The Essential Guide to MRO Procurement and Facilities Supply Management for Higher Education
Colleges and universities have faced difficult choices in recent years, including layoffs, program restructuring, and budgetary cutbacks that have changed operations. Despite these challenges, many institutions have maintained MRO procurement. While routine maintenance has generally continued, replacements and renewals of facilities are now facing a significant backlog, and funding isn’t keeping up. The 2025 State […]
Controlling Facility Supply Costs: How to Reduce MRO Spend in Higher Education
It’s become a nearly universal mandate across higher education: reduce spending wherever possible. This has forced educational institutions to make hard decisions to meet today’s financial challenges, and it impacts just about every area, including facility supplies and MRO spend. Many campuses are delaying maintenance (deferred maintenance) or putting off infrastructure investments. For example, a […]
MRO Solutions That Work: Improving MRO Management on Campus
Capital projects and new construction are often what capture the most headlines, but it’s MRO that keeps things running smoothly. Each year you make a significant investment, efficient MRO management can make a big difference. Take energy, for example. Campuses in the U.S. spend more than $6 billion each year on energy. Much of that […]
MRO Sourcing Best Practices: Strategic MRO Purchasing for Campus Facilities
HVAC filters, replacement light bulbs and plumbing parts, jan/san supplies, and much more. Every campus has categories of purchases that go unnoticed by students and faculty until something doesn’t work right or fails altogether. Yet, MRO is often overlooked when it comes to procurement. With today’s tight budgets, that can no longer be the case. […]
Managing Repair Parts and Maintenance Supplies: A Facilities Procurement Strategy
Across the country, more than a third of university buildings are over 50 years old. With budget constraints, many higher education institutions have put off maintenance with limited dollars, which is causing downstream problems and emergency spending. Nationally, the total maintenance backlog across schools and campuses is a staggering $112 billion. Unplanned expenses create budget […]
7 Economic Benefit Model™ Strategies That Maximize Procurement Cost Savings
Budget pressures in education have never been greater. With enrollment declines, frozen budgets, and increasing compliance demands, procurement teams are expected to deliver more value with fewer resources. Every dollar matters, and every sourcing decision carries strategic weight. That’s where the E&I Economic Benefit Model™ (EBM) comes in. Built specifically for education, this model helps […]
How to Calculate and Measure Procurement Cost Savings Using the E&I Economic Benefit Model™
Procurement teams are increasingly expected to demonstrate the tangible value they deliver to their institutions. It’s not enough to secure a lower price. The real impact is in quantifying how sourcing decisions strengthen financial stewardship, reduce risk, and improve overall institutional performance. The E&I Economic Benefit Model™ (EBM) offers a measurable advantage. It’s a data-driven […]
Strategic Procurement Planning with the Economic Benefit Model™: Optimize Decisions for Maximum Savings
It’s been talked about for years, but now it’s a reality. The demographic cliff is here, with high school graduates peaking in 2025. Starting next year, there will be fewer students coming out of high school, and forecasts show continued declines every year for the next decade. Couple that with higher prices, tighter budgets, and […]
Higher Education Procurement: How the Economic Benefit Model™ Increases Campus Cost Savings
The 2025 Annual Higher Education Outlook report from Forvis Mazars and NC State University’s Poole College of Management revealed a striking reality: successful institutions today typically maintain an operational net income of just 2% of total revenue. That’s a razor-thin margin and emphasizes just how critical it is for procurement teams when making sourcing and […]
The Economic Benefit Model™: Complete Guide to Procurement Cost Savings for Educational Institutions
Procurement teams often focus primarily on cost avoidance and holding the line on inflation. It’s not surprising. About 70% of procurement leaders list cost management as their biggest strategy for today and the foreseeable future. Looking at the top issues facing higher education, you can see just how critical procurement has become in achieving goals […]