PRESS RELEASE. HELSINKI & SYDNEY – FEBRUARY 7, 2024
The Australasian Universities Procurement Network (AUPN) has launched the University Procurement Analytics Service (UPAS), a procurement solution powered by Sievo. This first-of-its-kind solution will bring exceptional transparency to universities as they seek to continuously improve the effectiveness and value derived from their multi-billion-dollar spending.
Higher education contributes an estimated AUD$37 billion to the Australian economy each year. It is also the country’s third-largest export earner and a major procurer of goods and services. Sievo will help AUPN enhance procurement practices across universities, providing new cross-sector insights to inform better sourcing strategy development and allow for increased investment in critical areas, including teaching and research.
More than half of Australian and New Zealand universities have already signed up for the solution, and the first tranche will begin accessing Sievo’s market-leading analytics tools in January 2024. A consolidation tool like this is the only way universities can have transparency on sector-wide spending patterns; it has been tailor-made by Sievo and proven in the corporate sector by several large multi-national and global organizations.
Currently, AUPN member universities have less than 75% confidence in the accuracy of their spending data, with an expectation that it will exceed 90% with the help of the tool.
“We are very excited to partner with Sievo to provide tangible value improvement opportunities across the University sector. As well as improving spending efficiency, Sievo’s tool can support the delivery of insights into supply chain risks, including emissions and modern slavery", says Andrew Peacock, Director of Strategic Procurement and Business Services at La Trobe University and Co-Chair of the AUPN Executive Committee.
"AUPN has already driven an uplift in the sector’s collective ability to identify and respond to Modern Slavery risks in our supply chains and the Sievo partnership will further enhance that capability through the assurance of data quality.”
This collaboration also marks Sievo's first venture into the Australasian market, signaling an exciting expansion and commitment to refining procurement analytics across sectors.
“We are delighted to support AUPN and the Australasian education sector at large with our solution. As an analytics company, we stand behind the principle of taking meaningful actions based on data. The AUPN collaboration enables actions that will trickle value back down to educators, researchers, and students", Sammeli Sammalkorpi, CEO and Co-Founder of Sievo, says.
"As a Finnish company, the value of education is in our DNA. We are delighted to be working towards both enhanced procurement analytics and improved education spending at the same time. This will be a great case to demonstrate that the bigger the spending, the better the savings potential", Sammalkorpi adds.
About AUPN
The Australian Universities Procurement Network (AUPN) represents the Australasian and New Zealand higher education sectors. These sectors work together to improve excellence in procurement practice and the skills of procurement professionals. The network currently represents 41 universities across Australia and New Zealand.
Media Contacts
Sievo
Aino Häkkinen
VP, Marketing
aino.hakkinen@sievo.com
Header image: Dan Freeman
