A new report funded by EDspaces, The Future of K-12 Procurement: 4 Key Trends , captures the experiences and insights of award-winning procurement professionals who are leading the way in enhancing and building the field of strategic procurement.
In April of 2024, we conducted extensive phone interviews with 18 school leaders whose primary roles involved procurement. We used a structured survey instrument to frame our interviews and to provide a deeper dive into understanding current trends and innovations in the K-12 school procurement space. Many of our interviewees currently serve in leadership positions in procurement organizations and/or had recently won awards or received recognition for their outstanding work.
This article provides an overview of the contextual factors that account for the evolution taking place in K-12 procurement and then digs into one of our four key findings: The strong need for better tech tools to support strategic procurement.
In the past decade, school procurement has transitioned, out of necessity, from transactional to strategic. Purchasing school supplies was once viewed as simply transactional: The school business manager would purchase goods and services, monitor the budget, and have the supplies delivered. But school procurement professionals now must operate more strategically and quickly adapt to rapidly evolving circumstances.
Procurement professionals now need to:
- Navigate increasingly complex local, state, and federal compliance requirements
- Negotiate multi-million-dollar bids
- Conduct negotiations with multiple stakeholders
- Monitor cybersecurity threats
- Ensure edtech purchase decisions integrate with existing systems
The EDspaces survey documented six contextual drivers that are responsible for this shift from transactional to strategic procurement:
1. District Size Matters
The number of public-school districts in the US has decreased by 16%, while the average size of districts has increased.[i]
Why does this matter?
More than half of all students are now found in large school districts. Even though 93% of US public school districts have fewer than 10,000 students, large districts containing more than 10,000 students – though they make up only 7% of all districts — contain more than half of all students.[ii]
How does this impact procurement?
It means that more procurement professionals now work in large complex systems with centralized departments and more staff in dedicated roles that focus on e-procurement, edtech purchasing, legal and regulatory monitoring, and other sub-specialties.
2. Student Enrollment is Declining
Student enrollment is trending downward and that trend is projected to continue through 2030 due to a change in the school age population.
Why does this matter?
Declining school enrollments will result in decreases in school budgets. School budgets are also being impacted by the end of COVID ESSER funding, declining state budgets, and inflation. This will likely impact school spending in the coming years.
How does this impact procurement?
There is now much more pressure on procurement professionals to find creative ways to make the most with more limited resources, optimize value, pursue more grants, and develop stronger vendor relationships.
3. Stakes are Higher and Compliance Demands are More Complex
While school purchasing is only about 20% of all school expenditures, procurement professionals touch almost all of a district’s discretionary spending, monies that are not already allocated to set costs such as salaries.
Why does this matter?
Procurement involves much more than ordering copy paper and pencils. Procurement professionals must navigate complex contracts for software, hardware, construction, and professional development.
How does this impact procurement?
…. unless you can justify your decision when that TV station shows up and puts the microphone in your face, then don’t do it. You are after all, spending the taxpayer’s money.
Brenda McGee, NIGP-CPP, CPPB, Adams 12 Five Star Schools
Procurement decisions can have dire consequences. Interviewees reported on experiences, such as a story about a neighboring district that had faced ransomware attacks due to a poor selection of software that enabled hackers to get through firewalls and download student data.
Procurement managers also have to make sure everyone involved in purchasing adheres to federal, state, and local school board regulations. When we asked “What keeps you up at night?” 89% of interviewees stated some variation on the following:
“I’m always telling people when I’m doing training that when it comes to purchasing, we’re trying to keep you out of our local investigative news shows,” says Brenda McGee, NIGP-CPP, CPPB, Director of Supply Chain Management, Adams 12 Five Star Schools, Adams County, CO. “I tell them unless you can justify your decision when that TV station shows up and puts the microphone in your face, then don’t do it. You are after all, spending the taxpayer’s money.”
4. Pandemic-Driven Changes
The pandemic resulted in billions of federal dollars being pushed out to schools and a quick pivot to online and hybrid learning.
Why does this matter?
Procurement professionals needed to apply for, monitor, and report out on these new dollars following complex federal reporting guidelines. As COVID swept through schools, learning — and procurement activities — moved quickly online.
How does this impact procurement?
Procurement professionals needed to acquire laptops and tablets, address equity issues in connectivity, and invest in secure learning platforms and e-textbooks while coping with severe supply chain issues impacting everything from toilet paper to HVAC equipment. While supply chain issues are easing, online learning and e-procurement provide ongoing challenges for school leaders.
5. Heavy Reliance on Coops
Cooperative buying organizations at the national and state level provide an additional layer of assistance and support to time-strapped procurement professionals.
Why does this matter?
Large coops can deliver volume buying discounts to school districts and provide a streamlined vetting process to help with vendor selection.
How does this impact procurement?
Districts are increasingly relying on coops, especially for complex tech purchases. Coops have become an essential component of procurement work.
There are significant opportunities in this space for better tools that target the needs of K-12 procurement.
6. Purchasing is More Closely Aligned with Student Learning Outcomes
There has been growing awareness that purchasing decisions need to be more closely connected to student learning outcomes.
Why does this matter?
New research is connecting student learning spaces with student success. Conferences such as EDspaces reflect this increase in research that strongly links the design of school buildings, classrooms, and outdoor spaces to current pedagogies. Classroom furniture designed for collaborative learning, carpeting and wall tile to minimize distracting noise, and the use of AI to promote school safety are just a few of the ways that strategic procurement decisions are tied directly to student success.
How does this impact procurement?
Procurement is no longer the sole decision of a single school business manager. Stakeholders are now consulted to determine how best to serve neurodiverse students, what purchasing decisions should be made to support student social emotional needs, and the impact of classroom and school building design on teacher success and student learning.
How Can We Better Support K-12 Procurement Professionals?
One of the key findings from the survey was that there is a significant need for more robust tech tools to support strategic procurement. Tech tools for procurement in schools include any automated processes that provide efficiencies for tracking, requisitioning, ordering, and purchasing goods and services.
Interviewees indicated they used a wide variety of tools and that the pandemic had accelerated this use. In particular, 89% of our interviewees expressed the desire to use more data to inform procurement decisions, but stated that they typically did not have the appropriate tools or the time to track and use data.
Many school leaders are making due with systems that are not customized or targeted to their particular needs. There are significant opportunities in this space for better tools that target the needs of K-12 procurement. Generative A.I. has enormous potential for easing the work of school leaders by providing support for tracking, synthesizing, and analyzing data to help improve and streamline procurement activities.
For the full report see: The Future of K-12 Procurement: 4 Key Trends, an EDspaces Research Paper.
This is the first report in a series funded by EDspaces. EDspaces is where leaders and innovators unite to drive impactful changes in schools, ensuring they are equipped with the best resources to create thriving educational environments. Through professional development and knowledge sharing, immersive tours, and hands-on experience with products, EDspaces expands your horizon by exploring new possibilities for school and campus learning environments. Join your community and be a part of the incredible journey towards creating innovative and inspiring learning environments.
[i]US Department of Education/NCES. Table 214.20. “Number and Percentage Distribution of Regular Public School Districts and Students, by Enrollment Size of District: Selected School Years, 1979-80 Through 2021-22.” https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d22/tables/dt22_214.20.asp
[ii] US Department of Education/NCES. Table 214.20.