Gloucester schools sign up to the Schools' Buying Club

Thirty-six schools across Gloucester have signed up to our procurement service, which it is hoped will save thousands of pounds on already squeezed budgets.

The GSP Supply Agency Framework, set to go live on 8^th October, will allow schools to hire a range of temporary and permanent staff, including supply teachers, teaching and classroom assistants, as well as support staff, at fairer and more transparent cost than before.

The schools already signed up spend more than £650,000 combined on the hiring of such staff. It is estimated that the new GSP Framework will bring savings of at least 10% for its members. The framework is open to all schools in the Gloucestershire region and it is anticipated that many more schools will come on board in the next few months.

The framework, designed and managed by us at the Schools' Buying Club (SBC), has secured ten suppliers, ranging from local, regional and national firms. It is believed to be the first of its kind where local firms will compete with national suppliers on an equal footing for such services. The schools signed up will have access to each supplier's individual prices, terms and conditions and will be able to make an informed choice to fit their own needs and budget. SBC will undertake a quarterly audit of the supplier's prices and will amend accordingly. It is hoped that the transparency will lead to a reduction of charges, which will benefit the schools. 

Prior to the framework being established, schools were not aware of the different rates they were being charged for the same services. For example, a firm could charge out the same supply teacher to different schools at variable rates depending upon perceived need and urgency of request made to the agency providing the staff.

Commenting on the new service, Tim Cooper of GSP said: "Across the county, all schools spend in excess of £2m per year on agency supplied staff. We believe that this new arrangement will help to reduce these costs by at least 10% on current charges. With the number of agencies signed up already the competition for quotes should be strong and hopefully lead to even further reductions in rates for our schools." 

Robbie O'Driscoll of SBC added: "The framework will provide a wide range of improvements for schools. It will ensure they are compliant within EU Procurement Regulations and inform them in advance what they are going to pay which should drive up quality and drive down costs.

"It will also manages all contracts centrally to ensure that best practice, quality and consistently is delivered by suppliers taking another bureaucracy burden away from schools. In these difficult financial times every penny counts for a school. Undertaking value for money procurement will significantly reduce costs and free up time to focus on ensuring that every child has an improved learning experience."