Maverick Spending on Campus: How to Identify It, Stop It, and Reclaim Budget Control
Maverick spending is a problem, especially when budgets are tight. Research shows that organizations can lose up to 16% of negotiated savings when internal stakeholders purchase from suppliers outside approved agreements. Among other challenges, maverick spending leads to: Increased purchasing costs and missed savings opportunities Decreased negotiating leverage Lack of standardization Compliance challenges Supply risk […]
How Colleges and Universities Are Responding to Budget Cuts Without Cutting Services
Are you seeing an increased workload? It’s estimated that procurement workloads rose 10% in 2025 while budgets only averaged a 1% increase. This “9% efficiency gap” requires more efficient solutions just to meet current needs. While some institutions have seen revenue gains, the majority of colleges and universities are dealing with revenue fluctuations, making smarter […]
How to Measure and Prove Procurement Cost Savings to University Leadership
In 2025, public degree-granting institutions saw spending reach approximately $42,100 per full-time student. Private institutions saw even higher numbers. With shifting budgets and uncertain enrollment, there is intense pressure on colleges and universities to optimize every dollar of “non-instructional” spend. At the same time, expectations for procurement have shifted. Besides handling transactions, procurement teams are […]
Higher Education Financial Planning and Procurement: Building a Smarter Spending Strategy
According to the Higher Learning Commission, total annual expenditures across higher education reached $2.34 trillion in 2025. Financial management at this scale is a challenge, especially as institutions deal with enrollment volatility, rising operating costs, and increased expectations for student services. These pressures are forcing finance and procurement leaders to rethink how money is allocated […]
Higher Education Procurement Cost Savings: The Complete Guide for Procurement Leaders
Despite a record $130 billion in appropriations for public higher education in 2025, per-student spending decreased for the first time since 2012. The State Higher Education Executive Offices Association (SHEEO) reports that student tuition and fees as a percentage of budgets decreased to 38.4%, but still make up more than 50% of total revenues across […]
AI and Data Security Readiness: What Higher Ed Procurement Leaders Need to Know
Artificial intelligence is reshaping how colleges and universities operate, from automating administrative workflows to enhancing student services and optimizing campus infrastructure. For procurement and finance leaders, this shift creates both opportunity and obligation. Adopting AI-driven tools can unlock significant efficiency gains across your technology stack. But every new platform introduced to campus also introduces new […]
Vendor Onboarding and Payment Automation: A Smarter AP Strategy for Higher Ed
“With 5% of operating budgets flowing through procurement—possibly more for institutions with extensive outsourcing—efficiency directly impacts your ability to respond quickly to changing circumstances.” — Higher Ed Dive American higher education institutions spent more than $700 billion annually on operations, payroll, procurement, and services. Managing that level of spending requires systems that ensure payments are […]
Procurement Best Practices for Modern Education and Government Buyers
Things aren’t any easier for procurement teams this year. A 2026 study by The Hackett Group shows an average workload increase of 8–10%, with “declining or flat headcount and operating budgets.” So, it continues to do more with less. Getting the job done requires a more structured, automated, and strategic approach, leveraging procurement best practices […]
From Data to Decisions: How Spend Analytics Software Transforms Procurement
In a recent survey, 74% of senior procurement leaders agreed that generating stronger data, insight, and analysis over the next two years will be essential to support operations. In fact, more than a third of procurement and finance leaders chose improving reporting and analysis as their top area for improvement in the coming year. With […]
Designing a Future-Ready Procurement Process: Steps, Policies, and Controls
Things haven’t gotten any easier when it comes to higher education finances. A Deloitte analysis is sobering, highlighting that more than half of large public universities now generate operating deficits, and midsized universities show a “weak financial outlook” with many at risk of insolvency if enrollments continue to decline. For procurement teams, this means tighter […]