1.2 Acquisition Considerations

Basics

At the local tech support level, many decisions about which types of assets will be procured, or purchased, will be made by others in administrative roles. However, understanding how decisions for acquisition are made and how priorities are established can provide greater clarity on how you can better support and maintain the devices and software that has been purchased.

Hopefully, purchasing decisions are guided by a solid strategy that is built to achieve a clear vision for how IT will be used to support teaching, learning, and school administration. It can be easy for an IT Department to become isolated in the daily tasks of asset management and lose some perspective on the main purpose of school IT, which is to support teaching and learning. Involving teachers, administrators, other staff, and even students and their parents in a feedback loop during planning for new devices can help find the best solution for the needs of your end users.

You should know the following terms:

  • Benefits
  • Efficiency
  • Procurement

IT staff are critical for helping determine the best fit of new assets within your existing infrastructure. Making the best decisions requires input from your end users. Price is not the sole consideration for procurement if devices that are slightly more expensive are either more durable, have significantly more capacity, or can provide a safer experience for your users. Some of the questions IT staff may consider when reviewing new assets for purchase include:

  • What are the requirements and limitations of your existing infrastructure that can determine which devices and applications will operate well?

  • What is the general skill base of your end users and how might they adopt prospective new assets? This is especially important when considering the needs of younger learners but is also an important decision when considering assets that utilize an unfamiliar operating system or device.

  • How will the new assets keep users and their data safe and secure? The answer to this question is just as important for free or low-cost resources as for those you pay for.

  • Are there already vendors or providers whose products have been approved for use by local or state authorities? These may not only be able to provide economy of scale but can be matched with a support system for new purchases.

Get to know your procurement process.

Level 1 techs aren’t going to determine the procurement process, nor are they likely to have authority to make significant purchases. You will, however, be engaged in the procurement process as resources are evaluated, entered into your inventory, and deployed to users. You may also make recommendations about when devices should no longer be serviced and new devices should be considered. Your procurement policy may provide guidelines to make these types of decisions.

Begin by determining any timelines for purchases of hardware and software. How long are devices expected to last? Three years? Five years? What’s the replacement cycle for the purchase of new devices, including printers, displays, and other peripherals? If an older device that is slated for replacement in the next year comes in for service but requires a costly part, you may recommend it be replaced sooner than going through an expensive repair.

Limiting new software and hardware requests to specific windows of time throughout the year, such as once a semester, can help streamline the purchase and deployment process and prevent staff from purchasing less effective materials or resources that won’t operate efficiently on your network. It can also improve the efficiency of the IT Department. Involving teachers and other staff members in the research and evaluation process can definitely improve the procurement process. In these cases, school systems may require staff to read reviews about potential new purchases, ensure terms of use and privacy policies meet relevant regulations, and review resources the district already provides that might have the same or similar functionality. They can complete and submit a standardized form that makes it easier for IT technicians to review, identify trends, and weigh the merits of potential new assets.

If asked to review new assets, determine if there is already an established feedback process to rate and evaluate the benefit, needs, and efficiency of products. To show benefit, there should be evidence that the new asset will help support the goals of your users, which are often tied to improved teaching or learning outcomes. This can come from testimonials from other users, reviews from trusted organizations, or as the result of a pilot implementation. 

Compare new assets to existing or other similar assets to determine whether it may be an efficient option. Some considerations for efficiency include whether the product is easy to use by all of your intended users, especially younger ones or those with limited technology proficiency. It should also support learners with accessibility issues or who use assistive technologies. It may also provide higher levels of security or data encryption that increase its efficiency.

Here are additional resources you may find useful:

Complete the following task or self-assessment:

Either as a self-reflection or working with others, identify some of the key considerations in asset acquisition. You may want to talk with students, teachers, or other staff to get their input on what’s most important for them. What is the most important consideration for guiding procurement decisions? Is it cost, curriculum, content, or something else?

Understand your school or district’s process for acquiring software at the local (building/classroom) level. Who is able to make acquisitions, whether those resources are paid or free? What is your role in researching or evaluating potential new resources? Who makes approvals? What is the established criteria? How is the Level 1 Tech notified of approvals?