Source
UKUPC
UK Universities Purchasing Consortia
Identifies UKUPC as the partnership between eight regional and specialist consortia supporting collaborative procurement in higher and further education.
Buy common things commonly
Blame, Responsibility and Other Unfunded Activities
Chapter 17
What the Sector Must Do Together
Sources supporting this chapter, with the manuscript section they relate to and a note explaining how each item contributes.
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- 7
- Chapter sections
Showing all 22 references
Evidence used
Sources
Material used to support factual claims and explanations in this chapter.
Source
UKUPC Strategy 2020–2025
UK Universities Purchasing Consortia
Source for the dated estimates of more than £10 billion in annual external university expenditure and around £2 billion through member framework agreements.
Buy common things commonly
Source
UKUPC Impact Statement 2023/24
UK Universities Purchasing Consortia
More recent sector-produced context on framework use and reported procurement benefits.
Buy common things commonly
Source
Collaborating with other higher education providers
Competition and Markets Authority — 22 January 2026
Current tailored guidance on joint purchasing, shared services and infrastructure, partnerships, mergers and information exchange between higher-education providers.
Build shared services as experiments, not ceremoniesAgree the dictionary before arguing about the numbersStart before everyone is comfortableDraw the boundary with government
Source
Definitions and data standards
HESA
Shows the definitions already maintained across student, staff, finance, estates and other higher-education data streams.
Agree the dictionary before arguing about the numbers
Source
HESA glossary
HESA
Defines data dictionaries, models, coding frames and standards, including the role of harmonised definitions and competition-law controls over dissemination.
Agree the dictionary before arguing about the numbers
Source
Data Futures
HESA
Describes the sector-wide student-data transformation programme, its specification, data model and technical content.
Agree the dictionary before arguing about the numbers
Source
In-year Student data programme
HESA
Current programme developing more frequent student data, including draft specifications and planned testing.
Agree the dictionary before arguing about the numbers
Source
Principles of full economic costing
UK Research and Innovation / Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council — updated 12 March 2026
States that research-council proposals use full economic costing, councils provide 80 per cent of FEC and the research organisation must find the balance.
Name the research subsidy consistently
Source
TRAC
TRAC Development Group
Describes the sector’s activity-based methodology for calculating direct, indirect and sustainable full economic costs.
Name the research subsidy consistently
Source
Annual TRAC 2023–24: Sector summary and analysis by TRAC peer group
Office for Students — 10 June 2025
Sector recovery data and qualifications needed to distinguish full-economic-cost under-recovery from a uniform project-level cash deficit.
Name the research subsidy consistently
Source
Explainer: quality-related research funding and the REF
UK Research and Innovation — 26 January 2023
Explains flexible quality-related funding as one part of the dual-support research system.
Name the research subsidy consistently
Source
Financial sustainability of higher education providers in England: 2026
Office for Students — 14 May 2026, corrected 15 June 2026
Current source for the proportion of analysed English providers reporting and forecasting deficits.
Draw the boundary with government
Go deeper
Further reading
Selected contextual material that extends or complements the chapter.
Further reading
Frameworks, DPS and procurement
Jisc
Background on framework agreements and procurement routes available through Jisc.
Chapter-wide context
Further reading
About HEPA
Higher Education Procurement Association
Context on procurement professional development, resources and benchmarking in higher education.
Chapter-wide context
Further reading
VAT Cost Sharing Exemption Manual: CSE1250
HM Revenue & Customs — updated 5 March 2026
Conditions that must all be met for supplies by a cost-sharing group to qualify for the exemption. The tax mechanism is explained fully in Why Universities Cannot Just Share and returned to as a government reform in Chapter 18.
Build shared services as experiments, not ceremonies
Further reading
Horizontal agreements
Competition and Markets Authority — 16 August 2023
Detailed guidance on agreements and information exchange between actual or potential competitors.
Chapter-wide context
Further reading
Data maturity framework
Jisc
Wider context on institutional data capability, governance, processes and systems.
Chapter-wide context
Further reading
Student analytics: A core specification for engagement and wellbeing analytics
Jisc — 6 March 2023
Example of a shared sector specification developed for a defined operational purpose.
Chapter-wide context
Further reading
What is UCAS?
UCAS
Background on the UK’s shared admissions service and its governance.
Chapter-wide context
Further reading
Janet Network
Jisc
Background on shared digital infrastructure for UK education and research.
Chapter-wide context
Further reading
Reporting to the OfS
Office for Students — 28 May 2026
Regulatory context for mergers, acquisitions and changes of legal status in England.
Chapter-wide context
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