Identify the steps you need to take to buy goods and services for your school and stay compliant.

How you buy for your school depends on the amount you’re spending.

We have identified 5 main routes to follow to help you to buy:

  • route 1: use a framework agreement, for purchases of all values
  • route 2: use catalogues to find low value goods
  • route 3: get at least 3 quotes from suppliers, for low or medium value purchases
  • route 4: advertise a contract and run a buying process, for high value purchases under the PCR threshold
  • route 5: run a buying process for high value purchases over the PCR threshold

The route you can take may depend on whether this value is below or above the public contract regulations (PCR) thresholds.

Check your school’s procurement rules to see what they define as low to high value. Department for Education (DfE) considers:

  • low is under £10,000
  • medium is £10,000 to £40,000
  • high is over £40,000

Work through the following sections to prepare for a procurement, and to decide which route is best for you.