Updated 15th September 2026.
Do schools have to use GCA?
The short answer: not always.
From September 2026, academy trusts are mandated by the Department for Education to use GCA RM6376 when buying agency supply staff.
However, the Department for Education expressly allows an alternative.
An academy trust can use an alternative framework or contract provided that it is in line with the Procurement Act 2023, the relevant financial thresholds are observed, and the rates do not exceed those available through GCA RM6376.
The DfE's own guidance states:
“If you choose not to use the framework, you must use another route that complies with the Procurement Act 2023.”
That wording appears on the official Department for Education Get Help Buying for Schools website.
Read the official DfE guidance: How to use the Supply Teachers and Education Recruitment framework
So if your school or academy trust has been told:
“You can only use recruitment agencies directly listed on GCA”
that does not explain the full DfE position.
Do Academy Trusts Have to Use GCA RM6376?
GCA RM6376 is now the DfE's mandated default route for single and multi-academy trusts purchasing agency supply staff.
But it is not the only possible compliant route.
The Department for Education's dedicated Guidance on supply staff mandate says:
“Single- and multi-academy trusts must use the GCA framework unless you secure an alternative framework or contract…”
The DfE then sets out the conditions for that alternative.
It must be in line with the Procurement Act 2023, it must take account of the relevant financial thresholds, and its rates must not exceed the rates available through GCA.
Read the official DfE Guidance on the Supply Staff Mandate
That distinction matters.
The question is therefore not simply:
“Is this recruitment agency on GCA?”
The more complete question is:
“Can our trust appoint this agency through an alternative compliant procurement arrangement that satisfies the DfE requirements?”
What Does the Academy Trust Handbook 2026 Actually Say?
The clearest statutory-governance wording appears at paragraph 2.28 of the Academy Trust Handbook 2026.
It states:
“Trusts must use the Government Commercial Agency, Supply Teachers and Education Recruitment for their supply staffing requirements unless they have an alternative compliant agreement with rates which do not exceed those available through the framework.”
That is the Department for Education's own wording.
The 2026 Academy Trust Handbook is effective from 1 October 2026.
Read Academy Trust Handbook 2026 – paragraph 2.28
The Handbook also requires academy trusts to follow the Procurement Act 2023 and associated procurement rules and thresholds.
Can Schools Use Recruitment Agencies That Are Not on GCA?
Yes, potentially.
Being absent from the RM6376 supplier list does not automatically mean a recruitment agency cannot be used by an academy trust.
What matters is whether the trust has an appropriate alternative procurement route available and follows it correctly.
For academy trust supply staffing, that alternative also needs to satisfy the DfE's requirements around procurement compliance, financial thresholds and rates.
This is why statements such as:
“Non-GCA agencies cannot work with academies after September 2026”
are too broad.
A more accurate statement is:
Academy trusts must use GCA RM6376 unless they secure an alternative compliant agreement meeting the applicable DfE requirements.
GCA RM6376 and the Procurement Act 2023 Are Not the Same Thing
This is another area where terminology can become confused.
The Procurement Act 2023 is legislation.
GCA RM6376 is a procurement framework.
RM6376 itself was procured under the Procurement Act 2023 and provides schools and other eligible public-sector organisations with an established purchasing route.
But the DfE expressly recognises the possibility of using another Procurement Act-compliant route.
That is why it is not technically precise to treat “being on GCA” and “Procurement Act compliance” as if they mean exactly the same thing.
What Is an Alternative Compliant Agreement?
An alternative compliant agreement is not simply an agency's normal set of terms and conditions.
The trust needs to be satisfied that the procurement route being used is appropriate and compliant.
DfE's own academy procurement guidance makes clear that using a framework does not remove the academy trust's responsibilities as the contracting authority. Trusts should check that a framework was properly established, that they are eligible to use it, that the required service is covered and that the correct mechanism is used when awarding the contract.
This means that schools should look at the actual procurement arrangement, not merely a marketing statement from a recruitment agency.
Can an Academy Trust Use Another Framework Instead of GCA?
Yes, subject to the DfE conditions.
The DfE expressly allows an alternative framework or contract where the required conditions are met.
There are other education recruitment procurement arrangements operating under the Procurement Act 2023.
Uniform Education currently has two active routes particularly relevant to schools and academy trusts:
Value Match Managed Sourcing Service
and
Harris Federation PerCo Open Framework
Uniform Education's current Commercial & Framework Position Pack records both Value Match and Harris PerCo as active routes, while making clear that the relevant trust call-off must be completed.
