Navigating the Procurement Minefield

With the impending arrival of the new procurement regulations, now delayed until February 2025, SBMs could be forgiven for producing a deep sigh and a what’s next attitude. Sue Birchall unpacks the new regulations, offering practical advice for navigating these updates

There is a myriad of responsibilities in the role of the school business professional and significant changes like this one means new things to learn and changes to an already hectic schedule. Added to the fact that it is in an area that we do not all have the expertise in, well it looks like a whole new ball game.

The truth is that it is an update to existing regulations which we will all have been following and likely will not impact on the day-to-day operations of our schools and academies. However, at some point it might, so I set out to demystify the new expectations for my friends and colleagues.

Procurement Versus Purchasing

I think the first step is to understand the difference between procurement and purchasing. In a nutshell, procurement is interested in the acquiring of products and services where purchasing is the process of buying them. The procurement route is more in-depth and takes longer as it includes steps that happen before, during and after the buying process, concerned with value, more than price and encompasses a strong element of planning.

Purchasing is more immediate, concerns itself with price over value and tends to display a reactive approach to need. In our schools and academies, we would more regularly purchase, but then procure for items such as catering contracts as an example.

How Will This Affect Us?

The procurement regulations are very much designed for procurement and not purchasing. They cover contracts and purchases that have a project design, offering a process in which smaller business can compete alongside larger ones. This is great news for us as a school. How many times have you offered a project out for quotes tender and the local business has been unable to compete? It is hoped these new regulations will level the playing field a little.

It is another consideration when you are carrying out your more in-depth purchasing but not a massive change from the parameters that have been in place for some time. What is probably the most important thing for SBP in schools and academies is to have a basic understanding so that your setting operates legally and without fear of ‘stepping out of line’.

Time to Get Researching

As SBPs and professional people, I see that we have an opportunity to upskill ourselves so that we can be proactive in the social enterprise element of the regulations. If we understand what the expectation is and produce our quotes and tenders in the right way, we can support the individual enterprise to compete and gain contracts. As always, it is important to be aware and up to date with legislation, putting it into practise takes some thought and work.

The Cabinet Office has thoughtfully put together a series of knowledge drops factsheets. The knowledge drops are designed to be just that, a short introduction to each element of the new regulations. What is great about these is that they can be done in bite size pieces. If like me you ‘drown’ with an overload of information, they are perfect. The factsheets are more direct and offer a chance to ‘go back and check’.

The concept is a good one, designed to give purchasing in public life a conscience and I hope this has added a little clarity, time to do some research methinks?