FAQ

What are the benefits of advertising to schools?

The educational market is an enormous and often untapped source of business for small and medium sized companies in the UK. There are over 32,000 schools and colleges in the UK, all with independent control over their own budgetary spending and all needing to source a vast range of products and services to survive.

Since schools have been granted control over their own budgets, Headteachers and Bursars have gained a great deal of freedom in choosing how to allocate their funds and in deciding which companies should provide their key products and services.

Where schools were once restricted to using suppliers chosen for them by LEA’s, or using suppliers suggested to them by an approved Local Authority list, they now have complete freedom to choose their own suppliers and source best value products from a local and national marketplace.

Schools need to source a huge range of products and services to keep their facilities running and to provide all the services needed to serve pupils and the local community. They want to maximise the potential of their school budgets by achieving value for money, but they also want to work with reliable and competitive businesses that they can trust.

Businesses that have secured contracts with educational establishments have reported that schools provide a steady and reliable source of business that can keep companies gainfully employed year after year.

The types of contracts that schools look to secure range in size to suit a range of businesses, but many school contracts are extremely large and have the potential to transform a company’s output.

One First Aid company from Greater Manchester wrote to SCEMES saying: “Many thanks for all your help in the past but you are the victim of your own success. I no longer feel the need to place an advert with you as I have just won a very good contract with a large organisation and would find it very difficult to supply first aid training to any one else for at least three years.”

With a huge amount of buying power, it’s clear that the educational marketplace is a source of enormous untapped potential, which businesses can finally take full advantage of, and which many are now directly targeting through advertising with SCEMES.

What are the Headteachers and Bursars Handbooks?

The Headteachers and Bursars are directories exclusively designed for decision makers in the educational marketplace.

‘The Headteachers and Bursars Handbook of Procurement’ is designed to provide educational buyers with a single point of reference for all their purchasing needs, and contains listings of over 3,000 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 Headteachers and Bursars Handbook of Sustainable Procurement’ is specifically designed to help schools achieve their sustainable schools targets and contains listings of businesses supplying sustainable products and services to schools.

Both Handbooks are circulated free of charge to over 32,000 schools and colleges every year and are supported by the interactive database of suppliers, SCEMES Online.

Can I advertise in both Handbooks?

Businesses that supply sustainable products and services to schools can choose to advertise in both Handbooks. However, we cannot advertise non-sustainable suppliers within ‘The Handbook of Sustainable Procurement’.

Experience shows us that companies advertising within the category that best reflects their business type reap the best rewards.

What types of adverts are available to me?

There are a number of advertising options available to you within the Handbooks, from simple lineage adverts stating your company name and contact details to full page colour adverts which can be designed to include any artwork or information that you require.

Where would my advert appear in the Handbook?

The Handbooks are divided into eleven regional sections allowing companies to advertise to schools based in their own locality.

Within each regional section, company details appear under alphabetised headings such as ‘Audio Visual’, ‘Computer Services’ ‘Ground Maintenance’ etc. This allows school purchasers to easily find suppliers of the product or service that they require within their local region.

What if I’m a national company?

Both Handbooks also contain a national section listing companies under alphabetised category headings. The regionalised sections regularly refer buyers to seek suppliers in the national section of the Handbooks.

SCEMES Online always returns local and national listings to searches so that buyers can choose from suppliers from within their own communities and from a national marketplace.

Can I appear at the top of my category listing?

Advertising slots are sold on a ‘first come, first served’ basis so companies should contact SCEMES early to appear at the top of their category listing.

Can I place an advert in more than one category or area?

If a company feels that numerous categories describe the product or service that they provide, they are welcome to advertise under more than one category heading. Companies looking to advertise under multiple headings may be able to negotiate discounted rates with SCEMES and should contact a salesperson to discuss this option.

What if I can’t find a suitable category?

SCEMES has made every effort to compile a comprehensive list of categories and we believe that you should be able to find a category that accurately describes the product or service that you provide. However, if you are unable to find a category to suit your business, we are willing to discuss the option of creating a new category heading that will suit your requirements.

What details are included on my online listing?

