26 February 2025 
Matt Sisson, Projects and Membership Manager
BUFDG
Almost 1,700 people have now booked to attend the BUFDG Finance Festival. If you’re one of them, we’re really looking forward to seeing you in just over a week’s time! If you’re not one of them, this is a fantastic opportunity to get some free CPD-certified training! We’ve updated the speaker information on our Finance Festival pages, so do have a look and book your FREE place now!
If you’ve ever wondered what the BUFDG team gets up to on your behalf you can check out the BUFDG Advocacy page, which we update regularly, at any time – we respond to consultations and calls for evidence etc., liaise with government departments/agencies and other H E bodies, and attend meetings and events on behalf of members to advocate on various H E finance issues and to keep up to date with what's happening in the sector. The page lists the meetings and events we attend, and we’re also adding links to the documents we produce for consultations etc. And if you spot an upcoming meeting that you’d like to contribute some thoughts to, get in touch to let us know.
SECTOR
There’s news on collaboration in the sector with this HEPI piece on the ‘Healthcare Education Consortium’, and Wonkhe and Mills and Reeve are following up their recent report, ‘Connect more: creating the conditions for a more resilient and sustainable higher education sector in England’, with a free online event on 4 March 12-1pm. There’s also a Mills and Reeve blog on Wonkhe looking at how competition law interacts with the possibilities under ‘radical collaboration’ in the H E sector. With the CMA stating that “where we are convinced on the evidence that there is a real risk, that absent our providing appropriate comfort, the economy will lose out on beneficial collaboration then we are prepared to act”, it seems that there is a ‘positive willingness’ to engage on this, which the sector could (should?) ‘seize upon’.
The consultation on the OfS Strategy for 2025-2030 closed last week. BUFDG’s response concentrates on Actions 5 and 6 which relate to the OfS’ third strategic goal around sector resilience. You can also find UUK’s response here.
The OfS is also consulting on reforms to the OfS registration requirements. This consultation closes on 23 April and includes proposals on treating students fairly, effective governance, and applying to the register. The Guardian reports that UUK is concerned about the burden of over-regulation on smaller providers.
In England the OfS is funding eleven collaborative projects aiming to promote equality of opportunity in higher education.
On 6 March the OfS is holding a webinar for students and student representatives to discuss how cutbacks may be impacting the student experience. The information from the session will will be used to inform the OfS’ understanding of ‘financial pressures in higher education and ensure the student interest is prioritised’.
As part of an apprenticeship update, including announcing 10,000 more apprentices, the Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has also announced the new leadership team for Skills England, the new body for skills: Phil Smith CBE, former chair and CEO of Cisco and former Innovate UK chair, will chair Skills England, with University of Sunderland VC, Sir David Bell, serving as Vice Chair. Tessa Griffiths and Sarah Maclean, both currently joint directors of post-16 skills at the DfE, will jointly serve as CEO, while Gemma Marsh, currently Greater Manchester Combined Authority's director of education, work and skills will serve as Deputy CEO.
The announcement came alongside changes to apprenticeship minimum durations, English and maths requirements, and changes to assessment requirements. Speaking to the Financial Times (£), skills minister Jacqui Smith said that further announcements on more “flexible” use of the levy, i.e. using it for non-apprenticeship training, would depend on the outcome of the spending review.
The Guardian offers an opinion on the ‘deepening funding crisis’ in UK universities, but not a solution, concluding that a ‘new settlement is desperately needed – one that properly restores a sector that delivers a public good to the public realm. And which enables a sense of professional vocation, for those who work within it, to be renewed.’ Wonkhe’s Jim Dickinson also takes a dip into the funding challenge, with an explanation and critique of discount rates and the ONS treatment of student loans.
HESA is consulting on a number of proposed changes to the staff record, and a key element of the consultation relates to coverage of the Staff record and staff not directly employed by providers (i.e. staff employed in subsidiary companies). HESA is proposing a change to the exclusions section in the Staff record to remove the exclusion relating to “Staff employed not by the HEP, but by a company consolidated into the HEP's accounts.” HESA has published a recording of a recent webinar on the consultation.
