Books and educational resources
Source: gov.uk (2025-06-18)

Negotiate with suppliers to save money and make the most of their services.

See if you can buy what you need through DfE-approved frameworks for buying books and materials (https://get-help-buying-for-schools.education.gov.uk/categories/office-education-supplies).

See where to get help with buying for schools (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/get-help-buying-for-schools) if you need it.

Assess what you currently have

You do not always have to switch suppliers to get better value. You can negotiate savings and get better quality services with your current supplier based on what you already buy.

Consider what resources you currently have

Considering what you currently have can help you assess:
- the resources and services you actually use
- how much you’re currently paying
- any gaps in your current provision
- your school’s costs with similar schools using the free DfE benchmarking service (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/schools-financial-efficiency-financial-benchmarking)
You can also invite publishers to your school to help you conduct an audit.

Ask for a loyalty discount

You should ask for a discount if you:
- have used the same supplier for several years
- are a regular customer
- are making a large order
Use all the services offered by your supplier

Maximise the free resources and support that publishers offer, especially if you cannot negotiate a price reduction. This may include:
- free advice on what resources may work best for your school
- asking suppliers for a free demonstration of resources you want to buy using a try before you buy scheme like LendEd (https://www.besa.org.uk/initiatives/lended/)
Combine budgets and requirements

You can get discounts on large purchases by combining budgets across:
- departments in your school
- schools in your multi-academy trust (MAT)
- schools in your local authority
To do this you can talk to:
- your supplier
- similar schools in your area
Review other suppliers

You may achieve savings by switching to another supplier or considering a new resource.

Compare costs with other schools and suppliers

Before switching, you may want to:
- ask suppliers, subject associations and teaching hubs about getting better value
- join or find a school business professional network (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/join-or-create-a-network-for-school-business-professionals/school-business-professional-networks-directory) and contact similar schools
- ask similar schools for feedback on suppliers and resources
- consider additional services which you may lose
- assess the resources you’ll need to manage the switch
- assess the training cost to prepare staff to use the new resources
- assess how much time teaching staff will need to prepare new lesson plans
Talk to publishers

Publishers can visit your school, free of charge, to:
- provide resource demonstrations
- conduct an audit of your existing books collection
- provide advice on how resources can support learning
- give free training to teachers on the new resources
Publishers can help you save money by suggesting:
- you use your resources differently
- cost-effective top-up materials to avoid buying a new set of materials
- easier ways to buy such as aligning with your school payment system
Savings

When buying books and materials, make sure they are high quality and will meet your future curriculum requirements.

If you’re buying in bulk or purchasing a class set of books, check whether your supplier can offer:
- free teaching guides
- additional services that add value
- teacher training
You could also get discounts on:
- bulk orders for your MAT or other local schools
- top up orders for lost or damaged books
- digital subscriptions
- longer-term subscriptions
Sign up to email alerts (https://www.gov.uk/government/email-signup/new?email_signup%5Bfeed%5D=https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education.atom) from the Department for Education about additional funding and programmes to help your school are available.

Fees

Before you buy, you should be aware of fees for:
- book jacketing
- delivery
- delayed or missed payments
- teacher training
Find the right way to buy

Follow your school’s procurement rules. These may be your school’s own rules, or set by the local authority.

The option you choose will depend on your school requirements and circumstances. The DfE has also put together guidance on buying procedures and procurement (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/buying-procedures-and-procurement-law-for-schools) to support you.

There are many different ways to buy books and educational resources. Here are 3 suggestions of how to achieve best value:
- use a framework
- compare prices across catalogues or third-party suppliers
- negotiate with publishers
Use a framework

The Department for Education (DfE) reviews a range of frameworks. These are assessed for compliance with procurement regulations, ease of use, suitability and value for money.

Find a DfE approved framework for your school (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/find-a-dfe-approved-framework-for-your-school).

You may want to use framework agreements because they:
- may have draft specifications and help available
- offer significant discounts
- are free to use
- give you access to discounted specialist school services
- offer free support with the buying process
- help you run competitions across multiple suppliers
- have already been through a full competitive tender process
- have been quality checked
- comply with the law
Availability

Getting your books may take longer if you need to order from different suppliers.

Before you buy, consider whether you:
- want your orders in the same order and at the same time
- need different suppliers
- can access materials in different formats, such as e-books
You can find out more details about the books and materials frameworks on our list of DfE approved frameworks for buying books and materials (https://find-dfe-approved-framework.service.gov.uk/framework#category-books).

Compare prices across catalogues or third party suppliers

You can compare prices and find a supplier using:
- catalogues online or in print
- an educational trade supplier recommended by the British Education Suppliers Association (BESA) (https://www.besa.org.uk/).
Some catalogues and suppliers can save you time through the use of:
- shared shopping baskets across the school
- advising you of special offers
- free book jacketing service
- payment methods linked with your school finance system
- sharing recommendations for suitable resources, reading schemes or class book sets
Compare services from different publishers

Publishers can offer you help with buying books while still giving you discounts. It’s a good idea to compare what they’re offering to help you make the most suitable purchase.

You can compare their services and offers online or invite them to visit your school. You’ll find publishers’ contact details at The Publishers Association (https://publishers.org.uk/about-us/members-and-affiliates/).