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This series of five articles has been produced to support people working in the creative and cultural sectors to deliver digital projects effectively. The articles are accompanied by a practical workbook to support the process.
Choosing the right technology partner is an important part of any digital project, but it isn’t just about finding a perfect tool. It’s about building a shared understanding of what the technology can deliver, how it supports your goals, and what changes you or your organisation may need to make to get the best from it. A strong procurement process helps you identify suppliers who can become genuine partners in achieving your objectives.
Below is a practical, step-by-step overview of what effective procurement can look like for digital projects in the cultural sector. How you implement the process will depend on the type and scale of your project. For example, buying a license to an off the shelf ticketing platform or website builder is very different from procuring a brand new website with CRM and Ticketing integrations. But even for very simple purchases, this article provides a framework for defining and thinking through your decisions.
Your brief shapes the way suppliers understand your needs, so it’s important that it provides enough detail without being overly restrictive. A good brief gives suppliers space to propose solutions, while helping you understand how different approaches might support your goals.
This is also the moment to think about user journeys. Walk through the experience from the perspective of your audiences or internal users. What do they need to do? Where might they encounter barriers? These insights can help shape the practical requirements in your brief.
Even if you are buying a simple off-the-shelf product, it is useful to write a brief for your own purposes to make sure that the product you buy meets your needs.
Your brief should include:
Description and project goals: Explain who you are, who you serve, and what you want to achieve.
Vision and mission: Clarify the change you’re aiming for. This helps suppliers understand the bigger picture.
Scope: Outline what the project will (and won’t) include so everyone has a shared starting point.
Technical requirements: Describe essential features, integrations, standards or specifications.
Timeline: Include key milestones so suppliers can assess feasibility.
Budget: State budget parameters openly to avoid unsuitable proposals.
Evaluation criteria: Explain how you will assess proposals such as experience, approach, cost, cultural fit, and quality.
To reach the right suppliers:
Choose the right platforms: Post your brief where suppliers are likely to be looking. For example, sector forums, digital networks, freelance platforms, LinkedIn, or specialist groups.
Use your network: Find out which products and suppliers your peers are using. Share the brief within your professional community – recommendations often surface strong, trusted suppliers.
Whilst you might not follow every step here for lower value or off the shelf procurement, it still provides a framework for assessing the companies or software you are considering.
Set your evaluation criteria
Agree your assessment criteria in advance so you can evaluate proposals consistently. This helps you avoid being swayed by impressive features that don’t meet your core needs or by offers that appear low cost but come with hidden expenses later.
Request detailed information
Ask all respondents to supply information such as:
This gives you a clearer sense of how they work and how they might work with you.
Review proposals carefully
Assess each proposal on how well it understands your goals and practical constraints. Look for solutions that align with your audience needs, internal capacity and organisational values. Ask yourself: do we have the staff resources to deliver this approach?
Conduct interviews and presentations
Shortlist suppliers whose proposals meet your criteria and invite them to present their ideas. Use interviews to explore:
Ask for a system demo so that daily users can see how the product works in practice.
Consider cultural fit
Partnerships work best when ways of working align. Consider whether the supplier’s communication style, expectations and values feel like a good match.
1. Unclear goals
By procurement stage, your objectives need to be specific and achievable. If goals are too broad or inconsistent with organisational priorities, suppliers won’t be able to produce meaningful proposals.
2. Being too prescriptive
It’s helpful to describe your needs, not to dictate the solution. Avoid specifying tools, design features or technical approaches unless essential. Give suppliers space to innovate.
3. Unrealistic expectations
Digital projects require time, budget and internal capacity. Work with suppliers and internal teams to set achievable timelines, especially if your organisation has limited staff resource.
4. Not involving the right people
If key teams aren’t consulted when shaping the brief, you risk missing essential requirements. For example, a website project that doesn’t include fundraising might overlook donation pathways or CRM integration needs.
5. Underestimating internal resource
New systems require onboarding, training and sometimes changes in workflow. Make sure teams understand what will be required of them and build this into the project plan.
The principles in this article still apply if you’re a freelancer, artist, collective or small organisation. You may not need formal governance structures, project teams or extensive documentation, but taking time to plan, challenge assumptions and focus on user needs can help you make better decisions, reduce risk and achieve stronger outcomes from your digital project.
If you’re working independently or in a small organisation, procurement may be less about running a formal tender process and more about making confident, informed purchases. Take time to write down your requirements, priorities and budget before comparing different products or suppliers. Use professional networks and peer recommendations to learn from the experiences of others, and focus on finding a supplier that aligns with your goals, values and ways of working rather than simply choosing the cheapest option or the platform with the longest feature list.
A little planning upfront can help you choose solutions that meet your needs and avoid costly mistakes later.
A strong procurement process helps you choose a partner who understands your goals, aligns with your values and can support your organisation’s long-term digital development. Finding the right fit, having clarity about your aims and working collaboratively with your supplier are the foundations of a successful partnership.
Start by reading the other articles in our Digital Projects series. For deeper conversations or to explore additional resources, speak to one of our digital specialists in person so that we can assess your specific needs and provide practical and tailored support to help you scope out a digital project that works for your organisation.
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