Decision details

Trading with Schools, (TwS) Schools Finance Service offers an integrated Financial Accounting Software package which provides fully supported access to a Centralised Bank Account, Accounts Payable and Receivable function. This package is currently being purchased by a number of Bristol Schools (68 in total) but Schools may also choose to purchase this finance system from alternative providers. The current contract is due to end on the 29th September 2022 and as part of the TwS Procurement and Contract Service Traded Offer a Stakeholder Group including Schools, TwS Schools ICT, TwS Schools Finance and Bristol City Council (BCC) ICT

After completing a compliant robust procurement exercise with appropriate quality/price weightings and Social Value scoring, the contract was awarded to the most economically advantageous bidder, RM Education.

Alternative options considered – that schools separately procure individual school-specific Finance System contracts.
This option was rejected. The proposed combined approach to securing and delivering such finance systems will save significant school/public sector resources through ‘economies of scale’: both in the sourcing costs (purchase of systems and procurement) and in the ongoing costs of operation.
If this contract wasn’t awarded, it would have a direct impact upon the ability of TwS to generate annual income from selling this packaged service to schools and schools could potentially lose the benefits realised from this value for money contract at a time where school face continuing financial budget pressures.