| Date | Category |
|---|---|
| 15th July 2024 | Member Update |
The SUMS group is dedicated to supporting diverse universities across all four corners of the UK (and beyond!). Our collective membership has grown, and now accounts for 60% of the UK HE staff population FTE. Let’s look back in the rearview mirror and review the last five years to see how the SUMS group has supported the HE sector through twists and turns.
About the SUMS group
Southern Universities Management Services – the SUMS Group – comprises SUMS Consulting, the specialist Higher Education management consultancy and Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium (SUPC) – the largest of THE UK’s four regional university purchasing consortia by spend.
SUMS Consulting is a niche HE specialist consultancy and a membership organisation dedicated to sharing best practice to benefit the sector that is a registered charity. Our members include a cross-section of UK HE – research intensive, teaching orientated, small specialists and private institutions – as well as international clients.
SUPC offers expertise in procurement and contract management. SUPC helps universities, colleges and educational charities buy sustainably, responsibly and smarter.
Together the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. SUMS group’s offering of consultancy and procurement expertise makes us a unique partner in the higher education sector.
The HE landscape of today
Universities of today need resilience to make it through the challenging terrain. Navigating bumpy rides, balancing their strategic ambitions, greater regulation from the Office for Students and the context of a challenging financial climate. It is even more critical for us to support our members during challenging economic times with inflationary pressures unseen for a generation.
SUMS consultants are working with institutions to review their strategic ambitions in the context of difficult financial circumstances where, thanks to post-pandemic inflationary pressures and the long-term cap on domestic undergraduate fees, income does not keep pace with expenditure. We work with institutions to set up their strategy for success and develop a plan which allows them to clearly define, control and evaluate delivery. In the procurement landscape, costs are rising and framework suppliers across a broad range of categories have been requesting price increases. Drivers for these requests include increases in energy, fuel, shipping and raw material costs, currency fluctuations and restricted supply availability. At SUPC, we understand that inflationary pressures mean price rises can be appropriate to ensure continuity of supply. We have taken a collaborative approach by working closely with our suppliers, having robust conversations and actively challenging price increases as appropriate to drive the best value for our members.
The SUMS group’s reach in numbers
We support universities across all four corners of the UK. The SUMS group’s collective membership is made up of over 200 members organisations across the UKHE and FE sector.
SUMS group represents 57% of the UK student population FTE and 60% of the UK staff population FTE*.
The largest of the UK specialist procurement consortia for universities, SUPC represents over 42% and 43% of the UK-wide student and staff FTE population*, respectively.
*HESA data 2021/22
SUPC’s framework levy – giving back to our members
Over the last five years, SUPC has consistently delivered cost-savings to members. One of the most valuable benefits of membership is the annual framework levy returned to members, which last year meant almost half of our membership covered their subscription costs. In 2019, we returned over £638,000 in framework levy to members. 2023-24, we returned over £1.4 million to members.
SUMS Consulting’s journey across the UK
If we look back to 2019, SUMS Consulting had fewer than 30 members covering all areas in England and a presence in Northern Ireland. Fast forward to 2024, our Consultants are working on assignments with 53 members! Since Ulster University joined us, we now have members in all four countries that make up the United Kingdom, and four international institutions.
The SUMS group journey ahead
As the experts in HE, SUMS group is well placed to support members through the opportunities and challenges they face:
- Navigating the new post-election political landscape
- Adapting to the new Procurement Act 2023
- Balancing cost-cutting and driving growth
- Achieving financial and environmental sustainability.
We are dedicating time to planning the best route for the SUMS group’s future journey. Our commitment to our members and the HE community will always be at the heart of what we do, and we’ll continue to support members through bumpy roads, find solutions when the route isn’t clear and guide you through any hazards you face.
If you’d like to know more about the benefits of SUMS Consulting and SUPC membership, visit our websites below, or contact us to discuss how the SUMS Group can help your institution’s journey.
