Collaborative Procurement & Cost Reduction In Education
Put simply, we bulk-buy on behalf of a large number of independent schools to achieve substantially lower costs and better performance in the following areas:
ENERGY
ELECTRICITY, OIL & GAS
One of the most significant areas of expenditure for any school and one which is consistently bought independently by single schools themselves with little ability for them to influence the price. These are straight-forward commodities for us to combine and negotiate with the energy providers on a significant scale to achieve lower rates. We can also help with energy cost reduction programmes such as LED lighting renewals and automated building management systems.
MAINTENANCE & PROJECTS
ENGINEERING, BUILDING
We have extensive experience in the management of all costs associated with the construction of buildings, their maintenance and any upgrade works, including significant projects. Many planned maintenance activities are also common across multiple schools and can be negotiated collectively. We also use planned maintenance activities to negotiate better reactive maintenance rates. Typical areas of focus include heating, fire & security systems.
OFFICE & OVERHEADS
OPERATIONS
Straight-forward areas of expenditure such as reprographics, paper and the like can be combined to achieve substantially better rates from suppliers through Consortia. We also support the collaborative procurement of insurances, plus bespoke items such as significant technology investments, ICT programmes, telecommunications and cost reduction in soft services such as cleaning, food supply/catering, grounds maintenance and any related equipment & consumables.
New participation from each and every additional school increases our buying scale. We use this combined scale to demand lower rates on key commodities and services for the benefit of the collective group.