A group of organisations working in tertiary education have written an open statement asking software and other suppliers to work with the sector to provide cost-effective solutions.
Published by Jisc – the membership organisation that provides digital solutions to the sector – the joint statement is aimed at raising awareness among suppliers of the financial pressures on universities and colleges and ensuring their products and services represent good value for money.
It has been signed by representatives of UCISA, the Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium (SUPC), Research Libraries UK (RLUK), the Society of College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL), the British Universities Finance Directors Group (BUFDG), the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), the Scottish Higher Education Digital Library (SHEDL) and the UUK/Jisc software negotiation strategy group.
It highlights “unprecedented” financial challenges facing UK universities and says that, with further education colleges, they need to reappraise all supplier contracts, operations and expenditure to deliver efficiencies and long term sustainability.
It also points to the drop in numbers of international student and its effect on the financing of universities.
Among the measures it calls for is that software suppliers provide cost-effective and flexible terms to the sector, reducing costs for one-off purchases and storage, and that they help institutions manage the total costs.
Time for collaboration
Liam Earney, managing director of higher education and research at Jisc said: “Working alongside our sector partners, Jisc fully recognises the significant financial challenges facing UK universities. These challenges mean there has never been a better time for the sector to collaborate and work in partnership to enhance efficiency, sustainability and innovation.
“This statement from sector organisations urges our suppliers to join us in this crucial effort. It highlights their role as collaborators in maintaining the vital contributions that the sector makes to the economy, culture, society, and public services.
“By working together, we can overcome these financial challenges and continue to deliver excellence and innovation and create a more resilient and forward thinking education and research landscape.”
