Schools in Cambridgeshire procure goods and services via a number of different processes and mechanisms. Cambridgeshire County Council has a dedicated service - the Purchasing Advisory Service for Schools (PASS) - that will work with schools to achieve best value in their purchasing activity.
Full details of the services PASS can provide can be found at the PASS Education Portal pages.
Purchasing Advisory Service for Schools (PASS)
PASS is a dedicated service that assists schools in achieving best value, enabling the reallocation of funds into curriculum delivery. The service's principle aim is to enable schools to purchase effectively, efficiently and achieve value for money.
Procurement support
PASS is very happy to assist schools in running any kind of procurement exercise, offering support, analytic tools and advice throughout the process.
Assessments
PASS can scrutinise existing spending to identify areas where better value can be achieved. These assessments highlight areas where there are potential savings and efficiencies for the school offering specific alternatives where appropriate.
Training
The service delivers training programmes to enable school personnel to become effective purchasers. Venues are located around the County.
Newsletters and alerts
In order to keep schools informed of current developments we produce a regular newsletter entitled "Purchasing Matters". We also send alerts and updates directly, via the Schools Newsletter and even hard copies in the School post bag.
Advice
We provide first level advice to school personnel on any procurement issues that they may have. We can support individual schools by advising on:-
- Contract Regulations
- Preparing Specifications and Awarding Criteria
- Tender Procedures and Preparation
- Achieving Best Value
- Best Purchasing Practice
- Contract Management
- Health and Safety Implications
- Purchasing Training
- Sourcing Suppliers Goods and Services
All of the services offered by PASS are free of charge to maintained schools. A fee structure may apply to non-maintained schools please contact the Service using the details to the right for further information.