42% of school staff are unfamiliar with the new Act and its implications
Only a third feel they are fully prepared with training and resources, to meet the Act’s demands
Nearly half believe it will deliver social and economic value to local communities
11th August 2025 – Nearly three quarters (70.6%) of school procurement leaders said there are gaps in the training and resources needed to support implementation of the new Act.
A new survey of over 500 senior executives and procurement leaders, commissioned by Commercial Services Group, a provider of public sector procurement and education services, reveals a mix of cautious optimism and concern. More than one in ten (12.4%) of school procurement leaders believe the Act will fail to strengthen workforce capacity or capability, despite this being a central objective of the reforms. Nearly a third (27.9%) also reveal that they do not believe that the ambitions of the National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) are a priority at board or senior leadership level, with 25.8% viewing the Act primarily as a compliance exercise.
Resource constraints were identified as a risk to successful delivery. Almost a third (29.9%) of school procurement leaders said limited resource capacity could hinder collaboration between authorities. In higher education, this rises to nearly 2 in 5 (39.7%).
While education respondents broadly welcome the Act, with nearly half (49.3%) believing it will deliver social and economic value to local communities, more than 2 in 5 (42.2%) working in schools are unfamiliar with how it will help achieve the objectives of the National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS), which will impact new contracts. This is mirrored in higher education at 28.5%.
Matt Selwyn-Smith is Managing Director at The Education People, a Commercial Services Group company. He said: “The education sector, across both schools and higher education, faces increasingly squeezed budgets and limited resources. Although the new Procurement Act represents an opportunity to unlock improved resource capacity and efficiencies, support is clearly needed to harness these for the benefit of the next generation.
“Organisations need practical tools like easy-to-use frameworks, such as those provided by Procurement Services, that enable compliant procurement and unlock the full benefits the Act has been introduced to deliver. This will be key to ensure meaningful change across the sector, rather than engaging with it purely as a compliance exercises.”
More broadly across the public sector, confidence in the direction of the new Act remains high. Although the education sector is more sceptical, 84% of total survey respondents stated they are confident in their ability to deliver on the NPPS priorities, and over three-quarters (76%) view the Act as a genuine opportunity for change. But readiness levels still vary. While local government appears relatively well prepared, confidence also drops significantly in the NHS, suggesting an uneven landscape across public services.
Commercial Services Group is a public sector-owned organisation that reinvests every penny back into the communities it serves. Supporting over 22,000 organisations and thousands of schools across the UK, its services span procurement, HR, energy management, recruitment, special educational needs and disability (SEND) support, legal services, school supplies, and school effectiveness.
To find out more, visit www.commercialservices.org.uk.
