Multi Lot: School Resource Management Advisers and Accreditation - Contract numbers con_10112, con_10113, con_10114 modification

School Resource Management Advisers Programme

Since 2017 ESFA has developed the role of School Resource Management Advisers (SRMAs) to provide direct support to academy trusts and local authorities to help them identify opportunities to improve their approach to resource management. This is part of ESFA’s overarching objective to help improve outcomes for pupils by schools getting the best value from their resources.

SRMAs are sector experts, such as practicing school business professionals or head

teachers with specific expert knowledge in resource management. Each SRMA has to go through an accreditation process to ensure they have the appropriate skills and knowledge to carry out the role. ESFA currently has contracts in place for the accreditation and supply of SRMAs through to August 2021.

Due to the success of the programme to date, we are looking to ensure the continued supply of SRMAs though to August 2024. ESFA wishes to contract with up to four organisations for the supply of a minimum of 50 Accredited Persons, to deliver a total of 200 Accredited Persons across the framework per year over the next three years. This will involve both the continued supply of SRMAs already accredited and the recruitment and training of new SRMAs to support the programme. The contracts will commence in September 2021 once the current contracts have ended.

The second procurement opportunity seeks one organisation to develop and deliver a consistent induction service and a robust accreditation process for all SRMA candidates that are sourced by the sourcing supplier(s). This will build on the process already developed with the current contractor and will also involve the development of a new training element for SRMA candidates. This contract will also commence on 1 July 2021.

1. The role of the Accredited Person will be to support academy trusts and local authority

maintained schools who have come to the ESFA’s attention as requiring support to improve

their financial health. Accredited Persons will take a holistic view of the school’s/trust’s

financial situation, including consideration of the following issues:

1.1 Human resources: Effective curriculum delivery, workforce planning and wider use of staff

and leadership time through the use of Integrated Curriculum and Financial Planning (ICFP);

1.2 School management and governance: financial management and challenge across the

senior leadership team and board of governors;

1.3 Resources: Procurement (including, for example, consideration of National Deals,

schools’ buying strategies etc.), value for money, capital finance and estate management.

2. Accredited Persons will support effective resource management by providing independent

and impartial advice to schools and trusts on how to maximise resources in order to maintain

and improve educational outcomes for all pupils, including those with SEN. Accredited

Persons should take into account the nature of the school, i.e. whether it is academy or

maintained, MAT or SAT, mainstream, special or Alternative Provision, primary or secondary,

and whether it is a faith school.

3. In the most serious cases, an Accredited Person shall be required to support a school or

trust to develop a viable budget plan by examining its financial planning and proposed

spending plans. As part of this, the Accredited Person will be expected to consider whether

the trust or school uses an ICFP approach and, if so, how this is carried out. This includes

identifying whether it uses ICFP diagnostic tools and models and how.

4. In cases where the school or trust is in a less serious financial position or already in good

financial health, the Accredited Person shall be required to make recommendations on how

the school or trust can further improve its approach to financial management to ensure every

possible resource is being directed to the areas that have greatest impact on educational

outcomes. Again, a part of this will be determined by the school or trust’s approach to ICFP.

5. Where the trust or school does take an ICFP approach, the Accredited Person shall work

through the key metrics to identify options that could potentially deliver improvements in

the way staff are deployed. Where the trust or school does not, the Accredited Persons shall

help it introduce ICFP into its planning processes as well as suggesting other options for

improvements.

6. In most instances, Accredited Persons will be expected to carry out a ‘follow-up’

deployment to the same setting at least six months after report submission. The purpose of

this deployment will be to check on progress against the recommendations.

7. All Accredited Persons must carry out a minimum of two deployments per year (from the

date of their accreditation) to maintain their accredited status.

1. ESFA currently has contracts in place for the accreditation and supply of SRMAs through

to August 2021. Due to the success of the programme to date, we are looking to contract

with one organisation for the development and delivery of induction and accreditation panels

and complementary training.

2. SRMAs were introduced in 2017 to provide direct support to academy trusts and local

authorities to identify opportunities to improve resource management. This is part of ESFA’s

overarching objective to help improve outcomes for pupils by schools getting the best value

from all of their resources.

3. In higher risk cases, SRMAs provide advice and support to address current or future

forecast deficits and in all cases they help trusts and schools identify opportunities to make

better use of their funding, enabling them to target resources where they have the most

impact on outcomes for children.

4. Prior to deployment, all Accredited Persons will have participated in an induction and

successfully completed an accreditation process led by an independent Accreditation Body.

Persons who were accredited before 31 August 2021 will automatically become Accredited

Persons for the purposes of this Contract and will not need further accreditation, assuming

they are still currently active SRMAs and have fulfilled the criteria set by ESFA to maintain

their accredited status. Accreditation will provide assurance to ESFA that the Accredited

Person can use the findings of their deployment (including analysis and discussions with

trust/school leaders) to develop appropriate recommendations, with costed savings, for the

trust/school to take to improve their approach to resource management.

5. Specific requirements of the role are set out in the ITT. All Potential Providers must

describe how they will deliver against each requirement.