Commercial governance for trustees, leaders and non-procurement specialists

How to build effective commercial governance, culture and capability in your school trust

Trusts that are commercially astute negotiate strong contracts and have effective commercial governance, giving them a distinct advantage. This is much more strategically important than just cost control. Suppliers often have a fundamental impact on school operations and pupil welfare. In addition, getting best value-for-money from suppliers allows more of your scarce funds to be spent in other priority areas, like teaching.

This masterclass examines the role that trustees and trust leaders should play in building effective commercial governance, culture and capability, and gives you practical guidance and support.

Who is it for?

Trustees
Chief executives
Chief finance and operations officers
Governance professionals

Please note that this course is not aimed at qualified procurement specialists in any of these roles. If you are looking for a more advanced course, you might be interested in the companion masterclass, getting to grips with the new Procurement Act 2023.

What you will gain

This course will give you:

An understanding of the big picture, the role procurement plays in the success of your schools, and delivering social value through procurement and suppliers
Practical tips for long term planning and formulating a commercial strategy, considering organisational culture and how it impacts decision making and governance
Knowledge of the components of commercial governance. an overview of the procurement and contract management regulatory requirements, and the laws applicable to trusts
Guidance on where senior leadership should focus their attention and the critical factors you need to get right
An understanding of how to evaluate your trust’s commercial governance and practice

Meet your seminar leader

Walter Akers, Founder and CEO, In2 the Bargain Limited

Guest contributors

Samira Sadeghi, Director of Trust Governance, CST

David Shields, CEO, Value Match

Course overview

Achieving great commercial outcomes requires long term planning, a well thought out commercial strategy and effective governance over the whole contracting lifecycle, and all these components ultimately flow from good leadership. This three-part course gives you insights into best practice for commercial governance.

Session one: Commercial governance and the regulatory requirements for trusts

Commercial aspects of trust governance including commercial strategy
The laws and regulations that apply to trust procurement and supplier management
DfE’s guidance and what trusts are expected to do in different circumstances, and what best practice in governance looks like
The tole of trustees and senior leaders in commercial governance

Session two: Commercial culture and decision making

Organisational culture and behaviours and how this impacts decision making, specifically in the context of procurement and supplier management
The role of trustees and senior leaders in setting the tone at the top and impacting culture throughout the trust
The context and theory of organisational culture and how it fits within the control environment, impacting commercial decisions

Session three: Getting more from your suppliers – social value, the environment and pupils

Expanding our ambition and looking at how we can get more from procurement and suppliers
A look at what leading trusts are doing to deliver greater social value, impacting the local environment and economy, whilst achieving great value for money
Learning from real life examples covering areas of significant spend for all school trusts, exploring the potential for apprenticeships; volunteering opportunities; utilising small-medium enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs) in supply chains; responsible employment practices; diversity and inclusion initiatives; and the environment