Provision of Corporate and Professional Services to Big Life Schools Multi Academy Trust

Overview

The Trust is seeking a single strategic partner to deliver an integrated suite of corporate and professional services that enable school leaders to focus on educational outcomes while ensuring the Trust operates efficiently, safely, compliantly and sustainably. The successful supplier will provide integrated professional support services that are reliable, compliant, responsive and strategically aligned to the Trust’s objectives, through a single accountable management structure combining strategic advice, operational delivery, performance management, continuous improvement and innovation. The Services comprise the following ten service areas, described in full in the Specification: Financial Services- Operational and transactional financial management, management accounts, 5-year planning, VAT/ONS returns and audit liaison (Sage 200; circa 20,000 transactions per year). Payroll Services - Payroll processing and system for circa 200 staff (pay date 15th), RTI/HMRC, Teachers’ Pension and Local Government Pension Scheme administration. Human Resources Services - Operational HR, recruitment, employee relations, policy development, TUPE advice and the staff wellbeing offer. Staff Training & Development - Mandatory and wider training (safeguarding, cyber, H&S and more), CPD support and maintenance of Trust accreditations. Legal Services (incl. employment) - Operational and strategic legal support on contracts, employment and H&S matters, from suitably regulated advisers. Managed ICT Services- Secure, resilient network, servers, connectivity, filtering, cyber security, helpdesk, backup and device management across both schools and the nursery. Estates Management Services - Strategic and operational facilities and estates management, statutory compliance, estates/asset/carbon strategy and H&S support. Communications, Marketing & PR - Brand and reputation management, media and PR, website and social media, prospectus and admissions materials, internal communications. Governance Support Services - Company secretarial and governance support, clerking and minutes (Convene), statutory filings and governance advice. Managed Procurement Services - Procurement advice, tendering and quotations, contracts register, supplier management and Procurement Act 2023 compliance. The full Specification, including service-level agreements, key performance indicators and technical standards for each area, is available to download via the Delta eSourcing website. This procurement is being conducted under the Open Procedure pursuant to section 20(2)(a) of the Act — a single-stage procedure with no restriction on who may submit a tender and no separate shortlisting stage. All compliant tenders received by the deadline will be assessed against the Conditions of Participation, the exclusion grounds and the award criteria in this ITT, and the Contract will be awarded to the Most Advantageous Tender under section 19 of the Act. The deadline for the submission of tenders via the Delta eSourcing portal is 12noon 7 October 2026