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Our clients include Harvard University, Yale University, Georgetown University, Baylor University, Emory University, Tufts University, Amherst College, The University of Miami, The California State University- Office of the Chancellor, West Virginia University, Rutgers University, University of Colorado-System, University of Connecticut, University of North Dakota, Baylor College of Medicine, and Mayo Clinic.
Procurement in higher ed has challenges that are quite different than any other industry sector.
Most universities have a very decentralized procurement structure embedded within the separate schools of the institution. A Chief Procurement Officer or Head of Procurement at a university needs a special blend of abilities in order to aggregate spend and reduce cost with a diverse group of internal stakeholders.
Even though universities and colleges need to cut cost, they can’t utilize the same methods of reducing cost as an automotive manufacturer or retail bank.
Best practices that are used in the for-profit sector need to be adapted in order to be successful in higher ed.
A CPO has to be an ongoing advocate for best procurement practices throughout the university.
Procurement is often viewed as a necessary hurdle for internal stakeholders. The best change agents know how to become a trusted adviser with internal customers. Stakeholders need to be included at the early stages of procurement transformational initiatives.
To stakeholders at a university, it’s not just about cutting cost.
A CPO can create great strategic sourcing agreements, but without stakeholder engagement, there is likely to be a low compliance factor.
For many internal stakeholders, the initial proposition of just cutting cost won’t get them on board. It is vital to present a total value proposition to these internal customers in order to implement change.
Researchers need to be won over.
At a university, many researchers are reluctant to give up autonomy over their funds from grants. Seasoned and effective CPOs can help researchers increase the scope of their research without sacrificing vendor performance or reliability.
Change happens incrementally.
Patience and a resolute determination are essential traits for any CPO who wants to achieve sustainable change at a university. Stakeholders are won over incrementally- one at a time.
Center-led procurement is key.
A center-led procurement model creates centers of excellence and strategic sourcing categories across the institution while enabling the decentralized unit to execute the tactical procurement in a flexible way.
The center-led approach has been shown to reduce cost far more dramatically than a decentralized approach.
If a university hires a procurement executive without the expertise in center-led procurement, it is likely to continue on the same trajectory in terms of the cost reductions.
We’ll find the right change agent.
Our higher ed clients rely on our search expertise to find the best procurement executives for their universities, colleges and academic institutions.
We recruit the following roles:
- Chief Procurement Officer
- VP Procurement
- Director Procurement
- Director Strategic Sourcing
- Director of Purchasing