School trusts have a duty to get the best value when spending public funds, but that doesn’t automatically just mean the lowest price.
As important institutions in their local communities, trusts also need to buy responsibly and take into account the wider impacts of how they spend public funds, ensuring they act in a sustainable way – not just environmentally, but economically and socially.
Working with Value Match, CST will help trusts follow best practice in this area and ensure that trusts are aware of new rules on public procurement contained within the Procurement Act due to go live from February.
The new partnership is part of the Confederation's Platinum Partner scheme, which brings together leading education-focused organisations and CST’s members, together responsible for the education of more than 3.5 million young people.
CST Chief Executive Leora Cruddas CBE said: "School trusts have led the way in buying goods and services in innovative ways, so that pupils get the most from the public funding we are guardians of. Sometimes that is about raw cost but there is a civic dimension too: trusts are part of their communities, and it is right our wider values are reflected in our procurement approaches.”
Value Match Chief Executive David Shields said: "Procurement is about more than just savings and efficiency – it is also about delivering improved outcomes, sustainability, diversity, and social impact. We look forward to working with CST to help members understand their options, so they can confidently build a compliant and responsible strategic approach to procurement and most importantly realise the benefits from that approach.”
