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Procurement 2.0: How AI Is Changing School Buying Decisions
When
Thursday, 19 February 11:00am - 12:00pmWhere
OnlinePrice
Free for BESA Members, £50 for Non-MembersAI is rewriting the rules of school procurement, are you ready to adapt?
AI is shaping the priorities and buying decisions of schools and MATs, not only for AI-enabled products but across every supplier category. Schools are placing greater emphasis on tools that:
- Reduce workload
- Support data-driven leadership
- Strengthen safeguarding
- Improve accessibility
- Enhance SEND support
- Prepare students for an AI-shaped future
This webinar explores how AI is changing what schools choose to buy, the confidence signals buyers now look for, and how suppliers can adapt their product positioning, evidence, messaging, and documentation in response.
No technical AI knowledge required, the session focuses on buyer behaviour, procurement expectations, and practical steps suppliers can take to remain competitive in 2026 and beyond.
Agenda
11:00am
Procurement 2.0: How AI Is Changing School Buying Decisions
Dawn Taylor, Founder and Director, Challenge Innovate Grow
11:30am
Break
11:35am
Supplier Perspective and Q&A
Daniel Giardiello, Enterprise Partnership Manager, Arbor Education
Speakers
Dawn Taylor, Founder and Director, Challenge Innovate Grow
Dawn Taylor is a recognised voice on AI in education, speaking globally on governance, assessment, and pedagogy. She helps leaders and teachers navigate the profound shifts AI is bringing to classrooms. Her work has spanned from UK classrooms to large-scale international projects, driving whole-school improvement, reshaping professional development, and transforming how pedagogy is understood and applied. That vision is grounded in the realities of school leadership and the lived experience of teaching.
Daniel Giardiello, General Manager, Robin Education
Daniel Giardiello spent 13 years working as a teacher and senior leader in Leicestershire schools, gaining first-hand experience of the realities of school leadership and the education system. He later joined Arbor Education, where he spent nine years working in close partnership with schools and multi-academy trusts as a Senior Partnership Manager and team lead. During this period, Arbor scaled from around 150 schools to over 12,000, giving Daniel deep, practical experience of navigating complex school and trust procurement processes at scale. He is now General Manager of Robin, an AI compliance tool within the Arbor Group, as it prepares to enter a similar phase of rapid growth.
To ask any questions, please email eventsteam@besa.org.uk.
We look forward to having you join us for an enlightening and enriching experience!
