NWUPC ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25
2024/25
You can explore individual sections using the links provided or access the full report via the embedded PDF below. The report offers valuable insight into how NWUPC continues to support its members and suppliers in navigating an evolving procurement landscape.
I am very pleased to provide an introduction to the 2024/25 report and accounts for the North Western Universities Procurement Consortium.
The financial challenges faced by the Higher Education sector in general, and our members in particular, have continued. This is obviously a concern to all involved with the sector including our framework suppliers. The team under Julie-Ann’s leadership have maintained regular dialogue with all involved in order to manage expectations and share understanding. The direct consequence on our results was a reduction in income to £991,130 (a reduction of some £160k). This resulted in a post tax loss of £156,403, a reduction of some £255k after making allowance for an exceptional pension credit in the previous year.
The financial loss is manageable in the short term and is actually aligned with the overall strategy to invest for our members by prudently using our reserves. These investments include membership of Electronics Watch and provision of related workshops, training for the new Procurement Act and on-going CPD, and investment in shared software. The areas for investment are developed with our members and agreed with the Board.
There was active involvement with UUK in their review of effectiveness and efficiency across the sector. As a procurement consortium we have always collaborated on a national basis with the aim of providing best value to our members. We have sought ways of increasing effectiveness and efficiency and this will continue.
I am very proud to work with a very engaged Board and their active involvement both within formal meetings and through less formal means helps the whole team. David Elcock left the Board after many years of very effective service and his insights on the members based in Wales was greatly appreciated. Chris McClelland also resigned his position as he change role. I thank them both for their service.
The Board has two sub committees, the Audit and Risk Committee and the Remuneration Committee. I would like to thank Liz Furey and Nicola Davies for the chairing of these committees and the valuable insights and reports provided to the Board. Maintaining an oversight and clear understanding of the risks faced by the company is a key responsibility for the Board. Mitigating actions have been implemented wherever possible and major risks are discussed with our members through the procurement networks.
We are acutely aware that the financial pressures remain across the sector and I am looking forward to working with my colleagues to continue listening to and delivering for our members.
This past year has brought both challenges and opportunities for us all. Our members continue to face real financial pressures, and this has shaped how they work, plan, and prioritise for the future. Throughout this changing environment, our purpose has remained constant: to support, guide, and stand alongside the people who make procurement such an essential part of university life.
The current climate has inevitably affected our financial performance. However, we are well‑prepared for this and have sufficient reserves in place to ensure we can continue delivering the support our members need as they navigate these challenging times.
I am incredibly proud of the work our dedicated team has delivered over the year. They listen closely to what our members tell us and respond with care, speed, and genuine understanding. Their commitment has enabled us to shape support services that meet today’s needs while preparing for tomorrow’s demands. We were delighted to welcome Ian Jarvey as our new Commercial Business Partner and Sophie O’Donovan as our Communications Officer, both are already making a positive impact.
Membership engagement has remained strong, reflecting the depth and resilience of our community. Members have shared ideas, raised concerns, and helped us refine the services we provide. We value this feedback immensely, and it has guided many of our decisions. We were especially pleased that 95.45% of respondents to our most recent engagement survey rated us as good or better. In addition, we were thrilled not only to retain our Customer Service Accreditation but to be awarded eight Compliance Plus points, clear recognition that we have gone above and beyond in key areas of service delivery.
This year we also developed our new strategy, designed to respond to the realities of the current environment. It focuses on strengthening our support, enhancing the services our members rely on, and remaining flexible as the sector continues to evolve. This strategy provides a strong framework for the next three years and keeps us firmly focused on what matters most to our members. You can read more about the strategy and watch a short presentation on the NWUPC Strategy Page.
As my second and final term as Chair of UKUPC comes to an end, I am grateful for the opportunity to work with colleagues across the country. UKUPC has demonstrated the power of national collaboration, bringing consortia together to deliver what our members need, when they need it. This shared effort has made a meaningful difference, and I am proud of what we have achieved together.
Looking ahead, our focus is clear. We will continue to support our members, help to strengthen procurement across universities, and provide the stability and expertise the sector needs. We remain committed to adapting and evolving so that our members have the tools, insight, and community to succeed.
