Debate contribution: Schools: Improved Procurement Practices

Debate contribution by Miss Jemma Dolan on 25 February 2025.

MLA

Miss Jemma Dolan

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

25 February 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Schools: Improved Procurement Practices

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4815447

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I will speak in favour in the motion. My comments are being made on behalf of the schools and school leaders who are extremely frustrated about the procurement situation. Schools across the North continue to face a challenging situation in which budgets are under huge pressure, driven by over a decade of British Government austerity. Added to that pressure is the Education Authority's requirement that school principals pay above and beyond what is reasonable for their procurement services. The safety, well-being and health of our pupils and staff throughout our school estate should be a top priority. We have all heard the stories from schools in our constituencies about mould on walls, toilets that are unfit for purpose or a boiler that does not work properly. In the worst-case scenarios, schools have gone days without heat or hot water and, consequently, have been unable to provide meals. Long delays in the maintenance process are made worse by the Education Authority's unnecessarily complex procurement processes. Schools are required to go through a tendering process that often results in work being more expensive and taking longer to complete. There is a litany of examples of the Education Authority's procurement process costing schools thousands of pounds when work or equipment could have been sourced for much less. School principals and schools play a hugely important role in our communities. They have often spent many years building relationships, including with parents and local businesses, and are therefore best placed to source services and equipment. Ultimately, school principals should not feel constrained by a procurement process that ends up costing them more money than it needs to. Empowering our schools to have greater autonomy over procurement decisions could be very beneficial for pupils and staff. Centralised procurement may provide a degree of consistency and central oversight; however, it has not delivered value for money, so a new approach is needed. It is, of course, appropriate to apply caution when spending public money. In any review of the Education Authority's procurement process, we need a balanced approach to the challenges. That approach should maintain robust procurement practices while being mindful of cost efficiencies. Regular engagement with school leaders should be established to identify and address ongoing challenges in procurement policy. It is vital that schools have access to high-quality goods and services that meet their needs. The overly rigid and bureaucratic procurement process hinders schools' ability to achieve best value for money, to respond quickly to local needs and to access small and local suppliers of relevant goods and services. We need to support schools to maintain safe environments that are conducive to learning without imposing undue financial strain. I welcome Minister Archibald's clarification in a letter to my colleague Pat Sheehan MLA that the Executive's public procurement policy does not prohibit schools from directly procuring low-value goods and services. Minister Archibald also confirmed that her understanding of the issue with schools procurement is that the Education Authority has established framework arrangements that schools are mandated to use, even where the individual school can source goods and services on better terms. The Education Authority can decide to remove that requirement and allow schools greater autonomy in making purchasing decisions. I call on the Minister of Education to conduct a review of the Education Authority's application of procurement policy for schools.

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

Assessment

Not qualifying

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 reviews every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.

Challenge this classification