How to Sell Into Schools In 2024

The education procurement landscape has changed significantly in the last decade. While local authorities are still responsible for distributing funding to maintained schools, they no longer control how schools spend their money.

In addition, academies, which have grown exponentially - 40 per cent of primary schools and 80 per cent of secondary schools are now academies - receive funding directly from central government, not from their local authority.

Nowadays, a school runs much more like a business. For suppliers to the education market, this means there are exciting opportunities to sell into the sector. But selling to schools is still very different from other B2B or B2C transactions. There are some unique hurdles to navigate, such as the education supplier framework, and it can be challenging to establish who exactly is doing the buying.

This blog explains how procurement in education works, clarifies who makes the buying decisions, and shares some great tips on how to sell to schools.

Procurement in Education

Public sector organisations and academy schools must follow best procurement practices. This means obtaining the best value for money from contracts – though it’s worth noting, this doesn’t necessarily mean at the cheapest price.

Schools are encouraged to buy goods and services via the government’s framework agreement but can also get bids or quotes from external suppliers or run a Public Contracts Regulations (PCR) compliant buying process. You don’t have to be listed on the educational supplier framework to sell to schools, but it can help enormously, especially for bigger contracts. Learn more about the buying procedures and procurement law for schools here.

A Get Help Buying for Schools initiative was introduced in 2022, following a successful pilot in two regions where £19.4m was saved on non-staff spending across 2,000 schools. The scheme offers impartial advice from education procurement specialists and is designed to help schools efficiently deliver value for money when buying goods and services.

 Academy Trusts have the most control over their purchasing decisions but must comply with the current Academy Trust Handbook, which stipulates a competitive procurement procedure. For example, spending decisions must represent value for money, and the procurement rules and thresholds in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and Find a Tender service must also be observed.

What is an education supplier framework

An education supplier framework is a list of approved suppliers that have been through a robust procurement process. The Schools Commercial Team (SCT) within the Department for Education (DfE) reviews the range of frameworks and is responsible for adding suppliers to the list. You can view the list of procurement frameworks for schools here. 

The frameworks enable schools to bypass some of the usual procurement processes, saving time, cutting red tape, and guaranteeing value for money. 

Framework opportunities are advertised through procurement portals such as ‘Find a Tender’ and ‘Contracts Finder’. It may be that the framework you want to get onto isn’t currently adding new suppliers, so you will need to plan for when that framework opens up again.

Software platforms, such as those offered by Tussell, can be helpful for gathering insights about contracting to the public sector, learning more about frameworks, and keeping up to date with tenders and information notices.

Should I be listed in Education Supplier Directories?

Despite schools having greater autonomy regarding their purchasing decisions, around 70 per cent of schools still use the approved framework listings to source some of their supplies, according to Incensu, which provides an independent hub for Education Suppliers. It doesn’t mean you are excluded from the running if you’re not listed. If you side-step the supplier framework, you might have to work harder to get your pitch heard.

How to become part of a DfE-approved framework?

To get listed on a framework as a supplier, you will need to go through a tendering process. Find out more about tendering for public sector contracts here. 

How to best use a procurement framework?

If you make it onto the supplier framework, great, but it doesn’t guarantee contracts. Schools will put in a specification for which you (and other suppliers) must provide a quote. Schools then decide. They can directly award a contract or hold a mini competition where you may be asked to provide more information and pitch against other companies that sell to schools. Clean branding on quotations and providing concise but helpful information at all stages is imperative to get yourself noticed.

Who makes buying decisions in schools?

The person responsible for procurement in schools varies between establishments. In some schools, buying decisions will be made by the head teacher. In others, it will be the responsibility of the school business manager or a school business professional. And, while they may not be involved in the final buying decision, Heads of Department, Curriculum Leads, Heads of Year, and Key Stage and Senior Leaders will contribute considerably to internal discussions about the school’s buying needs.

