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Procurement update – November 2013

A roundup of news and comment about university procurement, brought to you in partnership with HEPA the professional development service for all university staff who buy goods and services.

Procurement training opportunities: for all staff who buy goods and services

Do you buy goods and services at your university? If so, you might be interested in this range of opportunities to develop your skills and knowledge offered by HEPA, LUPC and SPCE.

Dear Nick: 30% collaborative spend is vital – and GeM can help

Your focus on encouraging universities to move towards the magical Diamond Report figure of 30% collaborative spend is hugely important. What is more, it is already happening because of one sector-defining tool: GeM. So said Richard Haggerty in his open letter to Nick Petford, following his keynote speech at COUP on 9 - 11 September in Liverpool.

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.

HEPA – building procurement capability in higher education

Why procurement professionalism is essential for institutional sustainability. About the Higher Education Procurement Academy and Procurement Maturity Assessments.

Introducing the Higher Education Procurement Academy

The Higher Education Procurement Academy aims to be a centre of excellence for advanced procurement capability and professional development, built by the sector, for the sector.

Procurement as a strategic asset – report for Efficiency Exchange – July 2013

Report commissioned by the Efficiency Exchange to gather material to showcase the strategic value of procurement to the sector and how it can raise its profile, especially at senior leadership levels.

Universities should aim for social value in their procurement

New EU directives call upon public authorities to seek social value in their procurement activities. Universities, while not being public bodies, should nevertheless strive to achieve the same high societal value via their commissioning, Nick Petford Vice-Chancellor of the University of Northampton told the Inside Government Conference on 20 June.

Sharing procurement services at Roehampton and Surrey

Have you ever thought about setting up a simple shared service with another local institution but been put off by the entry requirements?

GeM – the online store for HE and FE

eMarketplace and contracts repository for Higher and Further Education sectors offering sector negotiated and approved contracts.