I encourage you to read the updates from all key areas of NWUPC. It has been a successful year of delivering impactful frameworks, value‑added support services, and championing our procurement community in the way only we know how.
NWUPC’s Year in Review 2024/25 by NWUPC
Member Training & Development
NWUPC delivered a comprehensive programme of training and development activities throughout the year, supporting the continued professional growth of member institutions.
In preparation for the Procurement Act 2023, NWUPC funded a programme of training sessions delivered by PASS Procurement. These sessions were offered to all Full Members, either within their institutional teams or through sub‑regional university groupings, and were delivered in both onsite and online formats. Feedback from participants was highly positive.
The annual CPD programme continued to provide structured learning opportunities for members. Institutions were encouraged to work with NWUPC or their Heads of Procurement (HoPs) to shape session content, ensuring the programme remained responsive to the evolving needs of the sector.
Two online induction and refresher sessions were delivered online to new members of the procurement community. We also welcomed a new Head of Procurement, delivering a bespoke induction to them to build understanding of the support available from NWUPC.
Member Engagement & Community Building
Website Discussion Boards
NWUPC launched a new Discussion Board feature designed to serve as a future replacement for Category Group email communication. The rollout continued throughout the year, with the aim of creating a secure, searchable, and interactive knowledge sharing platform accessible exclusively to Category Group members.
Affiliate & Associate Membership
Membership engagement and interest remained strong throughout the year with nine new affiliate members joining us as well as St. Helens University Centre joining as an Associate member.
Market Insight & Data Reporting
Market Insight Publications
The UKUPC Market Insight Document was published quarterly throughout the year. These publications provided members with market and supply chain intelligence to support procurement planning and decision making.
Purchase Ledger Data Collection
Annual purchase ledger data collection progressed effectively, with APUC leading on coding activities. As in previous years, results were made available to members via the Contract Uptake Website. In addition, a summary statement for the Procurement Value Survey (PVS) was provided to Heads of Procurement.
Customer Service Excellence (CSE) Accreditation
NWUPC successfully retained its Customer Service Excellence accreditation following a full‑day assessment that included written submissions and interviews with staff, partners, and members.
The organisation achieved eight Compliance Plus elements, an increase of two compared with the previous year, demonstrating enhanced performance in key service areas.
Preparations commenced for the next full re‑accreditation, scheduled for March 2026.
Member Satisfaction Survey
The 2025 NWUPC Members’ Survey gathered feedback on five key areas: membership, collaborative procurement, collaborative frameworks, communications, and reporting. It produced excellent outcomes, including achieving an outstanding satisfaction KPI.
Key Findings:
-Membership Value: Frameworks remain the primary benefit of NWUPC membership, followed by ease of access to contractual information. Satisfaction levels are exceptionally high, with 100% overall satisfaction and 64% rating membership as “excellent.”
-Engagement Challenges: Attendance at Category Group meetings has declined since moving online, though members still value these sessions for networking and knowledge sharing. The annual conference and Electronics Watch affiliation are perceived as less important.
-Procurement Priorities: Cost savings have overtaken sustainability as the top priority for members. Ease of use and value for money remain critical factors in framework selection, while misalignment with specifications is the main barrier to adoption.
-Framework Performance: Feedback on collaborative frameworks is highly positive, with 100% of respondents rating scope and range as good or better, and value for money receiving unanimous approval.
-Communications: Overall communications are rated positively by 95% of respondents. Webinar participation has improved, but engagement with the Market Insight Document remains low.
Tendering Activity
Tendering activity has been exceptionally high over recent years, and in 2024/2025 a further nine frameworks went live, with Audiovisual Equipment and Installation, OPELS, Washroom Services, Global Mobility and White Goods all retendered.
Several procurements were accelerated to ensure they remained under PCR 2015, with Apple Equipment and Residential Textiles tendered ahead of schedule.
We continued to evolve our framework offering to meet member needs:
-The new Global Mobility Framework now includes a lot for Employer of Record Services.
-The new Residential Textiles Framework now includes a lot for Linen and Laundry Services.
-We launched a new Medical Simulation and Training Equipment Framework.
-We awarded a framework for a DC Pension Scheme and supporting employee benefits in conjunction with UCEA.