In most primary schools, buying decisions will be made by the head teacher. The procurement process in secondary schools differs, where spending responsibility is much more devolved. For academy trusts that run several schools, an executive team will make the spending decisions. There may also be a central office role dedicated purely to procurement, which may implement its own procurement framework.

Schools are under tremendous pressure to make savings, and as they often talk to each other, collaborative purchasing to make cost savings is gaining traction. This is an important selling point for existing suppliers when pitching to other schools. There’s also the domino effect – headteachers talk to each other, so where innovations have been successful, supplier information will be passed on.

How long is the buying cycle in schools?

The buying cycle in schools varies considerably between schools and even within schools for different products and services. Contracts are not all signed on the same day at the beginning of a school year! And some contracts (take minibuses, for example) might be for a lease of two or three years.

The best advice is to build up a log of when contracts are ending and ascertain the right lead-in time to put your business forward for consideration when the contract is up for grabs. This could be a short window, so precision marketing is critical. 

Many schools will let contracts roll over, so you must prove you have something better to offer.

It is also worth looking into when strategic planning conversations occur rather than just focusing on when purchasing decisions are made.

How to sell services to schools?

Selling educational services to schools is tricky and especially difficult if the services are deemed non-compulsory. A case study on selling non-compulsory educational services to schools highlighted inconsistent funding as particularly challenging. 

You must market your product in the right way.

Selling to private schools

Once you move away from the maintained sector, selling to schools aligns more with usual business sales. Independent schools (or groups of schools) will make their own buying decisions and are not duty-bound by government frameworks, so it is all about finding the decision maker. 

While some private schools will have school business managers with wide-ranging roles, other schools will have dedicated senior staff for each discipline, such as a head of marketing and a finance director.

One main difference between selling to an independent school and a small business is that you must be considerate of child safety checks and procedures.

Our top tips on how to sell to schools

Communication is key when selling to schools

Choosing your communication channel to make an excellent first impression is key. Hard selling to schools is a no-no. Teachers and school staff are incredibly busy, so cold-calling or persistent phone calls aren’t recommended.

In a recent survey of teachers and school staff, 87.6 per cent of respondents said they are most likely to respond to an email. And 46.8 per cent surveyed said they check their work email more than ten times daily. In the same survey, 73.8 per cent of respondents said they were ‘unlikely to’ or would ‘definitely not’ respond to an invitation to discuss solutions on a telephone call, reinforcing email as the best communication method.

Email is an effective and unobtrusive way to introduce yourself and your business. Including a call to action is essential. Free trials or guides capture attention and make engagement with your email worthwhile. Offering something for free is enticing and positions you as a helpful expert. But remember that staff are stretched, so a text-only and straight-to-the-point email might be better appreciated.

Do your research

Before you make contact, deepen your understanding of the school’s mission and apply this to the problems your product or service will help solve. A case study can be a powerful tool, providing proof of success and giving context to your solution.

Listen to schools when selling your products

At your first meeting or scheduled call where you get to showcase your solution, be prepared to listen. This is your opportunity to understand the school’s unique needs better. Making a good impression and building a connection is essential. 

Timing can be vital

There’s also the question of when certain products or services suddenly become more relevant to schools. Portable device technology and AIed (AI in education) have seen remarkable growth since the pandemic, enabling distance learning during lockdowns. Being ready when opportunities arise is critical for sellers looking to break into the education market. 

Stay up to date  

Education authority procurement has moved on in recent years. Knowing how to sell your product to schools is vital, and this process will continue to evolve, so keeping up with legislation, pilot schemes, and how school procurement operates is essential.

Events and exhibitions

There are many education trade shows, events, and exhibitions throughout the year where you can rub shoulders with procurement decision-makers. If you are selling educational products or services, these events are an excellent platform for raising awareness about your business. Tech-specific trade shows are a must for software providers wanting to sell to educators. 

At GovNet, we continue to build a strong portfolio of specialist exhibitions and conferences dedicated to the education sector, including The Schools and Academies Show, The EdTech Summit, The Independent Schools Conference, and many more, including hundreds of training courses through Inside Government.