What is the Handbook of Procurement?

Currently in its eighth edition, the Headteachers’ and Bursars’ Handbook of Procurement is SCEMES’ flagship publication and the only buyer’s directory exclusively designed for decision makers in the educational marketplace.

Designed to provide educational buyers with a single point of reference for all their purchasing needs, the Handbook of Procurement contains listings of companies supplying schools with a vast range of products and services, from building and electrical services to furniture and fittings, and computing and IT equipment to books and curriculum supplies.

The Handbook of Procurement contains contact details for over 3,000 suppliers, all of which are focused on serving the educational market and many of which have years of experience in working with schools and colleges.

It is circulated free of charge to over 32,000 schools and colleges each September and is widely accepted as the number one resource for educational purchasing in Britain.

To allow buyers to source best value products from within their local communities, the Handbook of Procurement is divided into eleven regional sections, all of which contain listings of companies featured under different category headings.

It also includes a national section, however, which contains an extensive base of national suppliers so that purchases can choose between local suppliers and those serving a national marketplace.

The editorial section also contains a selection of articles and features designed to inform purchasers about the latest developments in educational procurement, including practical advice on how to optimise the potential of school budgets and a up-to-date information from experts in the field of procurement.

The Handbook of Procurement is accompanied by an online, interactive database of almost 6,000 companies, which is fully searchable and allows school procurement staff to access the details of suppliers by searching via keywords or via a regional map.

The database is updated with new suppliers daily and allows schools to access up-to-date price quotes for the products or services that they require, whilst keeping up to date with the latest developments in educational procurement through our online articles and features.