Buying Into Learning Outcomes : Educational Technology Procurement Policy and Practice in Canada

This study investigates the current status of tech procurement policy in K-12 school systems across Canada and identifies best practices and challenges. It primarily draws from semi-structured interviews with procurement-related personnel, as well as a public and private sector policy roundtable. Section I provides an introduction to education technology procurement, including what types of technology schools purchase, who in education is involved in technology purchases, and the benefits and challenges associated with centralized, decentralized, and divisional procurement. Section II looks at each stage of the procurement process in greater detail. It highlights various approaches to staying on top of the edtech market, launching a procurement process, assessing vendors and making procurement decisions, and implementation and process management. Finally, Section III assesses strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in Canadian edtech procurement from the perspectives of the public and private sectors, before turning to a set of strategies for enhancing K-12 edtech procurement