The short version
- Three kinds of institution that matter for vendors, three sets of rules. Public universities buy under state procurement codes (sometimes with their own higher-ed code and chief procurement officer); community colleges under state community-college or K-12 codes with locally elected boards; private colleges under their own policies with far more discretion.
- The buyer is a function head, not 'the university.' CIO, CFO, provost, VP enrollment, VP student affairs, VP research, VP facilities and VP advancement each own budgets and sign below a threshold. Deans and department chairs can buy departmental tools from their own funds.
- IT security and accessibility review everything. Expect a HECVAT questionnaire, a VPAT or ACR, SOC 2, and FERPA and often GLBA and HIPAA terms, regardless of which office buys.
- Consortium contracts are how most things get bought without an RFP. E&I, MHEC, NASPO ValuePoint (public), Internet2 NET+ (research universities), and the university system's own contracts.
- The calendar is academic, not just fiscal. Fiscal years start July 1 (September 1 in Texas), but implementation windows are summer and winter break, budgets are built in winter, and nobody buys in the two weeks around finals.
The landscape
Roughly 1,600 public institutions (about 700 four-year and 900 two-year), 1,600 private nonprofits and roughly 700 for-profits enroll about 19 million students. Spending is concentrated: the 200 or so research universities and the large state systems account for most of the technology and services market, while 2,000 small colleges buy mostly through consortia and resellers. Public institutions in 40-plus states belong to a system (University of California, SUNY, University System of Georgia, Texas A&M System and so on) whose system office increasingly runs enterprise procurement for all campuses. Our largest public universities page ranks the biggest buyers.
Governance matters for sales. Public universities answer to a board of regents or trustees appointed by the governor (or elected, in a few states) and to the legislature for appropriations; many have their own procurement authority separate from state agencies, with higher thresholds. Community colleges have locally elected boards that meet monthly and approve contracts at relatively low thresholds. Private colleges answer only to their own boards, so a president or CFO can move quickly, but budgets are tighter and enrollment-driven.
Who buys what, function by function
Search by office, title or product category.
Showing all 15 functions
| Function | Buys | Influencers | Approval |
|---|---|---|---|
| President and cabinetPresident or chancellor, chief of staff, provost, CFO or VP finance and administration, VP enrollment, VP student affairs, VP advancement, VP research, CIO, general counsel | Nothing directly; sets priorities (enrollment, retention, research growth, cost cutting) that determine which projects get funded | Board of trustees or regents, faculty senate, system office | Cabinet approval for large or cross-campus purchases; board approval above a threshold set in board policy (often $250,000–$1 million at public universities) |
| Information technologyCIO or VP for IT, deputy CIO, CISO, directors of enterprise applications, infrastructure, academic technology, research computing | ERP and SIS, LMS, identity and security, cloud, networks, classroom AV, research computing, help desk, data and analytics platforms | Faculty committees, registrar, institutional research, the system CIO at multi-campus systems | CIO signs below the threshold; security and accessibility review (HECVAT, VPAT) on all software regardless of who buys it |
| Finance and business officeCFO, controller, budget director, bursar, treasurer, director of procurement, director of auxiliary services | ERP finance and HR, payments and student billing, procurement systems, travel and expense, budgeting and planning, banking and card services | CIO, internal audit, system office | CFO signs mid-size contracts; board above threshold; procurement runs competitive processes |
| ProcurementChief procurement officer, directors of purchasing, category managers, contracts and sourcing specialists | Runs RFPs, manages consortium and cooperative contracts (E&I, MHEC, NASPO, OMNIA, Sourcewell), supplier registration and diversity programs | General counsel, risk management, the state CPO at public institutions | Determines procurement method; often the person who knows whether a consortium contract can be used instead of an RFP |
| Provost and academic affairsProvost, vice provosts (academic affairs, faculty affairs, online learning, undergraduate education), deans, department chairs | Curriculum and courseware, online program management, academic analytics, accreditation and assessment software, faculty development, library resources (through the dean of libraries) | Faculty governance, accreditors, the CIO for anything with data | Provost's office for academic systems; faculty committees often evaluate; purchases over threshold still route through procurement |
| Enrollment management and admissionsVP enrollment, dean of admissions, director of financial aid, registrar, director of marketing and communications | CRM and recruitment platforms, application and yield tools, financial aid systems, chatbots and texting, marketing services, enrollment consulting, transcript and credential services | President (enrollment is existential), CIO, institutional research | VP enrollment below threshold; cabinet and board for large CRM or OPM deals |
| Student affairs and student successVP student affairs, dean of students, directors of housing, dining, counseling, career services, advising, disability services | Housing and conduct software, advising and early-alert systems, career platforms, mental health and telehealth services, campus engagement apps, ID and access systems | Provost for advising, CIO, auxiliary services for housing and dining | VP signs below threshold; many student-success systems are provost and IT co-sponsored |
