Approach
No mystery, no machinery. Just a well-run process.
Procurement consultancy has a reputation for complexity it does not deserve. Here is exactly how working with MB Partnerships goes, from first email to finished project.
- 1
Listen
Every engagement starts with your story, not my process. What is working, what is worrying you, what has been promised and not delivered, and what a good outcome would look like for your pupils, staff and budget. This conversation costs nothing and carries no obligation.
- 2
Review
Before recommending anything, I build an honest, evidenced picture of where you are: contracts, costs, performance, compliance and how the service actually feels on the ground. Schools are often surprised by what a fresh, independent pair of eyes finds in a week.
- 3
Recommend
You get clear options with genuine trade-offs, including the option of doing less than you expected. Every recommendation comes with its reasoning, its costs and its risks, in plain English your leadership team and governors can act on.
- 4
Deliver
Whether it is a full tender, a review or a support programme, the work runs to an agreed timetable with fixed milestones. You always know what is happening, what is next and what decisions are coming your way.
- 5
Support
Contracts are won at tender but succeed in delivery. I stay available after the project ends, and many clients choose ongoing monitoring so the standards set at tender are still being met years later.
Ways of working
Three ways to engage.
Single project
A defined piece of work with a defined fee: a review, a feasibility study, or advice on a specific contract question.
Ideal for a first engagement.
Managed tender
Full management of a tender from scoping to mobilisation, with your team involved at every decision point.
The most common starting point.
Ongoing partnership
Regular monitoring visits and on-call advice across your catering and support contracts, year after year.
Best value for trusts and larger settings.
Fees without surprises.
Fees are fixed and agreed in writing before any work begins, based on a clear scope. They are never a percentage of contract value, and never topped up by supplier commissions or referral payments of any kind.
If the scope changes along the way, the fee is re-agreed in the open before the extra work starts. You will never receive an invoice you were not expecting.
Ready for step one?
The first conversation is free, informal and genuinely without obligation. Tell me what is on your mind.