This guide is practical, plain-English support for academy trusts and schools. It does not replace the official Academy Trust Handbook or your trust’s own finance and procurement policies. Always refer to the latest official guidance and internal procedures.
What is a single tender / direct award?
A single tender (sometimes called a direct award) is where you award a contract without running a competitive process.
This can be higher risk because you need to show:
- why competition wasn’t possible or wasn’t in the trust’s best interests
- that the price is still reasonable
- that the decision was properly approved and recorded
When might a single tender be appropriate?
Always follow your trust’s rules first. In practice, single tender decisions are most defensible when one (or more) of these is true:
1) Genuine sole supplier
- Only one supplier can provide the specific product/service you need.
- There are clear technical, legal, or compatibility reasons.
2) Urgency where delay creates significant risk
- For example, a critical premises failure, safety issue, or business continuity risk.
- The key is to evidence why the timeline made competition impractical.
3) Compatibility/continuity requirements
- For example, extensions needed to maintain service continuity while you re-procure.
- You still need to show why switching immediately would create unacceptable risk or cost.
4) Additional works/services that are genuinely unavoidable
- For example, unforeseen works that are tightly linked to an existing contract.
- You need to document why separating the work would be inefficient or risky.
What to keep on file (single tender evidence checklist)
Create a “Single Tender Justification” document and attach the evidence below.
A) The need and the consequences of delay
- What happened / what is needed
- What the impact would be if you delayed to run competition
- Any risk assessment notes (safety, safeguarding, operational disruption)
B) Why competition isn’t possible (or isn’t appropriate)
- The specific reason (sole supplier, urgency, compatibility, etc.)
- What alternatives you considered and why they were not viable
C) Why the price is reasonable
Use one (or more) of these:
- Benchmarking against previous contracts or published rates
- A comparison to other suppliers’ list prices (even if they can’t meet the requirement)
- Independent cost estimate (where appropriate)
- Breakdown of costs and day rates
D) Approvals and governance
- Who approved the decision and when
- Confirmation it aligns with trust policy
- Any board/committee minutes or email approvals
E) The contract basics
- Contract/order form
- Start/end dates, break clauses, renewal terms
- Deliverables and service levels
Copy/paste: Single tender justification template
Use this as a one-page record.
- Purchase/contract title:
- School/trust:
- Estimated value and term (incl. any extensions):
- Reason for single tender/direct award:
- Summary of alternatives considered (and why not viable):
- Evidence that price is reasonable (benchmarking used):
- Key risks and mitigations:
- Approvals (names/roles/date):
- Contract owner:
- Next review date / plan to re-procure (if relevant):
Common pitfalls (and how to avoid them)
- “It was urgent” with no evidence: add dates, incident notes, and impact statements.
- No benchmarking: include at least one method to show price reasonableness.
- Rolling extensions: if you extend, record why and set a clear re-procurement date.
- No conflict of interest record: capture declarations where required.
This guide is part of the Academy Trust Handbook 2026: Procurement & Value for Money Hub (Audit-Ready Checklist). Add a link back to the hub page near the top of your published article.
Next steps
- Create a standard single tender form for all schools in the trust
- Add a “benchmarking required” tick-box to your approval workflow
- Set a re-procurement date where the single tender is time-limited
You’ll find the related guides below in the procurement hub.