Thank you to our members and UKUPC colleagues who gave your time and expertise through our tender working parties to ensure that these frameworks meet your needs and those of your peers.
Thank you to the team who worked with dedication and professionalism to deliver a challenging portfolio of frameworks whilst working collectively on updating our templates and procedures for PA 2023.
Contract Management Activity
In preparation for the re-launch of our Supplier Visits Programme in 2025, we refreshed our strategic approach to contract management and revised our risk assessment process. Initial work on the mobilisation of the Sustainable Relationships Manager role focused on developing risk assessments across all NWUPC Frameworks, which considered commercial risks such as data breach & protection and a company’s approach to training and curating an excellent workforce, to supply risks such as how a business would manage sub-contractor perform or commodity/currency price fluctuations. This work was undertaken in two stages. The first, was with the eye of a newly onboarded category manager, the second, using detailed research and interviews with key personnel such as QHSE Managers, company leaders/ owners and purchasing/ operational personnel.
Process documents were refreshed or developed for the following:
-How to undertake a supplier visit
-How to manage a cost increase request
-How to undertake supplier review meetings.
We continued our established programme of supplier review meetings, assessing market conditions, supplier performance and sustainability initiatives.
2024/2025 has been another productive year for communications at NWUPC, marked by our continued focus on strengthening how we engage with our members and wider procurement community. Throughout the year, we have implemented a range of enhancements to our events programme, ensuring that sessions provide greater value through improved accessibility, clearer communication, and more opportunities for collaboration and knowledge sharing.
The 30th edition of ECOnnect was published in March 2025, marking ten years of NWUPC’s sustainability newsletter. Since its launch, ECOnnect has provided updates, insights, and examples of best practice in sustainable and responsible procurement. This milestone reflects NWUPC’s continued commitment to supporting our Members in advancing responsible procurement and delivering positive environmental and social outcomes.
Over the year, we’ve been active to publicly promote our frameworks and strengthen our visibility. We exhibited at the Harper Adams University UBMA Labs Conference, where we showcased our frameworks to a highly engaged audience. At the same event, our Labs Category Manager, delivered a fantastic session on how university purchasing is evolving, with a focus on sustainability requirements. We also exhibited at Procurex in Liverpool as part of the UKUPC stand, giving us a great platform to connect with public sector buyers. In addition, we attended the Local Government Association Conference, also in Liverpool in July. This was an important part of our work to grow membership within the local government sector.
One of the standout moments of the year was the NWUPC Annual Conference 2025. It was a phenomenal success. Exhibitors and delegates shared excellent feedback on the day. Delegate numbers were also significantly up this year, as we welcomed 110 attendees, which represents a 44% increase compared to the previous year. Overall, these events have played a key role in raising our profile, strengthening relationships, and supporting the continued growth of our community.
Further work has been undertaken to enhance the NWUPC website, with the aim of creating a more user-friendly and informative digital platform. These improvements are designed to make it easier for members to navigate resources, access relevant information, and stay up to date with the latest news, frameworks, and opportunities available through the consortium. The introduction and optimisation of new communication tools and software has supported more effective engagement with our stakeholders. By strengthening the way we share information and manage digital communications, we aim to ensure that members can easily access the resources they need, when they need them.
We continue to share UKUPC Market Insight documents, produced by category leads across the university purchasing consortia, providing detailed insight into national and international supply chains.
We have promoted 25 online webinars over the year alongside member CPD sessions delivering full‑day PA23‑focused professional development sessions. These CPD sessions were attended by 95 delegates from 15 institutions and with institutional budgets under increasing pressure, developing procurement talent across the sector remains a key priority for NWUPC. In addition to this, we funded a programme of CPD delivered by Electronics Watch, provided free of charge to members and fully funded by NWUPC.
Overall, these developments reflect NWUPC’s ongoing commitment to improving communication, supporting collaboration, and delivering accessible, high quality resources that help build engagement and provide meaningful benefits for our procurement community.
We continue to prioritise collaboration and collective action on our shared UKUPC responsible procurement strategic priorities, working with our consortia colleagues, members and relevant third parties, to ensure that we can deliver more for our members and be the change we want to see.
Visibility of documents: Our Procurement Support Officer has hosted the responsible procurement documentation we collect as part of the tender process on Hunter so that it is visible to members. This includes, where applicable, modern slavery statement, carbon reduction plan, signed UKUPC Supply Chain Code of Conduct and EDI policy.
