Contracts
KPMG
KPMG works with higher education institutions to deliver innovative, comprehensive solutions across finance, operations, technology, and student success, helping colleges and universities transform challenges into opportunities while advancing their educational mission. A global leader in audit, tax, and advisory services with more than 90 U.S. offices, KPMG delivers deep sector expertise and innovative solutions tailored to institutional goals. Their values—Integrity, Excellence, Courage, Together, and For Better—guide every engagement. KPMG’s commitment to continuous improvement and responsible business practices in the public sector and higher education ensures members benefit from the latest strategies, scalable platforms, and proprietary tools.
- Access strategic advisory services tailored for higher education institutions, with no active SOW required.
- Align institutional strategy with mission and long-term goals through AI-informed planning and risk mitigation.
- Deliver transparent, fixed-fee engagements that simplify budgeting and eliminate scope surprises.
- Leverage proprietary tools and frameworks designed specifically for higher education and public sector transformation.
- Tap into deep knowledge and experience in financial compliance, audit, and tax strategy for higher ed institutions.
- Accelerate student success with tech-enabled engagement models from enrollment to alumni relations.
- Modernize campus operations towards a connected campus through phased ERP and cloud platform transitions with minimal disruption.
- Integrate AI into workforce planning to boost productivity, engagement, and innovation.
- Navigate federal mandates with real-time Executive Order monitoring and AI-powered compliance tools.
- Enhance capital planning and sustainability goals with access to federal funding and P3 strategies.
- Benefit from a multidisciplinary team with experience across education, finance, and technology.
- Connect with a national delivery network offering local insight backed by global resources.
BerryDunn
BerryDunn partners with educational institutions to deliver assurance, tax, and consulting services that support strategic growth and operational excellence. With deep expertise in higher education, they offer solutions like the ability to advise, assess, and/or develop initiatives supporting operational excellence, benchmarking, strategy, partnerships, student experience and enrollment, economic development, capital planning and management, and executive management mentoring/coaching. BerryDunn helps colleges and universities navigate compliance, optimize resources, and enhance student outcomes—backed by decades of experience and a commitment to empowering education through data-driven, mission-aligned support.
- Discounted pricing, streamlined contracting, and dedicated support in their people-first approach
- Differentiates through independence, objectivity, and personalized service, with strengths in flexibility and national reach
- Offers 1% discount for each additional project in a fiscal year and free initial consultations for members
- Supports core and emerging areas like admissions and financial aid
- Deep expertise in ERP / system lifecycles
Alvarez & Marsal
With a track record in recovery and restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, governance, cost control, and operational excellence services, A&M is the leading partner supporting education clients by generating innovative and effective solutions to complex, mission-critical challenges, delivered with maximum efficiency and empowered by the best in human and technological innovation. Understanding the unique mission and cultural and regulatory context of education, A&M provides fact-based consulting services grounded in delivering objective analyses, actionable recommendations, and tangible improvements. They deploy senior, battle-tested advisors who will roll up their sleeves in support of fundamental decision-making, transformation, and change.
- Takes a different approach to deliver lasting results: Hands-on, Experienced Leaders, Sense of Urgency, Bias for Action, Objective and Data-driven - That is the A&M Way. See the A&M Global Services Overview for more info on differentiators and integrated services.
- Former education CFOs, COOs, CROs, Principals, and seasoned domain leaders and consultants apply cross-sector insights to deliver tailored, data-driven solutions, transformative results, and sustainable value within the education ecosystem.
- Delivers a full suite of integrated advisory and consulting services including: strategy, operational excellence, benchmarking, partnerships, student experience and enrollment, economic development, capital planning and executive coaching; corporate financial, tax, risk and audit, business valuation, grant management and compliance; and other value added services like financial crisis management planning, scenario planning and stress testing, implementation of new accounting standards, digital / AI transformation, and ESG. See the E&I Service Area to A&M Service Description Map for more details about in-scope A&M services.
- Can embed experts in leadership roles such as interim CEO, CFO, COO, CRO, CIO, CTO or CAIO to drive transformation from within.
- With 30+ years of strategic consulting experience across early childhood, K–12, and higher education, A&M showcases proven results from engagements with small to mega public and private universities, academic medical centers/university health systems, K-12 districts, state educational agencies and the institutional and philanthropic organizations which support them. See A&M’s Management and Strategy Consulting Case Study Collection for more detail
- Offers fixed-fee, performance-based and time & materials pricing models, and a free ½ day working session with the Member’s board or executive team to formulate strategies regarding critical problems or initiatives to help members assess needs and explore tailored solutions.
McKinsey & Company
McKinsey is a management consulting firm established in 1926 by an accounting professor at the University of Chicago. The company works with institutions to improve their performance, employing teams including former educators, institutional leaders, policymakers, and researchers with expertise across various education sectors such as early childhood, K-12, higher education, and workforce development. McKinsey also conducts original research to gain insight into challenges within the sector and develop new strategies to address them.
- Teams can be deployed as early as the Monday following alignment
- Uses a proprietary staffing tool to match expertise to project needs quickly
- Serves members in all 50 states and has 27 U.S. offices, including a public sector HQ in Washington, D.C.
- Pricing activated through fixed-fee bundles or custom quotes based on scope and duration
- Offers a scalable platform to deliver consulting services to a broad range of institutions
- Emphasizes fixed-fee pricing, performance-based models, and deep sector expertise to address concerns about cost or complexity