Smarter procurement in universities: five steps to improvement
The 2011 Diamond Review set a challenging agenda for procurement in higher education. So what's happened since then? Quite a lot actually. Here are five important steps the higher sector sector has taken to achieve smarter procurement in universities.
Tony Newjem: adding value at Heriot-Watt
The impact of procurement departments on university's spending is well-known. But as Tony Newjem of Heriot-Watt University explains, as well as saving money they can also add value through their work across the university.
Raising the status of procurement in higher education
Procurement has the potential to play a major role for universities by maximising investment and supporting the strategic objectives of institutional leaders. Emma Keenan describes how the Higher Education Procurement Academy (HEPA) is helping to raise the status of procurement within universities.
The value of a strong procurement team
In the second part of our focus on Coventry University’s procurement service, its head Mike Hanson explains how investing in his workforce has helped the university deliver 30% in savings through more efficient procurement.
‘Insourcing’ is the new ‘outsourcing’
Creating a wholly-owned subsidiary company to house the commercial activities of a university is fundamentally about cultural change rather than cost saving. If the focus is placed firmly on stripping out payroll costs through reducing rates of pay and associated staff benefits, then the project is doomed to failure, says Peter Church Director of Campus Services at the University of Essex.
£14.8m cash efficiency savings for NEUPC members
Following the publication of the North Eastern Universities Purchasing Consortium’s (NEUPC) annual report, Maria Langham describes the consortium’s recent achievements and how it plans to support universities in their mission to deliver world-class education in the future.
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.
LUPC launches new contracts database
A contracts database developed jointly by the regional higher education purchasing consortia is now live. HE Contracts replaces the previous database, uniBuy, and includes a host of new features and easier access for consortia members looking to find information about the sector’s collaborative agreements. Members can find resources and information about training on their local consortia website.
Why reuse beats recycling for efficiency
Universities are saving tens of thousands of pounds in procurement costs by reusing and repairing equipment rather than throwing it away or recycling it, according to a network promoting the reuse of business assets.
Small, but perfectly formed
Alison Brownjohn, head of procurement at the University for the Creative Arts, tells Rosie Niven about working at a small, specialist institution and her transition from the private sector to a university.