Nicola Wells is the school business manager at Amery Hill Secondary School – a single academy trust in Hampshire with approximately 1,000 students. Here she shares her experience of using Get help buying for schools to procure cleaning services for the school.
We were looking to run a cleaning tender, as we were in the final year of our three-year contract with our current supplier.
I’d previously been involved in a school collaboration for a tender run through Get help buying for schools, which had gone really well – so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to use the service for our cleaning procurement.
We decided to use Get help buying for schools for several reasons. Cost was a huge factor – the fact it was free was amazing. It also ensured compliance and gave me peace of mind knowing that all the companies offering frameworks had been checked by the Department for Education and had agreed to certain service levels. It made the process easy for us as a school, and it was quick.
Brilliant support from start to finishI was a bit concerned I’d left it too late, but we managed to make the schedule work for both us and the Get help buying for schools team – and the service was brilliant.
I’d done some research online and had a framework in mind. We went through the process to gain access to the frameworks, and everything went smoothly from there. It was very simple and straightforward.
The support was brilliant from start to finish. The response times were really quick, and the team were so helpful. I had a few questions once I took over the process myself, and they answered clearly. Everything from getting the specification ready, to going out to tender, to help with questions on the portal and scoring – it was all so slick and easy.
Fantastic free serviceThe outcome was great. We had weighted the tender 40% on cost and 60% on quality, so I knew we might pay a bit more, but quality was the biggest factor for us as we wanted to raise our cleaning standards in the school. The successful company started not too long ago and we’re really happy – on both sides.
Get help buying for schools saved me so much time as a school business manager. They support you through the whole process, and at no point did I feel like I was on my own. It hasn’t cost the school any money either. The fact that it’s a free service is fantastic.
I would definitely use the service again for other areas in our school. If you’re a school considering using Get help buying for schools, I’d highly recommend it. The process is fair, professional, and offers a huge amount of support. It’s definitely worth it from a cost-saving perspective too.
Find out more about how the Get help buying for schools team can support your school cleaning services procurement.
Any savings, benefits and outcomes described in this case study were provided by Amery Hill Secondary School and reflect its specific experience and circumstances. Individual results will vary between schools and trusts.
seen at 14:57, 4 September in Maximising Value for Pupils (Max VP).