Tail Spend and Maverick Spend: Where Education Procurement Budgets Quietly Leak
There’s only so much time in the day and a long list of things to get done. Procurement teams spend their time on the areas that have the biggest return: major contracts, strategic sourcing initiatives, and high-spend categories. The challenge is this often results in a significant amount of spending from thousands of smaller purchases […]
From Messy to Meaningful: How to Organize and Categorize Institutional Spend Data
Most colleges and universities are not suffering from a lack of procurement data. In fact, the opposite is often true. Every purchase order, supplier invoice, P-card transaction, and contract generates valuable information. The challenge is turning that information into something useful. 54% of procurement leaders cite insufficient data quality and cross-system integration as their single […]
What a Procurement Spend Assessment Uncovers and Why It Finds Hidden Savings
Fitch Ratings, S&P Global, and Moody’s Ratings all forecast that 2026 was going to be a tough year for higher education finances. Moody’s calls it an “increasingly difficult and shifting operating environment for colleges and universities.” It’s even more challenging for many private universities. Forbes College Financial Grades for 2026 rated the financial status of […]
Spend Visibility for Higher Education: How to Find and Control the Spend You Can’t See
Chaos. Inconsistencies. Shift and changes. Considerable threats. These are some of the phrases that Chief Business Officers and procurement professionals used to describe the current landscape in the latest National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) State of Higher Education survey. Managing unreliable funding sources and meeting higher operational costs continue to be […]
Grainger Net 30 Accounts vs. Cooperative Contract Pricing: What Education Buyers Should Know
Grainger is a staple for many colleges and universities for a wide range of MRO tools and supplies. However, how you buy from Grainger can make a big difference in your bottom-line spending. Many campuses are buying direct and paying retail pricing, and that can cost you. By contrast, opting into a cooperative agreement through […]
The Higher Education Guide to Patterson Dental: Cooperative Contracts, Procurement, and Campus Dental Operations
There are currently 78 accredited dental schools in the U.S., and enrollment is trending up according to the American Dental Association (ADA). In fact, the number of students in degree programs has increased by 10% compared to 2021 levels. For allied fields, like dental hygienists, dental assistants, and dental lab techs, the number is even […]
Dental Hygiene Program Supplies: Prophy Paste, Bibs, and Bulk Buying
Recurring consumables are some of the most heavily used products inside university dental hygiene programs. While large equipment purchases often receive the most procurement attention, day-to-day clinic operations depend on a steady supply of items such as prophy paste, dental bibs, sterilization products, and disposable patient care materials. Hundreds or thousands of patients might come […]
Eaglesoft for Dental Schools: Practice Management Through Patterson
When modernizing campus dental operations, Eaglesoft by Patterson Dental is one platform that dental schools typically evaluate. Eaglesoft supports scheduling, charting, imaging integration, billing, and workflow coordination through a centralized system designed specifically for dental practices and clinics. Eaglesoft Support for Campus Dental Clinics Eaglesoft combines multiple operational and clinical workflows into a single practice […]
Dental Sterilization Equipment for Campus Clinics: Compliance and Cooperative Pricing
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) mandates sterilization. monitoring, instrument processing, PPE, and infection prevention protocols in dental healthcare settings, and that include dental schools. As colleges and universities modernize campus clinics, many institutions are reevaluating how they purchase and manage dental autoclave systems and dental sterilization equipment in general. Clinical Environments Require […]
Accessing Patterson Dental as an E&I Member: Portal Login, Fuse, and Account Setup
Through the Patterson Dental cooperative agreement at E&I Cooperative Services, dental schools can access competitively solicited pricing on dental supplies, equipment, technology, and related services. This cooperative contract simplifies the procurement process and lowers costs by tapping into volume discounts from aggregating demand across other institutions. Instead of buying on your own, you can join […]