Reshaping buying in education with joint procurement
We take a closer look at three sector-impacting agreements that demonstrate how institutions are leveraging shared priorities and sector-wide coordination.
Procurement teams across higher and further education are under pressure. Budgets are tight, expectations are high, and the stakes - financial, operational, and strategic - have never been greater. With the Procurement Act now in force, institutions face new requirements around transparency and competition, adding urgency to the need for smarter, more joined-up approaches.
It has put sector frameworks, joint procurement and aggregated buying firmly in the spotlight.
Across the sector, institutions are rethinking how they buy, pooling demand, sharing insight, and coordinating at scale to unlock better value and reduce complexity. It’s not just about saving money. It’s about building procurement models that are fit for purpose, future-proof, and responsive to real-world needs.
From software compliance, research procurement, or education-specific requirements, a more unified approach can deliver clarity, confidence and long-term value.
A more unified approach can deliver clarity, confidence and long-term value.
Peace of mind for software compliance
When updates to older versions of Java SE from the tech company Oracle require a commercial licence, institutions must either migrate to a newer free version, or pay. Moreover, the standard employee metric for those who did not want to migrate to free versions was, for many, uncomfortable. Institutions struggling with software asset management and lacking resources to migrate to free versions faced unfamiliar terms and had to invest considerable time and effort to gain confidence in their compliance.
Similar to other application platforms, Java SE is widely embedded across decentralised estates and lacks a traditional paywall, making it especially hard to monitor and control proactively. As a result, uncertainty around usage often led to stress, urgency, and unplanned resource demands for all involved.
With a mandate from Universities UK strategic groups, Jisc led sector-wide negotiations with Oracle, in partnership with UCISA, to address longstanding concerns around Java SE licensing. The result is a bespoke agreement that goes beyond pricing, reflecting the operational and compliance realities of education and research institutions.
The result is a bespoke agreement that goes beyond pricing, reflecting the operational and compliance realities of education and research institutions.
It includes a UK-specific definition of ‘full-time employee’ aligned with HESA and ESFA standards and waives potential historical non-compliance. Procured through a published voluntary ex-ante transparency notice (VEAT), institutions can now purchase with confidence, without the need for individual procurement exercises.
By aligning the model to sector needs and streamlining compliance, the agreement delivers clarity, assurance, and efficiency through a unified approach.
Luciana Piccoli, head of enterprise systems, Jisc:
“The scale and diversity of the UK education and research landscape demand more than just compliance – they require focused, strategic licensing negotiation that reflects how institutions interact with global vendors. Whether that’s reducing audit risk or creating flexible licensing models with critical suppliers, the goal is to meet institutional needs.
“We can focus on securing practical, future-proof deals for the whole sector, and we’re also building capacity in both our licensing and procurement teams so we can work more closely to ensure agreements not only align with policy but also reduce complexity and maximise long-term value.
“We have the negotiation and sector expertise, but the real secret to our success is collaboration – it’s about working with everyone and applying the collective knowledge.”
Meeting evolving research demands
Our electronic research and laboratory notebook DPS helps institutions source tools that meet evolving research demands. Electronic research notebooks are vital for capturing research at the point of discovery, and enable data standardisation across departments and institutions, which supports collaboration and integration with tools used by research teams. Research procurement can be fragmented, with academics sometimes using grant money to purchase tools directly creating “shadow IT” and potential security and compliance issues.
Developed in collaboration with the sector, the electronic research notebook DPS provides a flexible, compliant route to pre-vetted suppliers and approved, secure tools – streamlining procurement while promoting data integrity and interoperability.
Anna Vernon, head of research, Jisc:
“Purchasing through the framework gives institutions access to stronger, sector-specific terms and conditions, helping them conduct research more efficiently, cost-effectively, and in ways that support open and secure research practices.
“Because we’re presenting various tools alongside each other, institutions can more easily compare – and because we ask each supplier the same questions in the same format, we encourage them to answer the questions in the same way, which aids comparison.”
Streamlined Adobe ETLA ordering
Negotiation is a two-way process. We work with suppliers like Adobe to secure affordable, sector-wide pricing and institution-ready terms, while ensuring the voices of IT, procurement, and academic staff are heard.
The Adobe Enterprise Term License Agreement (ETLA) is based on a consolidated procurement model: Jisc places a single annual order on behalf of around 300 UK institutions. The order is awarded to a selected reseller from the Adobe ETLA lot within the Southern Universities Procurement Consortium’s software license resellers agreement framework, ensuring compliance, efficiency, and streamlined workflow to process all the orders from universities and colleges.
The ETLA demonstrates the power of sector-wide collaboration. By centralising procurement, it simplifies access to Adobe procurement, including Creative Cloud, Express, and Acrobat. It also supports wider adoption of digital tools that advance AI equity in teaching, learning, and assessment.
Grounded in sector insights and evolving through partnership, the agreement continually adapts to meet real-world needs. It drives digital fluency and enables transformation.
The wraparound support offered through the agreement provides additional value. Adobe contributes technical expertise, while Jisc provides subject-specialist guidance to help institutions embed these tools effectively into teaching and learning.
Jisc provides subject-specialist guidance to help institutions embed these tools effectively into teaching and learning.
Further education institutions face unique challenges, including smaller teams and shorter funding cycles, which have shaped their procurement approaches. However, many now recognise the value of sector-wide agreements to achieve greater impact, efficiency, and value for money.
Jonathan Hofgartner, head of learning and teaching, Jisc:
“Within the context of digital transformation, we often link Adobe creative tools to employability through their industry relevance and their role in advancing strategies for teaching, learning, and assessment.
“For leaders and practitioners, it’s about being able to deliver curriculum using industry-standard technology at a lower cost and with greater efficiency through our centralised model. Those leaders and practitioners can have their say about how this technology is - or isn't - having an impact, how it needs to change or be better, and Jisc leverages its strategic relationships with critical vendors to ensure the sector’s needs are represented."
More than just cost savings
Our support extends beyond negotiating deals: the licence subscriptions manager (LSM) and Chest platforms providing centralised access to pre-vetted agreements, complete with due diligence checks and clear purchasing instructions.
John Shaile, director of procurement and supplier management, Jisc:
"The procurement and supplier management support offered by our team is evolving to simplify and clarify the procurement process for our products and services, to support our members better.
"We are committed to making it easier for procurement and commercial professionals in education and research to navigate and understand our offerings.
"By enhancing transparency and providing clear guidance, we aim to demystify procurement, ensuring that our members can make informed procurement decisions with confidence.”
Next steps
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