WIREDGOV

Schools should register their initial interest by 6 May 2016 to buy tablet devices using collective buying power.

DfE is facilitating a further procurement to allow schools to buy tablets using ‘collective buying power’, after the pilot saved 12% on the price. The procurement will be completed by the Crown Commercial Service (CCS).

Collective buying power allows a group to negotiate better discounts.

The procurement will offer 4 tablet options:

• Apple iPad
• Microsoft Surface Pro
• LearnPad
• a generic tablet

There will also be a number of associated items to choose from, eg security marking, covers and charging stations.

Register your interest in buying tablet devices

To register, email CG.Communications@education.gsi.gov.uk by 6 May 2016 with:

• your name
• your school’s name
• your contact details
• an estimate of how many devices you need

How the procurement will work

We need schools to order a total of 500 devices for the procurement to go ahead. We’ll let registered schools know if we can’t run the procurement due to low order numbers.

If the procurement is agreed, CCS will publish forms to capture your school’s requirements, as well as providing a series of webinars and a helpline to help you with the application process.

The actual procurement will be completed for you - you won’t need to run it yourself.

DfE will continue to advertise the procurement after 6 May, which will hopefully encourage more schools to register, leading to more competitive prices.

The estimated timescales for the procurement are:

• April/May - gather schools’ commitment and volumes
• June/July - run procurement
• July/August - schools will place orders and receive tablets
• August/September - schools will pay the supplier

A representative from Bournville Primary School, one of the schools in the initial pilot, commented that:

“the process was simple and we were assured by the fact that we were purchasing from an approved supplier operating under the framework’s terms and conditions”.