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Recruitment• 5 Min read

6th July 2020

CCS Framework: How to access the deal

Welcome to the CCS Handbook series, which covers everything you need to know about the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) framework for the DfE-approved Supply Teachers and Agency Workers deal.

The framework is designed to help schools get value for money and find agencies that follow best practices in safeguarding and compliance. You can find out more about it here.

In this article, we’ll walk you through the steps you need to take to access the deal, including:

  • How you can check if an agency is on the framework
  • How to use the agency selection tool
  • Creating an order form

How to check if your agency is on the framework

As mentioned in our first article, only 17% of agencies in the UK are listed as a ‘preferred supplier’ on the CCS framework, so it is possible that some agencies you currently work with are not on the list. 

There are a number of reasons why an education agency may not be listed as a preferred supplier. For example, an agency may not be audited by one of the three approved bodies or would prefer not to disclose their mark-up costs up-front.

To check if an agency is listed as a preferred supplier, you can visit the CCS Page for the framework, and click through to see the list of suppliers. Each supplier on the agency is listed in alphabetical order, with their contact information easily available for enquiries. (You can see the Engage page here.)

Tip: You can also go to the Supply Teachers and Temporary Staff in Educational Establishments page to view the CCS’ description of the framework, as well as the Terms & Conditions, benefits, and further information.

How to use the agency selection tool

If you know that an agency is on the CCS framework as a preferred supplier, you can use the agency selection tool to find and hire a worker through that agency, or to hire a specific person as a nominated worker. You can also use the agency selection tool to view the rates that the agency will charge for the worker.

In order to use the tool, you will need:

  1. Your DfE sign-in email and password, which should have been emailed to you by the DfE. (If you don’t have this information, you can create a DfE account, or get in touch with the DfE.)
  2. Details of the kind of worker you want to hire, and how long you will want them for.
  3. Your school’s postcode, and the postcode of the agency you wish to use.

Tip: To find Engage Education’s postcode, visit our Contact Page. You can enter this postcode into the tool to find your nearest Engage office.

Once you have all of this information, you can access the tool here: https://marketplace.service.crowncommercial.gov.uk/supply-teachers

This link will direct you to the agency selection tool, where you will be asked several questions to determine what your school is looking for and to point you in the right direction.

How to use the order form

In order to start using the framework, you need to issue a simple order form to the agency. A link to the order form will be provided once you have filled in all the information, or you can download one here. You can also find the order form on the CCS Supply Teachers and Temporary Staff in Educational Establishments page in Documents > RM3826 Order form template short form.

If you need any assistance to get moving on the framework you can get in touch with us, and one of our fully-trained CCS consultants will be able to assist you. 

Book a CCS Consultation

Use our booking tool to set up a call with the fully-trained CCS team, we'll be happy to walk you through the framework.

Book a call!

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