Strategic Purchasing Explained: Moving Beyond Transactional Procurement
Most higher education institutions have made meaningful progress in developing a formal procurement strategy. Cooperative contracts are in place, sourcing events are documented, and category plans exist for major spend areas. Yet many procurement leaders still struggle to translate those efforts into consistent results. Even with the best intentions, there’s often a disconnect in purchasing […]
Developing Effective Procurement Strategies for Higher Education Institutions
A procurement strategy in higher education sets the direction for how sourcing, purchasing, and supplier management decisions are made over time. It creates the framework and guardrails to make sure purchasing supports institutional goals, solid financial stewardship, and public accountability. Procurement Strategies That Scale Across Institutions Effective procurement strategies are built on a small set […]
Strategic Procurement Framework: Models for Educational Institution Success
“To tackle considerable financial headwinds, institutions need to align their financial resources more tightly with their institutional priorities, fostering greater accountability and ensuring that budgeting decisions support long-term goals and values.” — Deloitte’s 2025 Higher Education Trends This was true in 2025, and it remains accurate in 2026. Colleges and universities need to move beyond […]
The Complete Guide to Strategic Procurement: Solutions and Best Practices for Educational Institutions
Procurement typically happens quietly, behind the scenes, but the effectiveness of the process directly affects campus operations and your ability to serve your students and faculty. Unfortunately, many campuses use outdated processes or have procurement teams that are short-staffed or overloaded with work, leaving little time for a more strategic procurement process. “The impact of […]
Building a Strategic Procurement Plan: Services and Implementation Roadmap
Most procurement leaders recognize the need to move beyond transactional sourcing and toward more structured, category-driven approaches. The challenge here is not about committing to strategy, but about how to turn this strategy into an operating model that delivers measurable, repeatable value. A strategic procurement plan only succeeds when it is designed for execution. What […]
Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs) vs Cooperatives: A Complete Guide for Educational Institutions
The procurement landscape in higher education is changing in 2026, squeezing budgets and impacting how procurement teams have to work. The Enrollment Cliff Is Here 2026 is the first year of the projected 15-year downward trend in undergraduate enrollments. Cooperative models are becoming increasingly important for finding cost savings. Cost Pressures Are Increasing Continued concerns […]
GPO vs Cooperative Purchasing: Key Differences for Educational Procurement
A group purchasing organization negotiates contracts by aggregating demand across participating members. Institutions can opt in to use these contracts, often gaining significant cost reduction and accelerating procurement cycles. A cooperative can also act as a group purchasing organization and aggregates demand but is structured differently. Cooperatives are typically member-owned and member-driven. How they approach […]
Advantages and Disadvantages of Group Purchasing Organizations: What Procurement Leaders Need to Know
Group purchasing organizations are well established in higher education procurement. When used effectively, GPOs can deliver measurable value, often producing cost savings in the 20–25% range by combining demand across hundreds or even thousands of institutions. At the same time, experienced procurement leaders understand that GPOs are not right for every purchasing decision. Advantages of […]
Types of Group Purchasing Organizations: Finding the Right Model for Your Institution
There are nearly 800 GPOs (group purchasing organizations) in the U.S., across a wide variety of industry sectors. They are common in healthcare, where more than 96% of hospitals use group purchasing organizations to lower costs. Manufacturers, retailers, grocers, and academic institutions are also heavy adopters of GPO buying groups. In the education sector, however, […]
What Are GPOs and How Do Group Purchasing Organizations Work?
You’re three weeks into evaluating bids for a new laboratory equipment contract when another urgent request lands on your desk. IT needs network infrastructure quotes by the end of the month, and Facilities is asking about updated pricing on janitorial supplies. Meanwhile, your team is already stretched thin managing supplier relationships, ensuring compliance, and trying […]