Universities and the wider public sector are under real pressure right now: cost constraints, geopolitical volatility, supply chain disruption and rising demand for services. Institutions are still largely tackling that pressure independently — which means fragmented priorities, duplicated effort, and different teams working the same problem with the same suppliers at the same time.
UKUPC, the formal partnership of eight UK procurement consortia, believes the fix isn’t more process or a bigger budget. It’s a mindset shift — from institutional independence to collaborative, agile advantage. This free session unpacks what that shift actually looks like, and what it takes to make it work.
What you’ll take away
• Why fragmented, institution-by-institution procurement is costing more than it saves — and what UKUPC’s mindset shift proposes instead.
• Practical lessons from other sectors on speed, data, pipeline visibility and delivery planning — adapted for public-sector realities, not imported wholesale.
• Why demand management, not better budgeting, is the real lever for moving procurement from reactive to
proactive.
• What structured collaboration requires in practice: shared goals, clear roles and RACI, and governance that evolves as delivery does.
• Real examples of collaboration already working across UKUPC’s consortia — and where the opportunity still lies.
• A dedicated supplier’s-eye view from Tracker Intelligence on what suppliers ask about engaging with consortia frameworks and cross-sector demand.
On the panel:
Rebecca Baxter — Managing Director, NEUPC, and Chair of UKUPC.
Clare Riley — Senior Commercial Manager, SUPC.
Dawn MacTaggart — Business Development Manager, Tracker Intelligence, joining for a dedicated
supplier-focused segment.
Hosted by Christian Doak, BiP Solutions