Replacement of Reversible Air Source Heat Pump Systems
Boston College · £50k · Spalding · closes 15 Jul 2026 · Suitable for small firms
Official notice →Schools are one of the most reliable sources of small-firm maintenance work in the UK — and one of the most misunderstood. Two very different buyers hide behind the word "school": local-authority maintained schools, whose work is often tendered by the council's estates team, and academies / multi-academy trusts (MATs), which buy independently and must follow the Academy Trust Handbook (typically getting three quotes above small thresholds and formally tendering larger works). A MAT with 20 schools can be a bigger client than a small council.
What schools actually check before price: an enhanced DBS process for anyone working where children are present (buyers usually ask how you manage this, not just whether); safeguarding awareness in your method statement; term-time working constraints — much school maintenance is scheduled for half-terms and summer, so realistic programme dates win marks; £5m public liability as standard; and an SSIP accreditation (CHAS, SafeContractor or similar) for anything on the tools.
Why this niche suits small firms: individual school jobs are often below £100k — too small for tier-1 contractors to chase, ideal for a local firm that can evidence responsiveness. Winning one school in a trust is also the classic route to the trust's other sites: reference-ability compounds.
Before you bid: run the job through our bid/no-bid checklist (deadline, insurance, capacity), and check you'd pass the standard selection questions with the eligibility checker — missing a written H&S policy or safeguarding answer is the most common avoidable fail in education tenders.
Boston College · £50k · Spalding · closes 15 Jul 2026 · Suitable for small firms
Official notice →Epsom & St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust · £100k · Epsom · closes 17 Jul 2026 · Suitable for small firms
Official notice →United Colleges Group · London · closes 20 Jul 2026 · Suitable for small firms
Official notice →Bedford College · £350k · Bedford · closes 20 Jul 2026 · Suitable for small firms
Official notice →Epsom & St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust · £220k · Epsom · closes 22 Jul 2026 · Suitable for small firms
Official notice →The Mercian Trust · £50k · Walsall · closes 23 Jul 2026 · Suitable for small firms
Official notice →Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust · £50k · Norwich · closes 24 Jul 2026 · Suitable for small firms
Official notice →Leicester College · £50k · Leicester · closes 27 Jul 2026 · Suitable for small firms
Official notice →Keyword-matched from today's live Contracts Finder data (13 July 2026) — always read the official notice; the buyer's documents take precedence.
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