New Partnership with SUMS to Support the Sector

9th December 2021

The SUMS Group Partners with EAUC to Deliver In-Depth Expertise in Sustainability to the Education Sector

Higher Education specialist, the SUMS Group (SUMS), is partnering with sector leader in sustainability, EAUC, to deliver expert sustainability support to colleges and universities across the UK and beyond. 

As universities and education providers strive to move towards net-zero carbon emissions, there is a need for specialist consultancy to support them to meet their objectives and receive maximum impact for their efforts.  This partnership will enable EAUC to deliver specialist sustainability support through SUMS’ recognised expert consulting and procurement divisions, giving members and clients of both organisations direct access to the expertise they need.

EAUC will provide SUMS members and clients with access to expert practitioners in key facets of sustainability such as:

• Leadership, staff and governance
• Estates, community and operations
• Partnerships, society and engagement
• Learning, research and student engagement

Support in these areas will help SUMS’ members and clients meet the increasing, and justified, calls-to-action coming from staff, students and wider communities, with authenticity and impact.

The partnership will also develop the next iteration of the sector-recognised Procurement Maturity Assessment (PMA+), with an expanded focus on the existing corporate and social responsibility question set focused on sustainability.  This will cover responsible procurement (including the use of SMEs and local companies in the supply chain); equality, diversity and inclusion; and modern slavery.   

Joel Arber, SUMS Group Managing Director explains, “This exciting new partnership is designed to address a pressing need for colleges and universities – and one that will have a lasting impact. Access to sustainability expertise will help institutions respond to the very real challenges facing our society - climate change, labour abuses and supply chain waste – and deliver meaningful change with lasting impact.  Members and clients can now come to SUMS for strategic and operational sustainability support that aligns with their values and commitment to deliver education in an ethical and responsible way.”

“EAUC is delighted to be partnering with SUMS to bring the sector’s expertise on sustainability to the forefront and help institutions take strategic and practical action and leadership in the climate crisis. Students and staff expect to see their universities and colleges tackling the challenges and embracing the opportunities now before us. This partnership will provide the guidance and support institutions urgently need.” says Iain Patton, CEO, EAUC

Professor John French, EAUC Deputy Chair of Trustees says “I am pleased to have facilitated this partnership between EAUC and SUMS and I can see it delivering significant benefits to all parties as we seek to the lever the incredible deep expertise of the university and college sectors to address the challenges and opportunities associated with sustainability and the Climate Crisis. Bringing EAUC and SUMS together in this partnership will achieve impact that we couldn’t otherwise have delivered and I very much look forward to the seeing this initiative develop.”

About SUMS
SUMS Consulting works for universities and is owned by universities. We are a not-for-profit charity and membership organisation providing expert consultancy and procurement support to the FE and HE Sectors, both in the UK and globally. Through our three divisions – SUMS Consulting, Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium (SUPC) and the Procurement Shared Service (PSS) – we help make universities and colleges smarter.

About EAUC
EAUC is the alliance for sustainability leadership in education.  Our passion is to create a world with sustainability at its heart and to lead and empower the post-16 education sector to make sustainability 'just good business'.

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For any enquiries, please contact:

Marion Hutchins

Head of Marketing and Communications
SUMS
m.l.hutchins@reading.ac.uk
+44 118 378 4292

Fiona Goodwin
Director of Operations & Planning
EAUC
fgoodwin@eauc.org.uk