| Research administrationVP research, directors of sponsored programs, research compliance, research computing, technology transfer, core facilities | Grants management and pre-award systems, compliance (IRB, IACUC, export control), research computing and storage, lab equipment and lab information systems, core facility scheduling | Principal investigators, federal sponsors (NIH, NSF) and their requirements, CIO | VP research below threshold; federal grant rules (2 CFR 200) on sponsored purchases |
| Facilities and campus operationsVP or AVP facilities, director of planning design and construction, energy manager, director of public safety or chief of police, parking and transportation director, sustainability director | Construction and design (large capital programs), maintenance and asset management systems, energy and utilities, access control and video, emergency notification, parking systems, fleet, custodial and grounds services | CFO, board for capital projects, state for public institutions | Capital projects through the board and, at public institutions, the state; operations below threshold by the director |
| Auxiliary servicesDirector of auxiliary services, bookstore and dining directors (or contracted operators), campus card director, conference services | Dining and bookstore contracts (often outsourced to Aramark, Sodexo, Chartwells, Barnes & Noble, Follett), campus card and payments, vending, laundry, print | Student affairs, CFO, students | Auxiliary contracts are often multi-year revenue agreements approved by the board |
| Advancement and alumni relationsVP advancement or development, directors of annual giving, major gifts, alumni relations, advancement services | Donor CRM, prospect research and wealth screening, giving platforms, event management, email and engagement tools | President, foundation board (many public universities buy through a separate foundation), CIO | VP advancement; at public institutions the foundation is a separate nonprofit with its own purchasing rules |
| AthleticsAthletic director, deputy ADs, director of sports medicine, ticketing and marketing directors | Ticketing, fan engagement and NIL platforms, video and analytics, equipment and apparel (often a single multi-year deal), sports medicine, facilities | Conference and NCAA rules, boosters, president | AD below threshold; large sponsorship and apparel deals to the board |
| Human resourcesChief HR officer, directors of benefits, talent acquisition, learning and development, Title IX coordinator | HRIS, applicant tracking, background checks, learning management for compliance training, benefits administration | CFO, general counsel, faculty senate for anything touching faculty | CHRO below threshold; CFO and board above |
| LibrariesDean or director of libraries, associate deans for collections and technology | Library services platforms, databases and e-resources (often through consortia like Lyrasis and regional library networks), discovery and repository systems, digitization | Faculty, provost, library consortia | Dean of libraries within budget; large platform migrations to the provost |
| Community colleges (differences)President, VP instruction, VP student services, VP administrative services, CIO, workforce development dean | The same categories at smaller scale, plus workforce and noncredit systems, dual-enrollment tools, and heavy use of state system contracts | Locally elected board of trustees, state community college system, employers | Board approval thresholds are lower (often $50,000–$150,000) and boards meet monthly; purchasing follows the state's community college or K-12 procurement code |
Consortium and cooperative contracts in higher education
Most campus procurement offices check these before writing an RFP. Being on one changes a 9–18 month cycle into a purchase order plus a security review.
Showing all 8 vehicles
| Vehicle | Who uses it | How vendors get on | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| E&I Cooperative ServicesMember-owned nonprofit; 6,000+ education members | Private and public colleges nationally; the first stop for most higher-ed procurement offices | Win an E&I competitive solicitation in your category; some contracts originate from a member institution's RFP adopted by E&I | Supplier-paid administrative fee; carries technology, facilities, lab, athletics and services categories |
| Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC) and MHECtechInterstate compact of 12 Midwestern states | Public and nonprofit private institutions, K-12 and state and local governments in MHEC states; many contracts are also open to WICHE, NEBHE and SREB states, which makes them near-national | Respond to an MHEC solicitation (technology contracts are the most used: hardware, software, networking, cloud, security) | Not to be confused with the Massachusetts Higher Education Consortium (also MHEC), a regional purchasing consortium for Massachusetts and New England institutions |
| NASPO ValuePointState cooperative; see our comparison page | Public universities through their state's participating addendum; some states require state institutions to use state and NASPO contracts first | Win the lead state's RFP, then participating addenda | Dominant for cloud, computing hardware, software value-added resellers and telecom at public institutions |
| Internet2 NET+Research and education network's cloud services program | Research universities; 300+ member institutions | Sponsored by member campuses through a service evaluation led by university IT, legal and procurement; not a conventional solicitation | Carries negotiated higher-ed terms (data, accessibility, security) for cloud services; a NET+ program is a strong credential with CIOs |
