SUMS Consulting Value Proposition Membership
SUMS is different : we really understand universities and how to bring about sustainable and beneficial change within them .
SUMS consultants combine commercial expertise with a deep understanding of HE . Our consultants come from the commercial sector – including from the ‘ Big 4 ’ consultancy firms – and from senior roles within universities .
We share our experience of commercial and public sector best practice . We learn from what has worked well within HE and from other sectors . We horizon scan , are aware of the issues impacting UK HE and are developing solutions to help our Members meet the challenges ahead .
SUMS is not-for-profit .
There is an increasing need to evidence how value for money is being achieved and how universities are becoming more efficient and productive . HEFCE recommends that , “ where possible , an institution ’ s performance is either benchmarked against the results for a comparative group of other institutions , or compared to the institution ’ s own prior performance .”
Membership of SUMS helps evidence that commitment to becoming more efficient and productive , it also gives access to our comparative studies .
SUMS Members value our :
• Expert understanding of the sector
• Fusion of commercial , public and HE sector expertise
• Focus on working in partnership , to provide long-term support
• Ability to learn from and share what has worked well elsewhere
• Objectivity
• Value for money membership model .
SUMS is an established shared service , owned and governed by our Members . We have a unique position in bringing together sector best practice for greater impact and to accelerate new ideas .
Our Members ( July 2016 ) account for about a third of UK HE by income and student FTE and all mission groups are represented .
SUMS membership gives unique access to our Member network and our international networks .
Members pay an annual subscription . There are two membership options differentiated by the number of consulting days – both offer the same core membership benefits and have strong value propositions .
Work for non-members SUMS undertakes work for non-member universities and other HE sector bodies . Our sector benchmarks and sector expertise means that unlike many consultancies we do not have an HE learning curve , which makes us very cost-effective .
Organisation
www . sums . org . uk 7