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Many aspects of information and communication technology (ICT) are interlinked so it鈥檚 important not to buy ICT equipment, like hardware, software, broadband, in isolation.

What you buy should always be aligned with your school鈥檚 ICT needs.

You should only buy hardware which will improve teaching and learning in your school. You can assess your needs by talking to:

• pupils, parents, staff, governors and trustees
• school hubs
• public sector buying organisations (PSBO)
• other schools in your local area

Avoid last-minute purchases

Buying last minute means what you buy could be:

• more expensive
• unsuitable for what your school needs
• incompatible with your current hardware
• quickly obsolete

Repurposing

Before you buy new hardware, you may want to consider refurbishing expensive items that you already have.

You do not always need the latest or most expensive equipment. You may get better value-for-money and achieve the same outcomes if you use what you already have.

Compatibility with your existing infrastructure

Before you buy new hardware, make sure it鈥檚 compatible with your current IT infrastructure. It may be more expensive to update hardware later.

You should confirm whether your:

• hardware needs to be installed or configured

• software needs to be installed on the hardware before use

The technology you choose must:

• meet your school鈥檚 ICT needs
• integrate with existing teaching, learning and administration systems

You have 2 options:

• find and use a framework
• run your own procurement

Use a framework

Buying from a framework can be quicker and easier than getting your own bids or quotes because the agreements:

• have already been through a full competitive tender process
• have been quality checked
• are checked to make sure they comply with the law
• may have draft specifications and help available

Run your own procurement

You can run your own procurement for:

• lower-value tenders
• high-value and over-threshold tenders

Lower-value tenders

This is where you meet your IT needs by:

• researching the relevant market
• getting at least 3 quotes from suppliers

Over-threshold tenders

This is where you make compliant purchases by:

• advertising your contract
• running your own competitive tender process between suppliers

You should dispose of hardware safely. This means cleansing all data from the hardware.

If you鈥檙e not sure how to cleanse hardware, you should get professional advice.

When you need to dispose of hardware, you may want to consider:

• recycling schemes
• donating to a charity
• selling the items
• supplier collection and disposal

If you鈥檙e unsure about how to recycle hardware, you should contact your local council.

Some ICT hardware is a target for thieves. You should regularly review your school鈥檚 security by:

• making pupils and staff aware of your security policies
• creating awareness notices about theft and ICT security

More information on cyber security and data protection can be found on the website.

Consider what after sales services your ICT provider can offer you.

After sales services could include:

• customer support 鈥� including dedicated repair and maintenance teams

• 24-hour helpline support

• warranties for physical hardware

• a fully managed service

• training for new equipment and software

• installation of new equipment

Under the Procurement Act 2023 you will need to understand your obligations with regards to contract management and the publishing of appropriate notices.

The section Get training on the Procurement Act 2023 has information on how to:

• get free, approved聽DfE聽training on the Procurement Act 2023
• register on the central digital platform

Find out more from the .