School payroll in the UK is becoming increasingly complicated in the face of advancing technology and reporting requirements. Payroll administrative requirements have continued to become more complex with the growth of academies and multi-academy trusts becoming self-governed entities breaking away from local authority control. Schools & multi-academy trusts simply do not have the capacity to stay up to date with legislative updates which affect payroll issues such as:
Understanding and effectively following public sector procurement regulations is challenging for schools and academies. Failure can result in wasted resource as well as legal issues, contracts being cancelled and financial penalties, all of which are costly, time-consuming and bring reputational risk. The set-up and ongoing management of multi-academy trusts can also prove to be challenging in terms of the aggregation of services.
Here at Bloom, we are well-positioned to support a full review of your payroll provision and identify the most suitable provider to meet your needs from our extensive range of pre-accredited suppliers. This includes instances where schools have joined others as part of a multi-academy trust with multiple providers and may have a mix of private and public sector professional services support.
We operate the NEPRO³ professional services solution on behalf of NEPO (the North East Procurement Organisation). NEPRO³ is the only professional services framework approved by the DfE for schools and academies. The solution is a fast, compliant, cost effective way for schools to buy and manage professional services, such as payroll solutions.
DfE have mandated Bloom as a route to compliant procurement through the Buying for Schools gov.uk platform and recognise Bloom as procurement specialists who can provide specific advice and guidance on what schools need to consider through the procurement journey. As the experts in public sector procurement, Bloom understands the unique challenges schools face and how we can work together to solve them. Through this cost-effective and fully compliant route, schools have access to ready prepared specifications and can find the right solution to suit their individual needs.
To speak to a member of our education team about the right payroll solution for your school, please complete the below enquiry form and a member of our team will be in touch.
Working with Bloom to access the NEPRO solution has ensured we realise all the expected benefits from a neutral vendor approach in procuring and managing specialist professional services. They are a true partner and are continually looking to improve the way we work and ultimately the services provided by the suppliers.
Bloom was essential in the recent hiring of a consultant for a governance project within oneSource. Through the NEPRO solution, I was able to hire a consultant within 2 weeks of posting my project requirements. I was provided with proposals from a range of experienced and relevant suppliers and received valued support from Bloom throughout the process.
I chose to work with Bloom as I liked the idea of outcome-based projects. It’s so much more efficient, as it’s a compliant process without the need to go through the OJEU process as it’s still competitive. Bloom has many suppliers already available but we can add suppliers whenever we want. Having someone who can help by providing a second opinion; a neutral point of view has been valuable to us.
Through Bloom we were able to engage with Cardiff Council efficiently and help them access social care services they urgently needed in a compliant way.
Due to their robust and wide-reaching supply chain, Bloom is able to identify and access even the most niche suppliers. Bloom was able to provide a speedy and robust solution that would not have occurred to us.
Bloom is a professional and far reaching procurement partner, allowing Torne & Shirmers to reach its target market in supporting the Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), Local Authorities, Universities and NHS Trusts throughout the UK.
We became a Bloom Accredited Supplier following our attendance at the NCC supplier engagement event, this was crucial to Impeller finding out more information about Bloom and it also gave us great exposure to NCC and definitely assisted in helping us win business with them.
Through Bloom and NEPRO we were able to access the right supplier in a short time frame.
Bloom helped us find suppliers in a rather niche market with the skills and expertise we required, which we would have otherwise found very difficult to source.
We have been working in partnership with Bolton Borough Council to transform the delivery of their property services. This close collaboration combined with our expertise means together we have made sure our solution is the best for the people of Bolton.
We were proud to support West Sussex County Council and CAPITA with their annual planning programme and help to deliver the best outcomes for the County.
Being a Bloom accredited supplier offers us appropriate opportunities and improves our chances of being successful. The competition process for the Invest South Tyneside project was robust, yet quick and straightforward and Gardiner Richardson is delighted to have been selected. We’ve hit the ground running and have quickly been able to begin delivering impact and results for Invest South Tyneside.
The NEPRO solution assisted the Council in achieving our aims of supporting local business while freeing up valuable time for us to concentrate on high value strategic projects.
Bloom provided a fast and compliant route to market. Allowing us to promptly begin work on the project and deliver the desired outcomes.