Yea, I mean even today, as I was tasked with getting some new systems (got overridden for donation from local school) I still preach that whether your the owner or a manager, you shouldn't be purchasing things on your own especially software/hardware. They don't know what to look for other than what sales or their gut tells them. If you try to sit and explain things like requirements and processes then your told its too technical lol.
I'm sitting here enjoying my evening taking apart a craptacular 10 year old laptop to be told it needs to go in production...really, the price we about to pay for refurbing it cost more than me just outright buying a refurbished modern laptop.....politics