Uniform Education and Value Match
Uniform Education is approved on the Value Match Managed Sourcing Service
The Value Match Managed Sourcing Service — MSS is Uniform Education's principal alternative procurement route.
Uniform Education's procurement documentation confirms that it is an approved supplier on Value Match MSS and that Value Match's Supply Agency Staff Services framework was procured under the Procurement Act 2023.
Once the relevant academy trust completes the appropriate call-off, the arrangement can support capped pricing, benchmarking, contracts, procurement records and audit reporting while allowing the school to continue its direct operational relationship with Uniform Education.
Is Value Match actually being used as an alternative to GCA?
Yes.
Published procurement award records show Trinity Multi Academy Trust making call-offs through the Value Match Managed Sourcing Service and describing MSS specifically as:
an “alternative compliant route to market”
with rates that do not exceed those available through GCA RM6376.
That is useful real-world evidence that the alternative-route mechanism is already being used by academy trusts.
Uniform Education and Harris PerCo
Uniform Education is also an approved supplier through Harris PerCo
Uniform Education is an approved supplier via Omnijo on the Harris Federation Permanent and Contingent Recruitment Open Framework — PerCo.
Harris Federation says its PerCo Framework was designed to meet the requirements of the Procurement Act 2023.
It allows eligible schools and trusts to access approved recruitment agencies under common terms, pricing and compliance standards, with framework activity managed through Omnijo.
Harris specifically describes the framework as aligned with the Procurement Act 2023 and the September 2026 DfE requirements.
Read the official Harris PerCo information for schools
Can My Academy Trust Continue Using Uniform Education?
Potentially, yes.
Uniform Education is not currently a direct supplier on GCA RM6376.
However, that does not automatically prevent an academy trust from working with Uniform Education.
Uniform Education has active alternative procurement routes through:
Value Match MSS
and
Harris PerCo
The academy trust must still follow the applicable framework or procurement process and satisfy itself that the arrangement meets the DfE requirements.
Uniform Education can provide the trust's procurement or finance team with the relevant framework, pricing, compliance and service documentation.
What About the GCA Rate Requirement?
This is important.
DfE does not simply allow academy trusts to choose any alternative arrangement at any price.
The alternative arrangement must not exceed the rates available through GCA RM6376.
Uniform Education has therefore made a specific GCA-aligned commercial commitment.
Where the school requires this rate position, Uniform Education's current maximum agency-margin commitment is:
Teachers: £40 per day
Support Staff: £38 per day
Administrative Staff: £32 per day
Uniform Education's position is that there will be no off-framework uplift and no hidden premium simply because a school is accessing Uniform through an alternative route.
These figures describe Uniform Education's own commercial commitment; schools should still compare the applicable GCA rate for the relevant role when satisfying the DfE requirement.
What If My Trust Already Has an Existing Contract?
This is another important part of the DfE guidance.
The Department for Education says it will not force a trust to exit an existing contract, provided that contract is compliant with the Procurement Act 2023.
Existing arrangements should therefore be reviewed rather than automatically terminated merely because September 2026 has arrived.
Do Local Authority Schools Have to Use GCA?
The September 2026 mandate described by DfE applies specifically to single and multi-academy trusts.
Local authority schools can use RM6376, but the DfE guidance does not describe maintained schools as being subject to the same academy-trust mandate.
Maintained schools may instead have additional local-authority procurement rules, contracts and financial regulations to follow.
Can Independent Schools Use GCA RM6376?
No.
The Department for Education's current guidance states that independent schools cannot access the GCA framework.
The academy-trust mandate should therefore not be presented as a rule applying to every type of UK school.
What Is the Procurement Threshold for Supply Staffing?
DfE's current guidance uses a threshold of £207,720 including VAT when explaining when expected expenditure requires a Procurement Act 2023-compliant buying process.
For academy trusts, the expected spend is calculated across the whole trust, rather than school by school, and over the full length of a multi-year contract.
Thresholds and procurement rules can change, so the latest Government guidance should always be checked when commencing a procurement.
Does Being Outside GCA Mean an Agency Is Non-Compliant?
No.
Being outside the direct RM6376 supplier list is not, by itself, proof that an agency cannot lawfully supply an academy trust.
Likewise, a recruitment agency should be cautious about simply calling itself “Procurement Act 2023 certified”.
The Procurement Act does not operate as a generic accreditation scheme for recruitment agencies.
The relevant issue is the route through which the contracting authority procures and awards the service.
For Uniform Education, the accurate position is:
Uniform Education can be accessed through active Procurement Act 2023 procurement routes including Value Match MSS and Harris PerCo, subject to the relevant trust eligibility, procurement and call-off requirements.
