AI Procurement Questions for Small Businesses
Questions for buying AI tools without discovering the real data, security and lock-in terms after the trial has already spread through the business.
Purpose and evidence
- What exact task does the tool improve?
- What evidence shows the benefit for a business like ours?
- What manual or conventional software option are we comparing it with?
Data and privacy
- What data leaves our systems?
- Is our content used to train or improve models?
- Where is data stored and how can it be deleted or exported?
Security and control
- Which models and subcontractors sit underneath the service?
- How are permissions and administrator actions controlled?
- How are security incidents and material product changes communicated?
Commercial reality
- What happens to price after the trial?
- Can we leave without losing our data or workflow history?
- Who owns generated output and who carries responsibility for errors?
Evidence behind this checklist
- Department for Science, Innovation and Technology · AI Adoption Research · 2026-02-13 · Primary source
- UK Government · Code of Practice for the Cyber Security of AI · 2025-01-31 · Primary source
- Office for National Statistics · Business insights and impact on the UK economy: 8 January 2026 · 2026-01-08 · Primary source