A New Cure for Procurement

More than half of all purchasing at schools is still done outside of any system, but taking a few simple steps can save districts time and money.

INTERVIEW| by Victor Rivero

Ed Kozek is the CEO of Share-A-Cart, which recently launched Share-A-Cart for Organizations to enable district leaders to create, organize, and submit online shopping carts for approval, while administrators can review requests, approve or reject items, and mark purchases as complete. In this interview, he discusses the most nagging pain points in the district procurement process and how educators and staff can adopt efficient systems that simplify logistics, streamline compliance, and free time-starved teachers to focus more on their students.

What are some of the biggest pain points you see districts facing when it comes to school purchasing and procurement?

Definitely budgets. Schools are strapped for funds, which is why our feature to automatically find products for the lowest possible price is helpful.

‘Schools are strapped for funds, which is why our feature to automatically find products for the lowest possible price is helpful.’

I also hear from purchasing administrators who are struggling with a lack of workflows and standard processes. Teachers provide lists of things they need in all kinds of formats: bulleted lists of product names, product links, screenshots, or even paper notes and phone calls. As a result, purchasing admins end up spending a lot of time translating these lists into purchasable carts.

You’ve mentioned that inefficiencies in purchasing can cost schools both time and money. Can you share an example of how that plays out in an example from a real district?

We have one user who is a purchasing admin, and he buys more than $40,000 a month in goods. He has a team of five people who help with the purchasing, and he supports 12 schools! He estimates we save him 1 hour per order, which translates into dozens of hours saved every week. Teachers who need these products get them more quickly, and they also avoid the back-and-forth with this admin.

How is technology changing the way districts approach procurement and resource management?

Unfortunately, it really hasn’t from what I see. Many purchasing systems and portals that districts are using today look like they were designed in the 90s, and shockingly, more than half of all purchasing at schools is still done outside of any system.

‘Many purchasing systems and portals that districts are using today look like they were designed in the 90s, and shockingly, more than half of all purchasing at schools is still done outside of any system.’

In your work with schools, what strategies or tools have been most effective in reducing purchasing bottlenecks?

It all comes down to defining a clear, repeatable process that helps procurement teams more easily create efficiencies so they don’t have to re-invent the wheel to support each purchase.

Compliance and equity are growing priorities in school operations. How can improved procurement workflows help advance those goals?

To address compliance, a total workflow solution keeps all parties up-to-date on the status of purchases and ensures that purchases can only happen through approved vendors. End-of-year auditing is also much easier when procurement teams operate with a clear process, using a system that holds all their purchasing data and makes that data easily exportable from that system. When it comes to equity, we offer a free version of Share-A-Cart that any school or organization, regardless of size or budget constraints, can sign up for to access basic functionality.

Looking ahead, what trends or innovations do you think will most impact how districts manage their purchasing processes over the next few years?

Two innovations that will make purchasing more efficient and less time-consuming are AI and social sharing.

‘Two innovations that will make purchasing more efficient and less time-consuming are AI and social sharing.’

AI can quickly generate lists of products that support particular activities. Share-A-Cart is currently working on a feature that allows teachers to simply type in a description of a lesson plan, or even upload the lesson plan directly. The AI then searches retailers and comes up with a list of things the teacher will need to support the plan, finds the best prices, and submits the order for approval—all in just a few clicks.

Using social sharing could accomplish the same goals. There are thousands of teachers using basically the same curricula. Why not provide a tool where they can find and use supply lists already created by other teachers to save time and effort?

Can improved procurement practices like these impact student outcomes?

Yes, by giving time back to educators so that they can focus on what matters: the students!

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Victor Rivero is the Editor-in-Chief of EdTech Digest. Write to: victor@edtechdigest.com

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