6 steps to prepare your academy trust for the GCA framework

With the September 2026 supply staff procurement mandate now firmly in the Academy Trusts Handbook, trust leaders have a few months to ensure their arrangements are fully compliant. Navigating new compliance standards can feel daunting when you are already managing a busy school environment. However, this transition does not have to be a heavy burden.

For most academy trusts, preparing for the new mandate simply requires clear ownership and completing the right tasks in a logical order. The Government Commercial Agency (GCA), which replaced the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) in April 2026, uses its commercial expertise to create a simpler procurement experience. By aligning your trust with the GCA’s RM6376 framework, you can redirect valuable resources back into essential public services and improve student outcomes.

To support you through this transition, we have put together a comprehensive 6-step readiness checklist. Designed specifically for trust CFOs, COOs, and procurement leads. This guide will help you structure your work between now and September. We have seen this exact approach work wonderfully across multi-academy trusts of various sizes, and you can easily scale it to suit a single-academy trust.

Step 1: Audit your current supply staff arrangements

Start with a clear, accurate picture of what is actually happening today. Across all the schools in your trust, you will need to gather a few essential pieces of data:

• A complete list of every agency or supplier currently providing supply staff, including teaching, support, and operational roles
• The total annual spend with each supplier, ideally split by individual school
• The specific kind of work each supplier covers, such as daily cover, long-term placements, specialist roles, or non-teaching positions
• Any existing contracts, memorandums of understanding (MOUs), or framework references already in place

This initial audit serves as the foundation for everything else. Most trusts find a few surprises during this phase. You might discover a school using a long-standing local agency that nobody at the central level knew about. You could uncover a managed service contract signed several years ago that no longer aligns with current procurement guidance.

Keep your audit pragmatic. You do not need to capture every individual booking right now. A simple list of suppliers, schools, and approximate annual spend is plenty to get you started.

Step 2: Check supplier framework status

Once you have your complete supplier list, cross-reference it against the named suppliers on the RM6376 framework. You can find the regularly updated supplier list published directly on the GCA website.

For each of your current suppliers, you will find yourself in one of three positions:

Supplier is named on RM6376

This is the easiest scenario. The supplier can continue operating with your trust under the new framework. You will simply need to confirm with them that all future bookings will reference RM6376 and adhere to the framework’s standard terms. Your operational relationship is unlikely to change.

Supplier is not named on RM6376

This scenario requires your attention. From September 2026, your trust must procure supply staff through a recognised framework agreement. If a current supplier is not on a framework, you have a decision to make. You can ask them if they intend to apply, as suppliers can be added during the framework’s lifetime. Alternatively, you can begin transitioning that work to a named supplier on the framework.

Supplier is named on a different framework

Some suppliers are named on local or regional public sector frameworks rather than RM6376. Because the mandate refers broadly to “a framework agreement,” it does not specifically require RM6376. You will need to check with your procurement adviser to confirm whether your alternative framework is recognised for this specific purpose.

Step 3: Map your spend against the fee caps

Cost efficiency is a major benefit of the new mandate. RM6376 caps supplier fees for teachers and education support staff. These caps apply strictly to the supplier’s fee. They are completely separate from the worker’s actual pay and statutory employment costs.

For each major supplier, request a worked example of a recent invoice broken down into three parts:

• The worker’s daily pay
• Associated employment costs, including employer National Insurance, pension contributions, and holiday pay accrual
• The supplier’s fee on top

Compare the supplier fee component against the caps. If your suppliers are operating at or below these limits, you are already in line. If any supplier’s fee consistently exceeds the caps, you will need to have a conversation with them regarding compliance and value for money.

Knowing what proportion of your supply spend goes to worker pay versus supplier fee is a highly useful piece of governance information.

