FOR MULTI-ACADEMY TRUSTS
RM6376 has been mandatory since September 2026. It governs how an agency is appointed. The checking of what happens afterwards is still yours.
Free, no obligation, emailed straight away.
TWO SHORT GUIDES, WRITTEN FOR MULTI-ACADEMY TRUSTS
OPRaaS are an approved Government Commercial Agency supplier. Find us on the Digital Marketplace.
UK Government Commercial Agency frameworks RM6310 Audit and Assurance Services (Lots 2 and 4), RM6219, RM6237 and G-Cloud 15, listed on the Digital Marketplace. ISO-aligned information security controls and Cyber Essentials certification.
Tell us where to send them. If a 15 minute MAT Assurance Review would help, say so below.
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AFTER PROCUREMENT
RM6376 caps what an agency can charge your Trust and requires accredited suppliers. Its own buyer guide then asks you to carry out your own checks. Workers change, agency relationships change, payroll arrangements change and documentation expires.
For a Trust operating across several academies that activity is distributed across every school, while responsibility for assurance sits at Trust level.
A SIMPLE ASSURANCE TEST
If your Accounting Officer, trustees or Audit and Risk Committee asked for the evidence, how easily could you demonstrate:
A current Trust-wide view, rather than separate records held by individual schools.
Evidence that the agencies in use fit the Trust’s agreed procurement arrangements.
Visibility of the payroll, umbrella or other parties further down the labour supply chain.
Ongoing checks, rather than information gathered when a supplier was first appointed.
That the same assurance standard is applied throughout the Trust’s academies.
Missing evidence, outstanding actions or engagements needing attention, identified quickly.
A coherent Trust-level evidence trail, ready to review, if assurance were requested tomorrow.
If the answers sit across spreadsheets, emails, supplier portals and individual schools, both guides set out what a Trust can do about it.
LABOUR SUPPLY CHAIN ASSURANCE
01
MAP
Which organisations supply labour across the Trust, and what sits beyond the immediate agency.
02
STANDARDISE
A consistent approach to supplier and worker assurance that works in every academy.
03
CHECK
Review the evidence itself rather than relying on declarations or historic approval.
04
MONITOR
Oversight as engagements continue, highlighting what is missing or has changed.
05
EVIDENCE
An organised evidence trail supporting oversight, internal scrutiny, governance and audit.
The OPRaaS Virtual Compliance Director combines the platform with senior compliance leadership, so the Trust gains an operating assurance function rather than another system to run.
OPRaaS does not replace your procurement route, your agencies or your governance. It adds the layer that evidences them.
SPECIALIST ASSURANCE
Approved on UK Government Commercial Agency frameworks RM6310 Audit and Assurance Services (Lots 2 and 4), RM6219, RM6237 and G-Cloud 15, listed on the Digital Marketplace.
ISO-aligned information security controls and Cyber Essentials certification, with data handled under a documented information security policy suite.
OPRaaS writes and speaks on labour supply chain assurance for public sector and education audiences, including a full page in Education Business magazine.
The Department for Education is raising the bar for Multi-Academy Trusts. Can you evidence what happens after a supplier is appointed?
Accreditation proves a standard at the point it is tested. HMRC asks for something else as well: due diligence that never stops.
A Statement of Work defines what an organisation intends to buy. Statement of Work governance provides the evidence needed to demonstrate that suppliers, deliverables, milestones and operational controls continued to perform throughout the engagement.
NEXT STEP
Both guides are emailed immediately. A fifteen minute MAT Assurance Review is available if it would help.
info@opraas.co.uk · +44 (0)1625 900 744 · opraas.co.uk
Compliance is your asset. Evidenced daily.
MULTI-ACADEMY TRUSTS
No. OPRaaS is not a Department for Education requirement.
The Academy Trust Handbook establishes requirements around areas including procurement, internal control, risk management, assurance and due diligence. OPRaaS provides a practical way for Trusts to strengthen visibility and evidence within the labour supply chain.
No.
The framework provides a procurement route for agency supply staffing. OPRaaS complements procurement by helping Trusts maintain visibility and evidence as supplier relationships and individual engagements continue.
Supplier approval is an important control, but it represents a point in time.
Labour supply chains can change after appointment. OPRaaS helps maintain visibility of relevant evidence, changes and exceptions throughout the relationship.
No.
The OPRaaS Virtual Compliance Director combines specialist expertise, an assurance process and supporting technology. The purpose is not simply to give your team another system to manage, but to help operate and evidence the assurance process.
Yes.
That is central to the proposition. OPRaaS is designed to help create a consistent assurance approach and Trust-level visibility across multiple operating locations and suppliers.
Not necessarily.
The starting point is understanding your existing arrangements, suppliers, controls and evidence. OPRaaS can then help identify where additional assurance or action may be appropriate.
It is a focused 15 minute discussion about how your Trust currently manages supplier oversight, labour supply-chain visibility, ongoing due diligence, evidence and exceptions.
The purpose is to identify strengths and potential assurance gaps, not to conduct a full audit during the call.
This page is provided for general information and is not legal or tax advice. References to the Academy Trust Handbook 2026 and to the Government Commercial Agency (formerly Crown Commercial Service) Supply Teachers and Education Recruitment framework are current at the date of publication.
