About Us - RIVA

Our Story

School budgets are tighter than ever, resources are often lean and the pressure to cut costs can make quick tenders and low cost contracts look attractive. But these often deliver under priced, low quality contracts that can become costly and difficult to manage over time.

Tired of seeing the same issues on repeat, procurement specialist Rachel O’Grady saw a clear need provide schools with a new strategic approach to the entire procurement lifecycle – one that unlocks the true power of procurement, and delivers better results.

Seeking to disrupt the norm, break the cycle of quick wins and redefine procurement as a true competitive advantage for schools, RIVA was born!

“Support services are critical to schools. At RIVA, we harness procurement to deliver superior results, freeing schools to focus on their core competence – delivering excellence in education”

Rachel O’Grady – Founder and Director of Consultancy

Our purpose

Our mission simple: we deliver ‘Procurement with Purpose’

Our purpose keeps our focus sharp – and guides every part of our work.

Our strategically considered approach to procurement does more than keep you compliant. It protects budgets, supports daily operations and improves the student experience. And that’s exactly what RIVA are here to deliver.

Our deep procurement expertise, industry insight and years of work in schools, means we deliver focused, efficient projects that achieve superior, long lasting results.

“I have been working with RIVA for some time now and can honestly say that I have received an outstanding, professional contract management service. Rachel ensures that I am fully supported and gives me the security to safety check that we are receiving what we have signed up for, in reviewing our contracts. Having this added service allows me the capacity to focus on other areas! I would highly recommend RIVA and their services.”

George Mitchell School

“Having RIVA manage our cleaning and catering contracts has been an enormous benefit to the school. They hold our contractors to account monitoring the budget and KPI’s to ensure we get the very best value. Rachel’s positive relationships she has formed with contractors and clients and her excellent communications skills make this possible. I would highly recommend RIVA – they have saved the school both time and money as their expertise ensures the contracts are run efficiently.”

Jo Richardson Community School

“We have been supported by RIVA for a long time for our catering and cleaning procurement. The service has not only provided excellent support but has also ensured we have secured the right partners and have remained compliant the growing number of regulations. We would highly reccomend their services”

The Circle Trust

“RIVA successfully manages all our compliant tenders and contracts. The business acumen, advice and support they provide is outstanding and invaluable and we have confidence that our contracts will remain on track. Prospective clients of theirs should look no further.”

Plashet School

The RIVA Difference

We are more than procurement consultants, we are your procurement partners. We work differently, taking the time to understand your school and your teams from the inside. When you partner with us, you get:

Flexible, bespoke support models that protect your entire procurement lifecycle

A deep understanding of your school enabling completely tailored projects and outcomes

An embedded partnership where we become 'as one' with your internal teams

Strategic decision-making over the procurement lifecycle, driving better results

Hands-on responsive support, we are easy to work with – procurement can be enjoyable!

A laser focus on ensuring best value for your school, your budget and your students

Data-driven knowledge base, with a finger firmly on the pulse

Guaranteed compliance with The Procurement Act 2023

Get in touch

If you are interested in super charging your procurement activity, please drop us a line. We’d love to chat through your challenges and how we can help.

Get in touch

A digitally enabled approach

Our unique digital procurement platform RIVA Tenders ensures compliance at every step of the way. It enhances our consultants’ work, and improves the outcomes for our clients.

Our digital benchmarks ensure we have a live up-to-the-minute picture of how all support service markets are performing, ensuring we demand the best prices and standards for you, every time.

And our digital project management tools ensure our projects are super organised, and give you a clear view of progress, every step of the way.

Transparent pricing

Integrity and honesty are at the heart of everything we do. This includes our approach to pricing, and our fees.

At RIVA we don’t have large overheads to cost in to our client’s fees, just expert, efficient, streamlined processes and services that are cost effective and deliver superior results for our schools.

Each project is priced and agreed with you in advance, nothing extra and nothing hidden, ever!

Meet the senior team

Proudly female led, RIVA is a team of specialist procurement consultants and industry experts, on a mission to deliver a fresh new approach to school procurement.