*Important Action Required* SIMS/FMS Annual Entitlement Agreement – are you ready?
As an accredited MIS support provider we wanted to let schools know about the latest guidance on SIMS/FMS licensing from ESS.
The full message from ESS is below. Important things often have depth and detail so these are the headlines and key dates for schools:
- ESS' Local Authority Annual Entitlement agreement expires on 31st March 2022 meaning any schools using SIMS/FMS will be directly with ESS from 1st April 2022
- Not sure what your MIS future holds? There is Break Clause Offer whereby you contract directly with ESS from 1st April 2022, with the peace of mind that you can give notice on the 31st August 2022 to end your contract on 30th September 2022. To take advantage of this, you must submit his Break Clause Offer before 20th February 2022
- Remember, SBS can assess your school's data needs from a software, skillset and education point of view, so please feel free to get in touch if you are unsure or want advice: misservicedesk@schoolbusinessservices.co.uk
Full message from ESS
SIMS / FMS Annual Entitlement Agreement – are you ready?
Your Local Authority’s (LA) Annual Entitlement (AE) agreement with ESS expires on 31st March 2022. To continue to receive SIMS AE services beyond this date and to access SIMS Next Generation features, your school will need to enter into an AE agreement directly with ESS. This agreement will be for a three-year term.
The process of contracting directly with ESS may be new to you – don’t worry. The ESS Gateway provides you with a simple way to manage your SIMS and FMS AE subscription online. Through the Gateway you can confirm your school details, including pupil numbers and should you choose to do so, accept your new AE agreement.
To review your SIMS / FMS AE quotation, which covers software updates and third line support from ESS for 2022/2023, please log onto the ESS Gateway using the details below.
Accessing the Gateway:
- Log in at: <GATEWAY LOGIN URL>
- Your Username is {!Quote: Username;}
You should only access the Gateway if you are authorised to create a contract on behalf of your school. If you are not authorised, please pass on these login details to someone who is.
Most LA maintained schools are sub-licenced their core SIMS and FMS software modules, and in some cases SIMS Add-Ons and third-party products, by their LA, under the terms of an agreement between the LA and ESS. Your new AE agreement includes a license for all the SIMS and FMS software currently licenced on your behalf by your LA for the term of your AE agreement. It also includes the right to use all core SIMS Next Generation features released during the term of the agreement for the nominal sum of £1 per annum,
You will need to enter into an AE agreement to ensure continued access to software updates and third line support for your licenced SIMS and FMS software, both to access support for your SIMS / FMS system and to receive the software updates you will need to undertake the summer census and other statutory returns.
For more information on ESS’ AE agreement, the Gateway and the investment ESS is making into new SIMS Next Generation features that are included in the agreement please see the FAQs contained here Gateway FAQs
The following documents are available for you to view online:
- SIMS Gateway screenshots – there are different versions based on whether your LA facilitation agreement has been signed, and where it has been signed, whether you have opted for centralised payments. Three different confirmation screens are included, based on:
- LA Facilitation Agreement signed and LA opted for centralised payments
- LA Facilitation Agreement signed and LA not opted for centralised payments
- No Facilitation Agreement signed at this stage
The continued availability of the Beneficial Fee Structure
The prices set out in your SMS / FMS AE quotation for 2022/23 are the same as ESS charged your LA in 2021/22, save for a 3.5% inflationary increase. These prices assume that your LA signs a ‘facilitation agreement’ with ESS on or before 28th February 2022.
A facilitation agreement is an agreement between ESS and a LA, under which the LA terminates their existing SIMS licence agreement with ESS and agrees that a new licence agreement is put in place directly between ESS and the LA maintained schools covered by the LA’s terminated licence.
Should your LA choose not to sign a facilitation agreement by 28th February 2022, the SIMS Core, Curriculum and Resources (as applicable) charges in your quotation will be subject to a 25% premium, and the invoice we send you will include this 25% premium.
Where your LA has signed a facilitation agreement, meaning the 25% uplift will not apply, this is made clear on the Confirmation screen on the Gateway before you are asked to accept your quotation.
If your LA signs a facilitation agreement before 28th February but after you have completed your quotation and entered into a contract with us, we will send you an email to notify you of the change in status and will ensure that the 25% premium is not applied to your invoice.
Please contact your LA directly should you wish to understand the status of their facilitation agreement with ESS.
Timeline
It is important you engage via the Gateway in a timely manner to ensure you have access to the software updates you will need for the summer census and other statutory returns.
You can accept your new agreement at any time, but to be confident of continuity of service from 1st April 2022 you should confirm acceptance of the agreement via the Gateway by 31st March 2022, preferably sooner (and by 20th February 2022 if you wish to opt for the six-month break clause, see below).
If you can’t do that, we will of course be happy to offer you a new agreement after that date. Any new agreement will be backdated to 1st April 2022 and will ensure that you receive all software updates that have been issued since the expiry of your previous agreement, including summer census updates.
Break Clause Offer
To encourage you to contract directly with ESS in a timely manner we are, for a limited period, offering you the option of a 6-month break clause in your new AE agreement.
If you elect to take up this option, the break clause will allow you to terminate your new agreement on 30th September 2022, should you so choose, by giving notice on or before 31st August 2022.
To take up this offer, you must do both of the following before 20th February 2022:
- Visit the Gateway and accept your new agreement, and
- Email us at break@educationsoftwaresolutions.co.uk from the email address this email was issued to, providing your:
- School name
- Postcode
- DfE number
- Quotation number, including the quotation number in the subject line of your email
If you take up this offer, you are still required to pay your annual invoice in full. However, should you subsequently invoke the break clause, we will refund you 50% of your 2022/23 charges within 60 days of 1st October 2022.
If you require any assistance please call us on 0345 222 1551 | Opt 3. or email misservicedesk@schoolbusinessservices.co.uk
