Specialist procurement services for schools and academies

Designed and led by schools for schools

Achieving real savings for Schools & Academies and making it easy to understand.

ECS is a procurement organisation with a difference.

We work exclusively with the education sector. But we’re not just here to serve it, we’re part of it.

As the commercial arm of a Multi-Academy Trust, we understand the unique challenges and restrictions schools and academies face because we’ve faced them too.

We know that:

  • Procurement is a complex and changing landscape
  • Many schools simply don’t have the time, resources or skillsets to navigate the procurement process efficiently
  • External procurement services may have the required expertise but don’t understand the nuances and specific needs of the education sector
  • Different schools have diverse requirements and ‘one size’ doesn’t fit all.

Purpose-built by schools for schools, ECS will unlock your purchasing power to reduce costs, optimise value and maximise savings.

More about ECS

Education Commercial Services (ECS) is the trading name of Bishop Wilkinson Commercial Services Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust.

As a Multi-Academy Trust comprising 48 schools, serving more than 16,000 pupils, we needed procurement solutions that recognised the individual requirements of each school, avoided duplication, were fully compliant, maximised budgets and saved money. We knew our size and scale gave us significant buying power and we wanted to fully leverage it.

By blending sector know-how with expertise from hand-picked professionals with a proven track record in procurement for education, we have saved around £1 million in 12 short months.

We’d love to do the same for you.

What we do

Our services have been comprehensively designed to support you through the entire procurement process. Whether you’re completely new to purchasing or want to develop a more coordinated, strategic approach to consistently unlock better value, we can help.

Our expert team will work with you to understand your current situation and requirements with a view to establishing a tailored strategy that will release cashable savings now and in the longer term.

Working with you, rather than simply for you, we want to demystify the procurement function, share best practice and upskill and empower your team.

Unlock your procurement potential. Talk to ECS today.

Latest Case Studies

Case Studies

Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust

Objective Unlock greater efficiencies, improve service provision, reduce spend What we did Soft market testing to identify opportunities Developed new partnerships with Local Authorities Used …

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Case Studies

Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust

Objective Improve service provision, compliance, and social value What we did Examined current service provision Gap and risk analysis Implemented robust contract management processes Established …

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Case Studies

Whickham School Payroll

Objective Procure Payroll, Pensions and HR Admin Services. Must meet specific requirements and reduce administrative burden What we did Stakeholder engagement to establish priorities Soft …

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Case Studies

Whickham School Catering

Objective Source and appoint catering service provider with ability to upscale service to meet growth aspirations What we did Soft market testing Stakeholder options appraisals …

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Blog

Where to start with procurement in schools

Saving you money and saving your bacon! The challenges schools face when trying to find ways to save money are many, and complex. It’s estimated …

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