Debate contribution: Schools: Improved Procurement Practices

Debate contribution by Mr Peter Martin on 25 February 2025.

MLA

Mr Peter Martin

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

25 February 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Schools: Improved Procurement Practices

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4815435

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Perhaps we will all be singing off the same school hymn sheet this afternoon. I thank the Members opposite for bringing the motion to the House for debate. I will address some aspects of the motion. I will then move on to speak to our amendment. I hope, however, that, in broad terms, all Members can support the amendment, which encompasses the motion and simply extends it. Like my colleague opposite, I have heard at first hand about the frustration that school leaders experience when procuring items, particularly low-cost items, for school use. Principals often rightly express their frustration when trying to achieve best value for money for purchases or for repairs to property, lamenting the administrative burdens that go along with doing so. It is worth looking first at the slightly different ways in which schools in the various sectors purchase goods and services. Controlled schools and maintained schools have to comply with EA purchasing procedures for the procurement of works and general goods or services. The process is different for grant-maintained integrated (GMI) schools and those in the voluntary grammar sector, which retain responsibility for the purchasing of school supplies and services and paying the invoice. When preparing for the debate, I spoke to school leaders to hear about their direct experience of the system. One principal told me that they had submitted a request for works that went to the term service contractor (TSC) in October but the request was still outstanding. To be fair to the EA, however, the same principal told me that it is extremely responsive to emergency calls. I have heard other stories about a school's guttering being cleaned at a cost of £4,500. The Member opposite mentioned similar issues. We want to see an improvement. We all have examples — I am sure that we will hear some this afternoon — of schools being able and willing to purchase goods and services relatively cheaply and in the local area. After they have followed EA procurement procedures, however, prices can rise significantly. The Member opposite, in her opening statement, mentioned procurement. As far as I am aware, procurement policy note (PPN) 04/21, which is owned by the Department of Finance, still operates, and the Education Authority has to operate within it. There is, however, no doubt that we in the Chamber all want to see greater flexibility for schools in sourcing their goods and services. That will provide them with the ability to access local suppliers to achieve more competitive prices and responsive services. One of the further benefits of streamlining the system is that it will allow EA to specialise its services and resources in delivering better and faster outcomes on the larger capital contracts that require tenders or quotes. It is my understanding that EA is examining those processes, and that will be welcomed, no doubt, by school leaders and provide greater autonomy for low-value works. In the Committee, we often hear, "If we trust school leaders to deliver our curriculum in the best way they know how and they also happen to look after the most precious members of our families on a daily basis, surely we can trust them with the ability to purchase some items on behalf of their school". Our amendment simply adds a requirement for the Minister to:

"advance plans to delegate authority to schools to procure low-value maintenance works, as well as introduce new and more efficient contracts for the delivery of school maintenance and minor works".

I am sure that that will be extremely welcome for schools throughout Northern Ireland, as it will cover areas such as fixing a broken door or getting a room painted. The obvious benefits are not only in cost but in speed and responsiveness. Every principal to whom I mentioned the motion and our amendment was supportive, especially of powers being delegated to principals in order to see more efficient contracts for the delivery of school maintenance and minor works in Northern Ireland. We all know the pressure that the education budget is under and the difficult choices that the Education Minister has to make in that context. Our party wants more money to be directed at schools. It wants more autonomy for school principals and a reduction in the administrative burden on school leaders that is, increasingly, a part of their job. I therefore urge Members to support our amendment this afternoon.

734 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:02 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

Disagree with this assessment?

Classifications can be challenged. A person reads every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.

Challenge this classification