February Newsletter
The Parish Buying service is now one year old!
We have over 4,500 registered users and continue to grow. Christmas Day and New Years Day are the only ones so far without a registration! Thousands of parishes have used the service and made significant savings, with our energy contract being one of the most successful. We are now in a position to offer even bigger savings on electricity and gas by creating the Parish Buying Energy Basket. This week the energy watchdog has warned of higher energy bills in the coming years so it is important for parishes and other church organisations to ensure they are getting the best deal. Read on for more details on this exciting initiative:
Plug Into The Energy Basket
For the first time in 2013, parishes can pool their energy spend and buy electricity and gas in bulk. Supermarkets, hospitals and national and local government purchase in this way to take advantage of their economies of scale. Now parishes, cathedrals, diocesan offices and church schools can access prices based on our combined electricity and gas spends resulting in significant savings across the Church of England - releasing financial resource for mission and ministry!
November Newsletter
The hats and gloves are out, the heating is turned up, the children have started to learn their parts - is it too early to say "it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas"?
I'm sure preparations are well underway in churches and schools throughout the country. Remember if you need to order coloured paper, glue, scissors etc for Christmas crafts take a look at the Parish Buying Office Depot contract. They also offer a range of seasonal equipment including grit and snow shovels so you can be prepared.
This month we want to focus on fire safety. This is an important concern for all CofE organisations. There are legal obligations and it is important that reliable equipment is installed. Read on for more information on how Parish Buying can help you in this area, offering good prices for quality product.
October Newsletter
Did you know that due to their charitable status parishes are able to purchase IT software at significantly discounted prices? If you are a church administrator, treasurer, churchwarden, clergy or hold another position and require software for church work you can access these great prices. The Parish Buying contract with Phoenix Software is even available to church schools. Savings of up to 80% are possible against RRP. Hundreds of parishes have taken advantage of the great prices available through Phoenix Software.
Press Release
For Immediate Release 23/01/2012
Church pools its buying power to save parishes £10 million pa
13,000 Church of England parishes can now benefit from reduced prices for essential utilities and services. A new website (www.parishbuying.org.uk), developed by the Parish Buying Service, is offering churches savings on £200 million worth of services each year.
Parishes stand to save £10 million
04th April 2011
Parishes across the Church of England stand to save £10 million a year.
Thanks to lessons learnt responding to floods and earthquakes. Robert Kissick and Russell Stables have been appointed as National Procurement Officers to establish deals that will aim to save parishes that much and more.
Robert Kissick brings a wide range of procurement experience in a variety of challenging situations: responding quickly to floods, earthquakes, cyclones, wars and famine, while managing a range of purchasing contracts for the Department for International Development. Russell Stables brings complementary experience, with additional expertise in the marketing, operations and customer support arenas - all essential parts of a successful church buying operation.
Rob and Russell founded 2buy2, a procurement service for churches, two years ago. They will work on contract for the Church of England to build a web-based service for parishes, as well as spend time helping churches save money and buy better. Russell Stables commented "We are delighted to be working on this project. The potential for operational savings is huge and we look forward to working together with parishes enabling them to buy and save together! This is far more than a cost saving exercise - it is a means of demonstrating good stewardship and releasing money which can be directed towards mission and ministry."
Parish Buying Launches
01st November 2011
Parish Buying, a purchasing resource for the Church of England and the Church in Wales, has launched – quietly!
This service has been created by dioceses and the national church to support parishes in their buying decisions. Whether taking advantage of the national deals offered, or using the buying guides to inform local purchasing decisions, the Parish Buying service is intended to be a valuable resource to churches across England and Wales.
