Meeting the trusts needs via a true Procurement Partnership
RIVA were delighted to be approached on recommendation by Future Academies, a trust of 7 secondary and 3 primary schools across London and Hertfordshire.
The trust required a full overhaul of their whole procurement lifecycle. From firming up their procurement strategy to training staff, reviewing their current services, engaging in tender management and ensuring robust contract management of the new contracts, we were engaged to bring strategic, transformational improvements.
Key objectives were:
- Ensure a concrete, compliant and actionable procurement strategy
- Ensure all staff are competent both in the trusts’s strategy procurement and contract management requirements
- Ensure all contracts are compliant
- Identify consolidation opportunities
- Evaluate services to identify potential improvements and embed within bespoke tender projects
- Reduce costs where possible without compromising quality of services
- Ensure a robust contract management system is in place for lasting value delivery
We were truly able to embed ourselves within the trust as our services rolled out and it is under these circumstances we work best and can make tangible, transformational and long lasting improvements to their procurement activity and support service contracts.
1 - Procurement strategy and pipeline planning
Future Academies already had a procurement strategy in place – RIVA were tasked with updating this to ensure both compliance with the new Procurement Act, and to ensure it was a clear, understandable, actionable document.
With their strategy secured, the next step was to compile their procurement pipeline, planning out procurement activity for the next 5 years. This was a complex task, capturing many separate contracts from each school to identify consolidation opportunities and ensure compliance across the trust.
2 - Procurement and contract management training
We were invited as an ‘Expert Guest Speaker’ to join the Future Academies annual trust conference. Within the conference we delivered two 90 minute training sessions on Procurement, then on Contract Management. The trust were keen to ensure staff understood the key implications of the new Procurement Act and how to ensure compliance – and that those responsible for ongoing contract management for the trust’s support services were upskilled, competent and had the tools needed to deliver excellence in this area.
This was also a great opportunity for us to really get to know the culture and ethos of the trust whereby this deeper understanding enabled us to really deliver bespoke projects and value to them via out Procurement Partnership
3 - Best value review
RIVA were tasked with reviewing the trust’s catering services, which are mid contract and not due for tender, before engaging in formal contract monitoring of the catering across all schools.
The trust were keen that improvements were secured across all services including those outside of a formal competitive tender.
Busgets were renegotiated and strategies for improving uptake were secured, along side tweaking many of the schools’ services to ensure they were bespoke to each requirement.
4 - Tender management
Via our procurement strategy and pipeline work we were able to identify the following services that had consolidation and improvement potential via separate tender projects:
- Cleaning
- Grounds Maintenance
- Printing and reprographics
- Health and Safety
- Project Management
- Waste Management
- Uniforms
These tenders were scheduled over a rolling annual program to ensure there was the required time to develop bespoke specifications, engage with each school to capture their bespoke requirements and to ensure resource availability within the trust.
5 - Contract management
RIVA were retained in a contract management capacity for the two largest contracts across the trust – catering and cleaning. In conjunction with the trust and via our regular management meetings we chair with the trust and their contractors, the contractors are held to account to ensure the contracts are being delivered to the highest standards, we are looking for long lasting value not just immediate improvements!
The outcome
The trust were delighted with the outcome of our Procurement Partnership – referring to RIVA as ‘part of their team’.
We achieved significant cost savings and fit for purpose, bespoke, consolidated contracts for all of their services. They now have a compliant, easy to follow strategy and pipeline to follow and look forward to sustained improved procurement activity across the Trust for a long time to come!