Step 4: Decide on your route (Lot 1 or Lot 2)

The RM6376 framework is divided into two distinct lots to suit different operational models:

• Lot 1: Direct appointment of single workers or small groups, managed at the school or trust level.
• Lot 2: Managed service provision, where a single supplier oversees all your supply needs through their own supply chain.

Most trusts use Lot 1, particularly when individual schools retain a degree of autonomy over their own staffing decisions. Lot 2 is frequently used by larger multi-academy trusts seeking a single, trust-wide managed service with consolidated reporting and one point of accountability.

There is no single correct answer here. Your decision will depend on how many schools the trust runs, their geographic spread, and how much autonomy your individual schools require. If you feel unsure, speak to suppliers operating under both lots. Hearing how each lot works in practice often provides the clarity you need.

Step 5: Build the operational infrastructure

Once you have decided on your route and selected your suppliers, setting up the operational side is straightforward. Getting this right early prevents administrative headaches down the line:

• Sign short order forms with each named supplier you intend to use
• Ensure every school in the trust knows exactly which suppliers are named on framework RM6376
• Update your internal procurement guidance to reference RM6376, ensuring school business managers know how to book supply staff moving forward
• Decide how booking, timesheets, and invoicing will flow. You might use a supplier’s own platform, like EngageNow, a trust-wide system, or a mix of both
• Confirm your safeguarding leads have all the necessary supplier vetting summaries for your single central record

Tackling these administrative tasks now will save your team from a stressful start to the academic year in September.

Step 6: Set up reporting and assurance

Finally, establish how the trust will report on framework compliance. A simple reporting structure keeps everyone informed and ensures you maintain DfE standards:

Monthly reporting to the executive team

Track your total supply spend, split by school and supplier. Flag any non-framework exceptions so you can spot and correct compliance drift early.

Quarterly reporting to the board

Provide a short summary covering total framework spend, average daily fees against the caps, supplier mix, and any compliance issues. This quickly becomes a normal part of the trustees’ financial scrutiny.

On-demand reporting for the ESFA and DfE

Maintain a clear narrative that proves your supply staff procurement runs through the framework, uses named suppliers, and keeps fees within the caps. A one-page summary, refreshed annually, is usually sufficient.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Government Commercial Agency (GCA)?

The Government Commercial Agency (GCA) is the UK’s central commercial and procurement organisation. It connects the public and private sectors to achieve the best outcomes for citizens. The GCA officially replaced the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) on the 1st of April 2026.

How long does the RM6376 framework run for?

The RM6376 Supply Teachers and Education Recruitment framework runs from the 30th of April 2026 to the 29th of April 2029.

Does Engage Education operate on the new framework?

Yes. Engage Education is proudly named as a supplier on the GCA’s RM6376 framework under Lot 1: Teachers and Education Recruitment. We are a DfE-supported supplier and hold the REC Audited Education Standard, ensuring the highest levels of safety, compliance, and reliability for your school.

Take the next step in your framework preparation

Completing these six steps in order will put your academy trust in a strong, defensible position long before September 2026. Treating this transition as a structural piece of governance work rather than a frantic procurement chore allows you to make calm, cost-effective decisions.

If you would like some help structuring this work, we are here to support you. We have successfully walked many trusts through versions of this checklist. Reach out to the team today and book a quick 15-minute call. We can share what we have seen work well, help you drive operational efficiency, and ensure you secure the best possible outcomes for your students.

About this framework

Engage Education has been named as a supplier on Government Commercial Agency’s (GCA) RM6376 Supply Teachers and Education Recruitment framework, Lot 1: Teachers and Education Recruitment. The framework runs from the 30th of April 2026 to the 29th of April 2029.

Government Commercial Agency (GCA) is the UK’s central commercial and procurement organisation, connecting public and private sectors to achieve the best outcomes for the UK and its citizens. GCA uses its commercial expertise to create a simpler procurement experience that redirects valuable resources into essential public services, creating value for the nation. GCA replaced Crown Commercial Service (CCS) on the 1st of April 2026.