With the sector spending £2bn on goods and services annually, Lynx says it can demonstrate that simple changes in purchasing policy can deliver savings of hundreds of thousands of pounds across a group of schools.
In its new White Paper, ‘Back To School With Lynx Purchasing’, Lynx identifies the purchasing challenges facing the schools’ sector, as well as the way improvements to purchasing discipline can deliver significant savings.
Rachel Dobson, managing director of Lynx Purchasing, said: “When it comes to purchasing, every day’s a school day. Education operators have found themselves at the sharp end of the economic downturn, and some of the old rules need to be relearnt.
“Like the hospitality businesses we work with, they’re under financial pressure from challenges including higher national insurance, inflation, staffing costs, and the continual need for investment. Since the start of 2025, they’ve had to factor in the imposition of VAT on private school fees. This either has to be passed on to parents, or factored into costs with a resulting hit on margins.”
Already working with Lynx Purchasing is Inspired Learning Group (ILG). Lynx’s purchasing specialists have audited ILG site-by-site, and by changing the main food supplier to the group it has achieved average savings of 10% with no impact on food quality.
Garth Wray, ILG’s group operations manager, added: “In addition, we were paying a percentage fee on every invoice to our previous procurement company. With Lynx’s no contract, no fee model, that amounts to additional very significant savings for us.”