How to buy laptops in bulk for your office or school

Group your users by what they actually do. Most organisations have only two or three groups, and each one needs less than a dealer may try to sell you, or occasionally more.

• Everyday office work (email, documents, browsers, video calls): a recent business laptop with at least 8GB of RAM and an SSD is a sensible starting point.
• Heavy spreadsheets, accounting software or many open programs: consider 16GB of RAM.
• Design, video or engineering software: check the software's own requirements, including whether it needs a dedicated graphics card.
• Classrooms and computer labs: put durability, battery life and easy repairs ahead of speed. Ask what the learning software needs.

Picking one model for each group saves money long after the purchase. Chargers become interchangeable, spare parts are simpler, and whoever supports the laptops learns one machine rather than ten. Your spec should list:

• The brand, model and generation, and any acceptable alternatives.
• The processor, RAM and SSD size.
• Screen size, plus any ports you can't do without, such as HDMI or Ethernet.
• The condition and grade, including how much battery health you'll accept.
• Which operating system and software should be installed, and whether it's licensed.
• Whether each laptop comes with a charger and a bag.

With bigger orders, confirm the dealer can supply the full quantity in one batch. If they'd have to gather units from other shops, you may get different generations and conditions. Ask, and agree what you'll accept as a substitute.

Brand new costs more, but it's the simplest to justify and may come with a manufacturer's warranty. Check whether that warranty is honoured locally, because some imports aren't covered here.

UK-used business laptops such as the HP EliteBook, Dell Latitude and Lenovo ThinkPad are popular with offices and schools because they were built for daily work. The trade-off is variation: battery wear, scratches and earlier repairs differ from unit to unit, and so does what each dealer means by a grade. Agree it in writing. Some organisations buy new for staff who travel or see clients and UK used for everyone else.

Ask for one sample before you commit to the full order, and have whoever will support the laptops try it for a day or two. When the batch arrives, count it and match every serial number against the invoice.

Used business laptops come with a risk that single buyers rarely meet: many of them previously belonged to companies. Check each one for a BIOS password and for company management, which can stop you setting it up at all. Our guide to inspecting a used laptop shows you how, along with battery reports, ports and storage checks.

Ideally test every used unit. If that isn't practical, test a sample chosen by you rather than the dealer, and agree that you can return any unit that fails within a set number of days.

• Battery life matters more where power is unreliable. Set a minimum battery health in your spec, or ask the price of replacing worn batteries.
• Use surge protection, especially on generator or inverter power, and make sure you've got enough sockets for a lab or open office.
• Buy a few spare chargers, as they're often the first thing to go missing or fail.
• Consider one or two spare laptops, so that a repair doesn't stop someone working or leave a student without a machine.
• Add asset tags, and record each laptop's serial number and who has it.

A laptop that arrives with Windows and Office installed isn't necessarily licensed. Ask what's installed and whether it's genuine, and check that Windows shows as activated. If your organisation needs licensed software for audits or clients, get this in writing and plan for the cost in your comparison.

Ask if the dealer can install your software or set up the laptops, and what that would cost. If you've got an IT person, a clean reinstall on arrival is usually worth the extra time.

Tell the dealer what your accounts or procurement team needs before you ask for a price, because it can affect the quote.

• A pro-forma invoice for approval, then a final invoice with models, quantities, prices and serial numbers.
• Whether VAT is included and shown, if you need it shown.
• How the seller's business name appears, and an account in that name for payment.
• A delivery note that someone at your end can sign.
• Written warranty terms: how long, what's covered, who does the repair and how long it usually takes.

Prices move with the dollar, so ask how long the quote stays valid. If your approval process takes weeks, say so at the start. For a full list of what to request, see what to ask for in a bulk quote.

Send a product request for laptops with your spec, the quantity, the condition, the price you want to pay per unit and your delivery area. You confirm it with a one-time code, and it costs nothing to send. Our team looks for it among verified dealers, then sends your quote by email, usually within 24 to 48 hours. If you accept, our team calls you to arrange payment and delivery. You can also see more about laptops and computers on Dealrs.