One pool, four stages

From open to handover

A pool covers one item for one group of schools. The closing date and the price ladder are set before anyone commits.

Stage one

The pool opens

We publish the item, the closing date and the price ladder. The ladder lists each quantity and the price at that quantity.

One item Every school orders the same thing, to the same written standard.
One price ladder Every quantity and its price are on the page from the day the pool opens.
One closing date Set when the pool opens, so every school knows when orders close.

Stage two

You name a quantity and pay a deposit. The deposit is held, not spent. The more the pool commits, the lower the price.

You see the price first The unit price and the deposit are on screen before you confirm.
The price only drops You commit at the top of the ladder. When the pool closes, you pay the price for the quantity reached.
Deposits are held Your money sits against your order. If the pool does not reach its minimum, it comes back to you.

Stage three

The pool closes. We order the quantity reached from the supplier, at the price agreed for that quantity before the pool opened.

A real number Schools have committed and paid deposits before the order is placed.
Prices agreed in advance The supplier's price at every quantity is settled before any school commits.
Paid after checking The supplier is paid once, after the delivery has been counted and checked.

Stage four

The supplier delivers the whole order to our hub. We count it and check it against the specification, then deliver each school's share to the school.

Checked at our hub Count and condition, before anything leaves for a school.
Split by what you ordered If a delivery comes up short, every school's share is reduced in proportion, and we tell you by how much.
Delivered to your school Delivery is included in the price. We record what arrived and who received it.

Registration is free. We will tell you whether we deliver to your area and what is open there.