We all stood there; mouths aghast as he swiftly entered his office closing his door with a loud bang! I quickly reached in my drawer for the book I always kept to hand for occasions such as this. I knocked on his door, entered and delivered it to him along with some other paperwork. Fast forward around 20 minutes, he came out of his office chuckling to himself and returned the book to me with an apology, saying “Fair play to you, I asked for that!”
The book? – ‘How to win friends and influence people.’
As we approach the end of another financial year, schools are looking at ways to survive with reduced income and increased costs. For many years, I have worked with schools to help them get the best value deals on everything from IT Devices and subscriptions through to internet connections, telephone systems and photocopiers. It’s a bit of a minefield out there with lots of companies eager to win business from schools!
During my first year working in schools, my first main project was to advise and help develop the IT for a new build primary school. My business and IT background helped to make an impact on this project throughout the costing exercise for resources for the new school. The focus was to be innovative and to introduce state-of-the-art technology.
This was a perfect opportunity for the school to move over to Apple with a view to move towards a 1:1 deployment of iPads in the future. I reached out to various Apple suppliers for proposals for iMacs & Macbooks. In the end, the governing body decided for the project to be supplied by the company that gave the lowest price and could guarantee the delivery of everything in time. The whole process took some time but proved to be a valuable exercise.
It is important to ensure that the school is being given the best value for money on all products and services. This means understanding all your options and choosing the one that delivers what you need. The DfE approved framework agreements have helped schools to save time and offer fully compliant procurement options. There are many academy trusts and mainstream schools that have made the business decision to only use framework pricing. However, SBLs should not be afraid to carry out their own pricing exercises to ensure they have all the information to make informed decisions.
It may be that you can find alternative solutions by expanding your search beyond the frameworks. Or that you can find better deals direct. The thing is that you don’t know unless you look. Afterall, knowledge is power just as much as laughter is the best medicine – and when you’re managing a school both these things are a must – especially when dealing with suppliers!
To find out more about how INam Concept Ltd could benefit your school/company, please contact Nigel Milligan in one of the following ways:
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