Electronics Watch: we continue to affiliate for NWUPC and members for oversight of ICT supply chains. In 2025 we supported access to the Knowledge Building series to members to support a better understanding of HRDD risks in complex, high risk supply chains other than ICT. NWUPC were the profiled Electronic Watch Affiliate which was promoted within our networks to communicate to our members and our suppliers our commitment to press for systemic change in our ICT supply chain. We worked directly with Electronics Watch to support the incorporation of transparency mechanisms within the Apple tender documents. Continue to support the Apple Working Group and coordinate engagement with Apple through UKUPC. We offered an Electronics Watch conference session on Leveraging Procurement for Good: Driving Social Responsibility to support our members to maximise the benefits of their affiliation to Electronics Watch to drive supplier compliance to worker remedies and institutional accountability.
MSMEs: we continue our strategic focus on fair access to opportunities for MSMEs. We hosted a conference session on Procurement’s Blind Spots: Market Concentration and Supplier Diversity from Professor Jo Meehan, Professor of Responsible Procurement at the University of Liverpool and the Director of the Centre for Sustainable Business at the University of Liverpool’s Management School which has fed into the UKUPC MSME Action and the proposed development of Market Health Assessments.
Commodity Risk Matrix: We led a sector working group to update the UKUPC Responsible Procurement Risk Matrix which now covers a wider range of risks and has stronger alignment with the standards in the Sustain Supply Chain Code Conduct.
HRDD: We continue to seek new opportunities to improve supply chain transparency. We plan to run a pilot on Open Supply Hub for residential textiles upon the launch of the new framework.
UKUPC RPN: NWUPC continues to chair the RPN which collaborated on the development of a standard UKUPC social value model to provide consistency for members across UKUPC frameworks and began researching the collection of data from suppliers on line-item detail on carbon cost.
Transformation of Public Procurement
Public procurement entered a period of significant change during the year, with reforms aimed at strengthening consistency, improving transparency, and ensuring processes remained fit for purpose. These developments required the sector to review its operations and ensure that documentation, systems, and skills were aligned with future regulatory expectations.
I led the Procurement Transformation Project in partnership with UKUPC, a strategic initiative designed to future‑proof procurement practice across the sector. The programme marked a major step forward in ensuring that processes, documentation, and ways of working remained robust, compliant, and responsive to an increasingly complex landscape.
A key component of the project was the comprehensive review and update of national terms and conditions and the wider suite of standard procurement documents. This work delivered a modernised, consistent, and regulation‑aligned set of documents capable of supporting efficient and transparent procurement activity.
In parallel, we undertook a detailed assessment of the skills underpinning the procurement function, identifying training needs to support colleagues across the sector to be equipped for a rapidly changing environment. This work was complemented by a review of the systems and tools in use across UKUPC, ensuring they remained effective, interoperable, and in line with emerging legislative requirements.
Communication formed a central pillar of the programme. We maintained regular, clear communication with members and suppliers to support understanding and encourage a shared commitment to best practice.
Members were also provided with a full suite of updated template procurement documents, developed in collaboration with Brodies LLP. Their specialist legal expertise ensured the documents were high quality, legally robust, and ready for immediate use, strengthening consistency and confidence across the membership.
Collectively, this transformation programme enhanced the support available to colleagues across the procurement community. It strengthened the foundations of procurement activity by providing clear documentation, capable systems, and a well supported, professional community. By modernising our approach and promoting greater consistency across members, we enhanced our readiness for regulatory change and reinforced our ability to deliver effective, transparent, and high quality procurement outcomes.
highlights the collective achievements, strategic initiatives, and unwavering commitment to
delivering value for our members. Through collaborative procurement, sustainability-driven
strategies, and innovative solutions, NWUPC has strengthened its support for the Higher
Education sector, ensuring cost-effective, high-quality procurement services. As we look ahead,
we remain dedicated to enhancing member engagement, fostering responsible procurement,
and driving positive impact across our frameworks.
We extend our gratitude to our members, suppliers, and partners for their
contributions to another successful year.
For further inquiries or questions about this report, please email admin@nwupc.ac.uk.