Management & Running of Schools Buying Hubs Regional Pilot

***New on 2nd June 2017 - Please note that the two contracts for the schools regional buying hubs in the North West and South West regions will be awarded using the Competitive Dialogue Procedure. This will commence in June and will be completed by September/October 2017.

The estimated combined total value of the two contracts is £14 million to £18 million (excluding VAT) over a period of up to four years (the first year being a pilot phase with a combined capped value of £2.6 million excluding VAT). Continuation of the contract beyond the first year (pilot phase) will be dependent on the Department's view of the success of the pilot phase, acceptable performance by the supplier and funding availability.

One of the key initiatives announced in the recently published Schools' Buying Strategy is to provide a network of Schools Buying Hubs to help with complex buying. In order to thoroughly test the approach, the Department for Education (DfE) proposes to tender for two separate organisations to run and manage pilot hubs in two government regions: one in the North West (NW) and one in the South West (SW) for an initial period of 12 months with a focus on local buying.

Hubs also aim to facilitate and strengthen local service provision and cohesion. School Buying Hubs will be single regional units designed to communicate with and support all schools in their area, including through phone and online services.

They will provide category expertise and specialist advice to help deliver better value. They can add particular value for goods and services which can be effectively bought on a regional basis.

Often for schools this covers areas of spend that are complex, infrequent and high value, including the delivery of important services such as catering, cleaning and premises. Additional information: Estimated Total Value (exl VAT): Up to £1.3 million per hub for 12-month provision.

Option to extend contract by further 36 months with yearly break clauses. Future years funding to be determined.

As a regional pilot, the £1.3 million is only for a proportion of the schools population in each region and therefore not the expected typical annual cost. Two supplier events are to be held, one in the NW and one in the SW.

Suppliers must send their attendees name (our intension is to include one representative per organisation but this may be increased to two depending on venue capacity) and the organisation name. This information will be shared with all other attendees unless you expressly inform the department that you do not wish so.

Venue details will be emailed to all attendees. A prospectus will also be circulated ahead of the event.

The supplier events will be used to help shape requirements. We welcome input and discussion at the event as well as serving as a networking opportunity for possible consortia bids. Time will be built into the day for networking and contact lists will be shared after the event.