Facilities management guide
Separate, bundled or integrated contracts: which suits your school or trust?
In short
Separate contracts suit a single school with good in-house premises staff. Bundled contracts suit schools that want fewer suppliers without changing how services run. Integrated contracts suit trusts with several schools that want one coordinated service, aligned renewal dates and trust-wide reporting.
Written by the SPS Group team · Updated 29 October 2026
The three options compared
| Separate contracts | Bundled | Integrated | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suppliers to manage | One per service | Fewer | One relationship |
| Coordination between services | Your premises team | Some | The provider's senior team |
| Renewal dates | Often all different | Partly aligned | Aligned |
| Reporting | Different formats from each | Partly combined | Combined or per service, trust-wide |
| Best for | Single school with strong premises staff | Schools wanting fewer suppliers | Trusts and multi-site estates |
Questions that point you to the right option
- How many schools or sites are you buying for, and are more joining the trust?
- Who coordinates cleaning, lock-up, alarm response and system maintenance today?
- When does each current contract end, and what are the notice periods?
- Do governors or trustees want one set of reports across every school?
- Does your procurement route allow lots, so you can buy integrated or separately?
What works in practice for schools
- Holiday deep cleans and fire and security system servicing scheduled together while buildings are empty
- Cleaners, lock-up and alarm response working to one timetable at the start and end of the day
- One specification across the trust, with each school's differences built in
- DBS-checked staff and safeguarding training for everyone working on site
- Trust-level and school-level reporting from the same system
How SPS Group does it
SPS Group has worked with schools, academy trusts, colleges and universities for nearly 30 years, and ICS Cleaning alone cleans more than 100 education sites. Schools can use one SPS business, combine several, or move to an integrated contract with a senior team overseeing every site.
How our integrated facilities management works
