How to use the Supply Teachers and Education Recruitment framework

The framework gives schools and trusts a compliant way to put contracts in place with approved suppliers. You can use it to source temporary, fixed-term or permanent education staff through agencies.

Most schools will use the framework by choosing one or more agencies to work with directly. Some trusts and schools may benefit from choosing to use a managed service provider.

If your school or trust is recruiting fixed-term or permanent staff itself rather than using an agency, continue to use your usual recruitment process.

Before you start

Before deciding how to use the framework, check

• what supply agencies you currently use
• whether those agencies are on the framework
• the roles you need to cover
• whether you need staff with specialist skill sets or cover in hard-to-fill locations
• your total spend on supply, either annually or over the total length of your planned agreement
• who can sign contract documents for your school or trust

Use the GCA agency selection tool to find framework agencies that match your needs. You can see all agencies, search by location and see rate cards. Agencies are only available to use once they appear in the tool or supplier list.

When you need to use the framework

All schools and trusts can use the framework to buy supply staff through agencies. You must use it if

• you are an academy trust buying supply staff from September 2026, or
• your total expected spend is above £207,720 including VAT

If you’re an academy trust

From September 2026, academy trusts are mandated to use the framework when buying supply staff through an agency.

If you choose not to use the framework, you must use another route that complies with the Procurement Act 2023.

If your expected spend is above £207,720 including VAT

This calculation is made

• across the whole trust, not separately for each school
• across the whole length of the contract if you have multi-year contracts

If your total expected spend is above the threshold of £207,720 including VAT, you must use a buying process that complies with the Procurement Act 2023. Your contract will not be compliant with the framework agreement if you use the agency’s own contract instead of the GCA form. You should not agree shorter contracts to reduce your spend below the threshold.

Choose how to use the framework

There are 2 ways to use the framework. These are called lots.

You can use the GCA decision tree (PDF) to find out which lot is right for your school or trust.

Work directly with agencies — Lot 1

Lot 1 allows you to choose and work directly with one or more supply agencies.

This is usually the simplest route for schools.

Use Lot 1 if you want to do one or more of these

• choose one or more agencies from the framework
• set up agreements with individual agencies
• contact agencies yourself when you need staff

There is no minimum spend commitment, so you can use the agencies as much or as little as needed.

How to set up agreements with supply agencies using Lot 1

Work with a managed service provider — Lot 2

Lot 2 gives you a single point of contact to manage your staffing needs.

The provider should fill most bookings directly. They can also use a supply chain of agencies to fill other roles.

This lot can be more complex to set up than Lot 1, but may be easier to manage once the contract is in place.

Use Lot 2 if you want to do one or more of these

• have a single point of contact for supply staffing
• appoint one provider to supply staff and manage other agencies
• manage supply staffing across several schools or sites through one provider

How to choose a managed service provider using Lot 2

Whichever lot you choose, you must use the framework’s terms and order form. Your contract will not be compliant with the framework agreement if you use the agency’s own terms and conditions instead.

Access the framework

See the Supply Teachers and Education Recruitment framework on the GCA website or email the GCA team.