Buying for schools

• From: Department for Education
• Published: 2 February 2016
• Updated: 2 September 2022, see all updates

Resources for buying goods and services, and finding DfE-recommended suppliers.

Follow these guides to help you plan what you need to buy and get good value. There’s separate guidance on buying procedures and procurement law.

Access tools, resources and networks for buying for your school, such as the get help buying for schools service and the risk protection arrangement (RPA).

• Access tools, resources and networks

  Self-service tools and supporting guidance to help you get better value when buying goods and services for your school.

• Books and educational resources

  Negotiate with suppliers to save money and make the most of their services.

• Catering services

  How to find the best solution for the catering requirements of your school.

• Cleaning services

  How to find the right cleaning solutions for your school or multi-academy trust.

• Consultancy: educational services, and design and build

  How schools can buy consultancy services and use a DfE-recommended framework to get good value.

• Energy

  Find the right way to buy energy for your school.

• Energy procurement – minimum standard questions

  Information and action to take at the end of a contract.

• HR and payroll services

  How to buy HR and payroll services and use a DfE-recommended framework to get good value.

• ICT and computer hardware

  Find the right way to buy ICT or computer hardware for your school.

• Leasing equipment for schools

  What to consider to ensure you get the best value for money and a compliant lease agreement for your school.

• Legal

  How schools can evaluate the legal services they currently have, renegotiate fees and switch suppliers.

• Multi-functional devices (MFD) and printing

  Find the right way to buy multi-functional devices (MFD) and printing services for your school.