The Educator Magazine U.K. September - December 2025 issue. - Magazine - Page 39
Teachers go the extra mile every
day. t’s time procurement did too.
We sat down with Sebastian odwin, founder of rocure, to hear how he is
helping schools tackle rising costs, improve (uality and save valuable time.
With backgrounds spanning procurement, finance, health and safety, sustainability
and education, he explains why he started Procure, how outsourcing can benefit
schools and why smarter procurement is now essential for the sector. Above all, he
emphasises that his role is to support business managers, heads and teachers who
are too often left carrying the weight of impossible budgets.
Q: Why did you set up rocure?
SG: I came at this from a strong commercial background in
procurement, with experience in health and safety,
sustainability and SG, as well as years of negotiating contracts
savings without sacrificing 'uality. n average, we’ve
achieved 5% cost reductions and 0% time savings per
school. utsourcing to us means sta can focus on what
really matters: the education and wellbeing of children.
and driving eciencies in the private sector. ther members of
the team bring finance and education expertise, giving us firsthand insight into how schools were being let down by existing
procurement systems.
Costs were rising, budgets were shrinking and the 'uality of
meals was often compromised. I set up Procure to bring rigour,
responsibility and commercial acumen into school procurement,
with a simple aim: cut costs without cutting 'uality, while
reducing pressure on schools.
Q: an you work alongside in-house teams
SG: Absolutely. any schools already have procurement or
nance teams, and we’re not here to replace them but to
fi
collaborate. ur role can be advisory, helping with audits,
compliance checks and negotiations or more hands-on,
managing full tenders. The relationship is flexible and
designed to lighten the load.
Our aim has always been straightforward: cut costs without
Q: What advice would you give schools in
the current climate?
cutting (uality and reduce the pressure and stresses schools face.
SG: Budgets are not increasing in line with demand, and
schools are being asked to do more with less. Teachers and
Q: What type of procurement does rocure o er?
SG: While catering is often the biggest concern for schools,
Procure supports every area of procurement needs. That includes
catering, cleaning, facilities management, utilities, energy
eciency projects, school supplies and uniforms. We act as a
single trusted partner who delivers savings across the whole
organisation, not just one department.
Q: ow does outsourcing help schools?
SG: The real benefit is time and expertise. Procurement can be
time-consuming and complex, and every extra task pushed onto
sta can mean less time spent with pupils.
We take the time to understand each school’s needs, whether it’s
a single site or a larger group. Because of our commercial
background, we know how to negotiate contracts and deliver
business managers often dip into their own pockets to make
things work. The numbers simply don’t add up.
That’s why procurement needs to be seen as a strategic tool.
Done properly, it allows schools to reinvest savings back into
classrooms, facilities and pupil wellbeing. very pound saved
eases pressure on sta and directly benefits children’s
education and experience.
Q: ow can schools get in touch?
It’s simple, just reach out. ou can visit our website at
www.weareprocure.co.uk
email us at
hello@weareprocure.co.uk
or call us irectly on
0333 772 3649
We are always happy to have an initial conversation
with schools to see how we can help lift the burden.
