Written question WQ91863

Detailed and comprehensive criteria are laid out to all agencies wishing to be part of the Welsh Government Supply Agency Framework as part of the procurement process. This is provided within the 70-page specification document. Bidders must also complete a qualification questionnaire and submit a technical method statement response. These responses are evaluated by a public sector panel, and only those agencies that successfully pass this process are appointed to the framework.

Under the regulatory framework and local management of schools’ arrangements, schools and governing bodies in Wales can source staff as they see fit. However we encourage those schools who meet their supply teacher needs via temporary staff to use agencies appointed to the framework, given they will have met the specified quality requirements and be formally monitored as part of the framework arrangement. This includes being regularly audited by both the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate and an approved representative professional recruitment body, as well as signing up to the Welsh Government’s Code of Practice on Ethical Employment in Supply Chains.