GCA stands for Government Commercial Agency. It is the UK’s central commercial and procurement organisation, responsible for helping the public sector get the best value when buying goods and services.

Crown Commercial Service (CCS) became the Government Commercial Agency (GCA) on 1 April 2026. Same function, new name. The new framework agreement, RM6376, replaced the previous CCS framework on 30 April 2026.

If you’re a school in England, yes. DfE Sign-In is the route into the GCA agency selection tool. If you don’t have one, you can request access through the GCA website. Schools in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, and other public sector organisations, can email the GCA team for access.

If you’re an academy — single-academy trust or part of a multi-academy trust — yes. If you’re a maintained school under a local authority, no. LA-maintained schools can use the framework voluntarily but aren’t required to.

Starting in September 2026, the Academy Trusts Handbook requires single and multi-academy trusts to procure all supply staff through a recognised framework agreement. RM6376 is the live framework explicitly designed to help you meet this requirement.

Non-compliance with the Academy Trusts Handbook is a serious matter. Trustees are ultimately accountable for this, and the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) can require remedial action if rules are ignored. Most trusts working with established education recruitment suppliers will already be compliant. The main task for trust leaders is checking for any edge cases, such as a specific school within the trust using an off-framework agency.

Lot 1 is designed for the direct appointment of single workers or small groups. The vast majority of schools will only ever need to use Lot 1. Lot 2 is designed for managed service arrangements. Under Lot 2, a single supplier oversees all your supply needs through their own supply chain, a method typically utilised by larger multi-academy trusts.

Teachers, leaders, support staff, administrative, finance, IT, maintenance, catering and cleaning roles — the framework covers far more than just supply teachers. If a role is part of the workforce of a publicly funded educational establishment, the framework can almost certainly be used to fill it.

There’s no cost to use the framework itself. Suppliers’ fees are capped at £45 per day for teachers and £38 per day for education support staff. These are maximums — the rate you actually pay may be lower depending on volume and placement type.

The framework sets strict fee caps to help you reduce recruitment costs. Please note that these caps apply solely to the supplier’s fee. They are entirely separate from the worker’s actual pay and statutory employment costs.

No, the cap is simply a maximum limit. Suppliers can charge less than this amount, and they frequently do. You will often see lower fees for higher-volume bookings or longer-term placements. We recommend always asking for the supplier’s actual fee for your specific situation.

The supplier fee covers everything the agency does beyond paying the worker. This includes sourcing candidates, conducting rigorous vetting, providing ongoing support, handling payroll administration, ensuring KCSiE compliance, and managing your account. The fee does not include the worker’s actual pay, employer National Insurance, pension contributions, or holiday pay accrual. Those items are listed separately on your invoice for full transparency.

Suppliers are allowed to charge for specialised services that are not covered by the framework. However, any bookings made under RM6376 must be billed at or below the published cap. You should always verify that the fee you are being asked to pay fits within the agreed framework structure.

Yes. Suppliers on the framework are legally required to vet all workers in strict alignment with the DfE’s Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSiE) standards. This is a binding contractual obligation, not merely a recommendation. This rigorous vetting process is vital to ensure student safety across your trust.

You certainly can. This is known as the nominated worker route. If you identify a great candidate yourself, you can introduce them to a framework supplier. The supplier will then handle all the required vetting, payroll, and employment administration. You then book the worker through the supplier normally. Nominated worker fees are typically much lower than the fees for fully agency-sourced placements.

Yes, and at no additional fee — provided they’ve completed at least 12 weeks of work with you on framework terms, and you give 4 weeks’ notice.

The supplier list is published on the GCA website. You can also ask any supplier directly — named suppliers are required to confirm their framework status when asked.

The mandate applies to supply staff broadly. It covers much more than just teaching cover. Trusts must map all categories of agency-supplied workers against the framework when planning their compliance strategy. This includes teaching assistants, administrative staff, and operational workers.

Absolutely not. You can sign short order forms with as many suppliers as you like. There is no limit on how many agencies you can use. Most schools choose to work regularly with two or three trusted partners, occasionally bringing in others for highly specialist needs.

Yes, any arrangements you signed under the old CCS framework remain completely valid until their official expiration date. You can let those existing bookings continue under their original terms. You only need to ensure that new bookings are made under RM6376.

The new framework is open to a broader pool of suppliers than the previous iteration. The cutoff line for inclusion moved from 150 to 250 named suppliers. You will find that most of the trusted suppliers you used under the old framework are present on the new one. The complete and current supplier list is published directly on the GCA website.

Generally, no. For established suppliers like us, your day-to-day experience will remain identical. Your operational team, dedicated account contacts, and digital booking platforms continue exactly as before. The transition primarily changes the legal framework wrapper, leaving your essential working relationships intact.