In conjunction with our partner, GLS Educational Supplies, we’re undertaking research into smarter procurement and ways to improve value and efficiency – the findings will be published in a white paper and widely shared.
Demands on schools’ resources are increasing. On average, schools spend three-quarters of their budget on their greatest resource, staff, the remainder on areas including back office, facilities management, IT and catering. For those tasked with managing the allocation of funds it is essential that they do so efficiently – and this can be an intense and time-consuming undertaking.
In addition to doing more with (in real terms) less – with budgets bitten by increasing staff and operational costs – schools are under pressure to make savings. In the context of the school budget, then, efficiency is king. And it’s essential that those in charge of managing those budgets take a strategic approach to procurement in order to achieve best value for money in the long-term.
How do you procure?
How do you manage your school’s procurement process? While SBMs have a deep understanding of a school’s requirements and resources – and how to purchase them cleverly – the procurement process is a school-wide commitment. We want to look at how schools are procuring smarter by considering the challenges they still face when it comes to procurement, identifying how this function can be streamlined to improve efficiency, reduce costs and save time for schools and those who work in them.
We know procurement can be an arduous and time-consuming task, so we’ve joined forces with GLS to identify the processes and procedures that smart schools and smarter SBMs are employing in order to deliver long-term, positive impact on schools’ strategic objectives.
Together, EdExec and GLS are undertaking research into school procurement; our findings will be published in a white paper and shared with the sector. We need your help with this.
In addition to delving deep into the existing material on procurement, we are gathering the insights and experiences of those on the frontline who undertake, and engage with, the procurement process on a daily basis. We’re very keen to have your input via our short, online survey (it will take no more than a few minutes) to help us with our research.
For a long time, GLS has understood the pressures faced by school business managers nationwide. Recently, we’ve been asking ourselves, how can we fit in and truly add value to the SBM community? This white paper is our opportunity to offer honest, tangible advice to help you to increase time and money saving opportunities within your school. It’s also a chance for us to share the views of the wider, collaborative SBM network within a single, easy to digest document that will remain useful for years to come.
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