What to do with your current MIS contract

Find your current contract details

You may have a single contract document with all the information you need. If not, you may be able to find it in

• order forms
• master agreement
• schedules
• online terms and conditions
• support agreements
• data processing agreements
• invoices

You can also ask your current supplier for details.

Your MIS arrangements may include contracts with one or more suppliers. For example, you may have separate agreements for support services, modules or systems that connect to your MIS. Trusts sometimes have different arrangements across schools.

Use these details to confirm

• your supplier or suppliers
• contract end dates
• notice periods
• renewal terms, including automatic renewal clauses
• any break or exit clauses

Knowing these details can help you avoid missed deadlines, unexpected costs and disruption to services.

Plan around your current contract end date

You should plan to procure your next contract through the MIS framework as soon as possible after it launches and once your current contract expires. Do not use an extension that unnecessarily delays moving to the framework.

You may need to extend or renew your current contract for a short period if

• your contract ends before or shortly after the launch of the framework, and

• you will have insufficient time to procure and transition under the framework.

These guidelines are for academy trusts. DfE recommends local authority funded schools follow the same approach.

If you need to extend or renew your contract

You may need to extend or renew your contract for a short period while you prepare to procure through the MIS framework.

Speak to your current supplier as soon as you can before your contract ends to discuss your options.

Any extension or replacement contract should be a temporary arrangement. It should be for 12 months or less.

You should

• check your notice period and any automatic renewal terms
• understand any costs to extend
• consider whether you also need to extend any support, module or integration contracts

If you cannot extend your contract

If you cannot arrange a short-term extension, you may need to procure a new MIS before the framework is available. This can be for up to 3 years.

You should use the DfE’s core principles for school MIS when developing contract terms. These principles help create a more consistent and transparent contractual relationship between schools and suppliers. They are also designed to support future supplier changes by reducing barriers to transferring data and moving to a different MIS.