Has Your School Been Told “You Must Only Use GCA Agencies”?
Before ending an established agency relationship, ask your finance, procurement or central trust team to consider the complete DfE guidance.
In particular, ask:
Does our trust have access to an alternative compliant agreement?
Does that route comply with the Procurement Act 2023 requirements applying to this procurement?
Are we eligible to use it?
Have we completed the correct award or call-off procedure?
Do the rates satisfy the DfE requirement not to exceed GCA?
Those questions provide a much more complete assessment than simply checking whether the recruitment agency's name appears on the RM6376 supplier list.
Frequently Asked Questions About GCA RM6376
Do schools have to use GCA?
Not every school does. From September 2026, single and multi-academy trusts are mandated to use GCA RM6376 for agency supply staff unless they secure an alternative compliant framework or contract meeting the applicable DfE requirements.
Do academy trusts have to use GCA?
GCA is the mandated default route, but DfE expressly permits an alternative compliant agreement where the relevant Procurement Act, financial-threshold and rate requirements are satisfied.
Can an academy trust use a non-GCA recruitment agency?
Potentially, yes. The key issue is whether the trust can appoint that agency through an appropriate alternative compliant procurement route.
Where does DfE say trusts can use another route?
The official DfE framework guidance says that if an academy trust chooses not to use the framework, it must use another route that complies with the Procurement Act 2023.
Can an academy trust use Value Match instead of GCA?
Potentially, yes, where the trust is eligible, follows the appropriate Value Match procurement/call-off process and satisfies the DfE requirements. Published award records already show academy trusts using Value Match MSS as an alternative compliant route with rates not exceeding GCA.
Can an academy trust use Harris PerCo instead of GCA?
Potentially, yes. Harris describes PerCo as a framework designed around Procurement Act 2023 requirements and the September 2026 DfE mandate. The trust must still use the framework correctly.
Is Uniform Education on GCA RM6376?
No. Uniform Education is not currently a direct RM6376 supplier. Uniform Education does, however, have active alternative routes through Value Match MSS and Harris PerCo, subject to the appropriate trust call-off and procurement requirements.
Is Uniform Education Value Match approved?
Yes. Uniform Education's current procurement documentation records Uniform Education as an approved supplier on the Value Match Managed Sourcing Service.
Is Uniform Education on Harris PerCo?
Yes. Uniform Education's procurement documentation records Uniform Education as an approved supplier via Omnijo on the Harris Federation PerCo Open Framework.
Can trusts keep an existing compliant contract?
DfE says it will not force trusts to exit an existing contract provided it is compliant with the Procurement Act 2023.
Official Sources: Check the Rules Yourself
Uniform Education encourages schools and academy trusts to read the Government's guidance directly.
Department for Education – Guidance on the Supply Staff Mandate
Department for Education – How to Use the Supply Teachers and Education Recruitment Framework
GOV.UK – Academy Trust Handbook 2026
Harris Federation – PerCo Recruitment Framework for Schools
Request Uniform Education’s Procurement Act 2023 Pack
For school leaders, CFOs, School Business Managers and trust procurement teams, Uniform Education has produced a comprehensive Procurement Act 2023 & Framework Position Pack.
The pack sets out our approved procurement routes through Value Match and Harris PerCo, alongside our GCA-aligned pricing commitment, compliance and safeguarding standards, temp-to-perm position and wider service assurance.
It demonstrates how eligible schools and academy trusts can continue to work with Uniform Education through appropriate Procurement Act 2023-compliant procurement routes, subject to the relevant call-off requirements.
Email info@uniformeducation.co.uk to request a copy of our Procurement Act 2023 & Framework Pack.
Want to Continue Working With Uniform Education?
If you have been told that your academy trust can no longer use Uniform Education simply because we are not directly listed on GCA RM6376, speak to us.
There may be an appropriate alternative procurement route through Value Match MSS or Harris PerCo.
We can provide information directly to your Headteacher, School Business Manager, CFO, finance team, procurement team or MAT central office.
Uniform Education
Specialist SEND & Education Recruitment
London & Home Counties
0203 794 8988
info@uniformeducation.co.uk
Recruitment to Shape Future Generations
Important information
This page provides general information about education recruitment procurement and does not constitute legal or procurement advice.
The appropriate procurement route depends on the individual contracting authority, the nature and value of the requirement, contract duration, applicable procurement legislation, Department for Education requirements, internal procurement rules and the terms of the relevant framework or agreement.
Government guidance and procurement thresholds may change. Schools and academy trusts should check the latest official guidance and seek specialist procurement or legal advice where appropriate.
Last reviewed: 15 September 2026.