Entry into the Headteachers and Bursars Handbooks automatically includes an entry on SCEMES Online, a fully searchable database of suppliers.

Each company listed online is entitled to a free dedicated webpage, which is fully editable to include their company logo, company information, images of their products, contact details, and much more.

Schools searching online for the product or service that you supply will return a results page featuring your company name and contact details. By clicking on this listing, they will then be routed to your personal webpage.

What other online advertising options are there?

There are a number of upgrades available for companies appearing in the online directory. These include the option to increase the visibility of your listing by appearing in a boxed entry, and the option to appear at the top of the listings page by featuring as a sponsored company.

In addition, we can arrange for you to improve the usefulness of your results listing by adding additional features such as an email address and a direct link to your own company website.

Because the website is such a well-valued and well-used resource for schools, we have made available a number of web-based adverts across the site, including banner adverts and sponsorship adverts. Please contact a salesperson for more information.

When will my entry appear in the directory?

The Handbook of Procurement is produced and circulated to schools every September, whilst the Handbook of Sustainable Procurement is publishes every April. Your advert will appear in the next available edition of the Handbook that you have chosen to advertise in and will remain valid for one year.

Can I just advertise on the online directory?

Yes. Companies that just choose to advertise online will receive all the same online benefits as companies that also feature in the handbooks. Their company details will be fully searchable by schools and they will receive their own dedicated company webpage. Web entries remain valid for one year from the date of purchase.

Is it my responsibility to provide my own artwork?

Purchasing a colour advert in SCEMES’ Handbooks, or banner advertisements on SCEMES Online gives you the freedom to include your company logo, images and text about your company, products and services.

These types of adverts are highly recommended as they allow your company to stand out above the competition, give you the opportunity to convey information about your company and create a strong brand image.

To take advantage of these types of advert, you need to supply us with artwork to a certain specification. It is the customer’s responsibility to supply us with artwork to our required specification. However, if you are unable to create artwork yourself and do not have a graphic designer, we can create artwork for you in accordance with our artwork system. Please contact us to find out more about our artwork system.

Can I amend my contact details?

You can amend your online contact details at any time, and your printed contact details up to a month before the Handbook containing your advert is printed. To amend your contact details please send us your amendments in writing either by letter, fax or email.

What type of tenders will I receive?

It is recommended that the Education Sector publish tenders for products and services valued over £99,000 and SCEMES has a license with the Official Journal of the European Union to distribute these tenders to our customers. As a result, we are able to contact our customers regularly, with opportunities that are appropriate to them.

Because of the large number of tenders that we receive daily, we filter all the tenders that we receive to ensure that our customers only receive tenders for work that are suitable to their business. Once tenders have been filtered into appropriate product and service areas, we will email our customers with opportunities for work that may be of interest to them.

How much do adverts cost?

The price of adverts varies depending on the size and type of advert that you wish to purchase. For pricing guidelines or to speak to a member of the sales team please call  01691 664191 or email: sales@scemes.com

Can I pay by credit/debit card?

Customers can pay for their adverts by debit or credit card, by cheque or through a bank transfer. To pay by credit card please call 01691 680945 or fax your card details to 01691 680233.

Customers wishing to pay by cheque should make cheques payable to SCEMES Ltd, mark them with your company name and invoice number and send them to SCEMES Ltd, 7 The Cross, Oswestry, SY11 1PN

You can also transfer money to SCEMES directly from your bank, using your invoice number as a reference. Our account details are as follows:

Account Name: SCEMES Ltd
Account Number: 00308100
Sort Code: 30-96-33

Is it possible to split the payments?

Yes Customers are able to split payments.Please speak to a member of our customer services team to discuss this option.

What happens once I have purchased an advert with SCEMES?

Once customers have purchased an advert with SCEMES they will be sent a welcome pack within seven days. This pack contains a sample copy of our Handbook, a booklet explaining a little bit about SCEMES and a letter containing your username and password.

Your username and password allow you to log on to your personalised online webpage, input details about your company and upload images and text. It also allows you to access the tenders that we have filtered especially for you.

Within days, your company details will appear on our online directory and be fully accessible to schools.