Procurement revisited – selected case studies from higher education
The second phase of efficiency work in higher education led by Professor Sir Ian Diamond and coordinated by Universities UK is well under way and a report will be published next February. Watch this space for a forthcoming series of articles to highlight this work which we will be publishing over the coming weeks. In the meantime, we thought it would be interesting to re-share some of the best examples of good practice we've found - for those of you who might have missed them first time around. Today: a selection of case studies on procurement.
We must dispel the idea that universities are wasteful
Following on from his speech to the 4th Annual Efficiency Conference, Nick Petford, Vice Chancellor of the University of Northampton, blogs for Universities UK urging the sector to work hard during this election period to dispel the idea that universities are wasteful and inefficient.
Three posts on efficiency from leading speakers at last week’s conference
The 4th annual efficiency conference was held on Wednesday 25 March, with more than 20 speakers from across the higher education sector. Here are three blogposts written for Efficiency Exchange by three of the star speakers from the Universities UK event.
Making sense of spend
Examining how money is spent is a vital activity for universities and much of this work is carried out on their behalf by the six consortia that make up Procurement England Ltd (PEL). Andy Wojciechowski of PEL explains how this work is helping the sector.
The benefits of collaboration in procurement
Collaboration in procurement is nothing new, but is becoming ever more important as universities seek to double their capital spending, Rex Knight writes.
HEPA procurement training now available
The Higher Education Procurement Academy (HEPA)’s programme of face-to-face training is now available to book on the HEPA website.
University finance: how should we judge value for money? Guardian live chat 7 February
How should universities deliver value for money and maintain their values? Read the comments on our live chat session held on the Guardian Higher Education Network on 7 February.
SUPC – supporting sustainability procurement
While sustainable procurement is no easy task, it is becoming increasingly important to higher education institutions in the UK. As a key service provider of collaborative procurement solutions to the higher education sector, SUPC is exploring ways to support members in the procurement of goods and services that provide value for money, benefit society and the economy, while also minimising damage to the environment.
Smarter procurement in universities
Procurement UK was established to provide high-level leadership and strategic coordination for procurement across the whole United Kingdom. This infographic, commissioned by Procurement UK with the support of the Efficiency Exchange, celebrates some key achievements of the UK Higher Education Procurement community in recent years.
Three lessons from efficient spending in higher education
Collaborating, upskilling buyers and factoring in social impact are three key ways in which the higher education sector is achieving efficiencies via smarter procurement practices, says Nick Petford, vice-chancellor of the University of Northampton and chair of Procurement UK. Read more of his guest post on ProcurementLeaders.com.
