Maintained schools: contracts and leases

Schools entering into contracts and lease arrangements with service providers need to follow certain rules. 

Get permission

If the contract value is £5,000 or more, the school must get permission from the Director of Children and Families at Southwark Council. 

The Director can be emailed at: alasdair.smith@southwark.gov.uk.

Our legal team will review the proposed contract or lease. This is to make sure there is not an unacceptable level of legal risk. 

They will let the Director of Children and Families know the outcome within 15 working days from receiving the request.

Then we send a formal letter to the headteacher, School Business Manager and the Chair of Governors. 

The letter will also confirm the outcome of the review by the legal team.

Contract template

To help schools make sure that purchases made with public funds are fair, legal and open, Southwark Legal Services have created a template contract for services for schools to use. 

The template is for contracts with a value under £181,000. 

The template includes:

• a document where you add the details of your project, like contract term, start date, and price
• the main terms and conditions which apply to the project
• a brief outline of the main headings normally included in a specification

More information and documents are available to schools on request.

Optional documents

There are also a number of optional documents which might be required depending on the value and nature of the procurement. These are available to schools on request.

These documents include:

• a letter inviting quotations 
• an invitation and instructions for tendering 
• a confidentiality undertaking that must be signed by each tenderer 
• a letter to unsuccessful bidders 
• a letter of award to the successful bidder 
• a checklist for documents needed and information maintained schools need for the contract
• a guide to completion 
• a guide to specification 

Applying to use the council's approved list

If you're a maintained school in Southwark, you can apply to see our approved list of contractors who meet our supplier expectations.

To see the list, you need to request a form from us by emailing procurement@southwark.gov.uk.

After you’ve completed and submitted the form, you’ll get a username and password within 10 working days. Then you can sign in and use the service.

Using framework agreements

Some maintained schools in Southwark use framework agreements.

These allow schools to join agreements and place orders for goods, works or services using pre-agreed terms and conditions and rates.

We encourage maintained schools to consider whether there are existing frameworks which could be used for future procurements. We do not support any particular arrangement. 

Schools should consider carefully if a particular framework meets their needs in terms of:

• price
• range of provider
• levels of insurance
• terms and conditions 
• cost to join

You can also find useful information on the Crown Commercial Service website.

Contact us

Contact the procurement advice team by emailing procurement@southwark.gov.uk