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38 teachwire.net WinstonPoyton shares his top tips on how to get a good deal when investing in new tech T he benefits that technology can bring to schools – from improved parental engagement to better management of school meals – are usually abundently clear. What's less obvious is how you can realise those benefits wihout extending your tech budget. Before investing in anything, it’s essential to review your overall strategy. You may have a member of staff who has discovered a great tool that they’re keen to use, but will it be useful for the rest of your team? Consider the challenges that are holding your school back – is technology going to provide a possible solution and have the biggest impact on your colleagues? Do they need better pupil tracking, a reliable payment system or an easier way to communicate with parents? Knowing what your biggest challenges are will make it much easier to prioritise where to invest your money. And once you know this, there are a few ways in which you can make savings before parting with your cash. Understand the full project cost Actually buying the technology is only the first phase. It’s important to ensure your supplier is completely transparent when it comes to user licences and how easy it will be to get your staff up and running with the new technology. If implementing it is going to require your staff spending time getting up to speed with new attendance software and processes, that’s a further cost to you. The best suppliers will offer you ways to train as many staff as possible and give you a clear view of what the long-term costs will involve. It’s good to talk Having a limited budget to spend on technology can make the notion of cutting corners to save money seem attractive. However, the old adage ‘ If it’s too good to be true, then it probably is ’ very much applies when buying software and hardware. What seems like a good deal can sometimes cause a host of issues later on, such as when trying to integrate Stretch your school’s tech budget “Another smart way to get a discount is to partner with another school” newer technology solutions with a school’s existing systems. Make sure your supplier has a clear plan for integration with legacy systems, and check what will happen should any problems arise. There’s also no reason why your supplier relationship should cease after purchase. To get the best value out of your investment, find out what other services and support is on offer. At IRIS Software Group, for example, we provide a health check service for schools which means we can help our customers spot or iron out any initial problems. It can also help us predict complications that might arise in the future. Perhaps that parental engagement app was working fine, but now some parents have started reporting problems with accessing it. Highlighting these niggles as soon as possible can save you both money and frustration. Saving together Another smart way to get a discount is to partner with another school – and you don’t necessarily need to be part of a MAT to do so. While your LA can secure volume discounts, there’s nothing to stop you from asking a supplier directly for a deal on a larger order. You could also investigate whether the supplier might be willing to consider a referral scheme. Technology providers are always more open to discussing price reductions if you can recommend them to other schools who may be interested in purchasing their products. If you are part of a trust, you may be able to secure an early discount on a growth basis. For example, they might offer reduced rates on technology for five schools, assuming that this will grow in a few years. Freebies for feedback Your knowledge and time is valuable to a supplier. When new technology is being developed, providers will be keen to hear the views and experiences of the type of people who will be using it in future. Offering to become a beta tester – a school that trials a product before it’s released – can potentially secure you some very attractive discounts. This generally works better for software than hardware, but can be a good way for your school to access cutting edge tech tools in exchange for letting the supplier know of any bugs or