| University system contractsUC, CSU, SUNY, CUNY, University of Texas System, Texas A&M System, University System of Georgia, PASSHE, Minnesota State, Illinois IPHEC, Florida SUS and others | Every campus in the system, and often other public agencies in the state | Respond to the system procurement office's solicitation; systems increasingly run strategic sourcing for enterprise categories | At the largest systems a single award covers dozens of campuses and hundreds of thousands of students |
| Regional consortiaMassachusetts Higher Education Consortium, Claremont Colleges, Five Colleges, Associated Colleges of the Midwest, Great Lakes Colleges Association, Virginia Higher Education Procurement Consortium, Carolinas and others | Member institutions, often small privates that pool buying | Consortium solicitations or adoption of a member's competitive award | Small individually, but the consortium's recommendation carries weight with members |
| Sourcewell, OMNIA Partners, TIPS, BuyBoardGeneral government cooperatives | Public institutions and community colleges for facilities, fleet, furniture, technology hardware and some software; private colleges where state law or the cooperative allows | Win their solicitations; see our comparison | Less used for academic or enterprise systems; common for operations purchases |
| GSA cooperative purchasingFederal schedules open to education for IT and security | Public institutions for IT hardware, software and cybersecurity | GSA Multiple Award Schedule | 0.75% fee; useful where the state recognizes GSA pricing |
How a purchase moves
- A function head or faculty group identifies a need, often prompted by an accreditation finding, an enrollment problem, a retiring system, a security incident or a grant.
- A committee forms. Higher education evaluates by committee: faculty, staff, IT, sometimes students. Demos to the committee decide more than the RFP score.
- Procurement picks the method. Below the small-purchase threshold (often $10,000–$50,000 at public institutions, higher at privates), the department buys on quotes. Above it, procurement looks for a consortium contract; if none fits, an RFP.
- IT security and accessibility review. HECVAT (the EDUCAUSE Higher Education Community Vendor Assessment Toolkit) is the standard security questionnaire; a VPAT or accessibility conformance report is required for anything students or the public use; data-protection addenda cover FERPA, GLBA (financial aid data) and HIPAA (health centers and medical schools).
- Legal and risk review. Public institutions cannot accept indemnification, governing-law or auto-renewal terms that violate state law; expect their paper or their addendum.
- Approval. Function head below the threshold, CFO or cabinet in the middle, board above its policy limit. At public institutions in some states, large IT contracts also go to the state CIO or legislature.
- Implementation in a break. Enterprise systems go live over summer or winter break; classroom technology in summer; anything student-facing before the fall term.
The higher-ed selling calendar
- August–October: fall term starts; problems surface; new budget requests are drafted for the next fiscal year. Strong prospecting window once the first weeks of classes pass.
- November–February: budget building; board meetings approve next year's tuition and budget in winter or spring; evaluation committees meet. Avoid the two weeks of finals in December and the winter break.
- March–May: decisions for summer implementation; boards approve contracts; spring finals and commencement stall everything for two to three weeks in May.
- June–July: fiscal year-end spending at public institutions (June 30; August 31 in Texas); summer implementations; many staff on reduced schedules. Community college and private-college boards often approve contracts in June for July starts.
Grant and federal calendars run alongside: Title III and Title V grants, NSF and NIH awards, and state workforce grants each fund specific purchases on their own timelines. See our fiscal year calendar and grant deadlines.
What this means for outreach
- Pick the function, then the title. A retention product sells to the VP student affairs and provost's office, not the CIO; a security product to the CISO; a recruitment CRM to the VP enrollment. The CIO is a reviewer in all of them.
- Arrive with the HECVAT, VPAT and SOC 2 done. They are not optional and they are the longest pole in the schedule.
- Know which consortium contracts the institution uses. Ask procurement; the answer changes your pricing and timeline.
- Treat the system office as an account. At SUNY, CSU, UT System or University System of Georgia, a system contract is worth dozens of campus deals.
- Respect faculty governance. Anything that touches teaching goes through faculty committees; a dean cannot simply impose it.
- Use the associations. EDUCAUSE (IT), NACUBO (finance), AACRAO (registrars), NASPA (student affairs), NACAC and AACC (community colleges), CASE (advancement), APPA (facilities) and NCURA (research administration). See our conference list.
Method and sources
Institution counts and enrollment are from the National Center for Education Statistics. Roles, thresholds and processes are generalized from public university and system procurement policies, state higher-education procurement codes, EDUCAUSE (HECVAT) and NACUBO guidance, the consortia's published materials and Kensington Sales Group's outbound calling into colleges and universities. Thresholds vary widely; check the institution's procurement policy and board approval limits. Checked November 7, 2026. Corrections: research@kensingtonsalesgroup.com.
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