Finally, THE reports that 25 higher education institutions applied to the OfS for extensions for publishing their 2023-24 financial statements, and that others outside England are also yet to publish.
PROCUREMENT
The Procurement Act went live on Monday, bringing with it a new procurement regime for contracting authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. HEPA released a special Digest (BUFDG logins should work) to mark the occasion, rounding up all of the resources and guidance to help you implement the changes withing your own institution. This includes details on how to onboard to the Central Digital Platform as well as supplementary noticing instructions, the Procurement Specific Questionnaire and the complete guidance suite on gov.uk. In addition to this, HEPA was pleased to share resources including slides to help you communicate the Act to senior leaders and the updated Cabinet Office ‘standard contracts’.
With members busy preparing for the Procurement Act, a reminder that the deadline for Procurement Value Survey (PVS) submissions has been extended until close of business on Friday 7 March 2025.
WALES
The Welsh Government has announced £19m in additional funding for universities in the sector made up of £18.5m for capital spend, and £0.5m to boost international recruitment. The announcement was followed-up with a suggestion from HE minister Vicki Howells that universities should be looking at using accessible reserves to prevent job cuts.
Plaid Cymru has suggested the Welsh HE sector needs a cross-party review to resolve university funding challenges, as reported in the BBC. It reports Cefin Campbell, Plaid Cymru's education spokesman as saying that “Students, their parents, lecturers and other university staff are waiting for us to act and nothing should be off the table”.
SCOTLAND
The IFS has published its full report on the Scottish Budget, including sections on tax and public sector pay, with a mixed medium-term outlook overall. It notes, among many other points, that median public sector pay is now 5% higher than in the UK as a whole.
We just missed it in the last Digest, but the Scottish Funding Council has announced extra funding to cover the STPS and NHS Pension Scheme contribution increases for April 24 to March 25. The team at Wonkhe have additional commentary.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has written to Scottish Universities to commit the party to the current free tuition model, but stressed that other reform would be needed. He’s recruited outgoing Glasgow Principal Anton Muscatelli to feed into the party’s plans for the 2026 elections.
RESEARCH & INNOVATION
UKRI has published a deep-dive report on IP-related and commercialisation activities in England, based on 22-23 data from the HE-BCI survey. Among other things, it looks at the reasons behind the recent decline in sector KE and IP income, although hopes this is still part of a longer-term increasing trend, rather than being past the peak. UKRI has also updated its list of the institutions across the UK that have so far adopted the best-practice policies for spin-out deals.
KE/IP income will be just one of the concerns of the incoming UKRI CEO, whoever they may be. The others are outlined in an article in Wonkhe by Miles Padgett and Anton Muscatelli from the University of Glasgow. There’s an obvious tension between the immediate challenges of working closely with government and meeting its priorities, and longer term goals around securing a skilled workforce and investing in the research base.
VWV’s Rachel Tonkin has written a helpful blog on when Charities that undertake research (incl. some universities) need to consider Charity Law when progressing with projects. The implications and consequences aren’t always immediately obvious, and may extend to situations where the university is only a secondary partner.
Finally, the next BUFDG Research Finance Forum takes place online on 11 June. The forum is for colleagues to connect with other members working in similar roles and discuss sector relevant research finance topics, funder requirements, and anything else on your mind.
TAX
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and Department for Business and Trade (DBT) have issued a consultation entitled “Promoting electronic invoicing across UK businesses and the public sector”. You can find a link to the consultation here. This is not just about tax, and will have major issues for the sector. BUFDG will be responding to the consultation on behalf of members but need input from you. We have prepared two separate questionnaires, which are based on some of the questions asked in the consultation. You can find the links to the surveys here: Sales invoice survey; Purchase invoice survey. The surveys will close on Monday 31 March.
Another important document is UK Internal Market Act 2020: review and consultation paper issued by the Department for Business and Trade. Andrea will be liaising with members in Northern Ireland regarding drafting a response to this. Views from members in Great Britain who perhaps regularly work with establishments in Northern Ireland will also be welcome. Keeping with this theme, there are further changes to requirements when moving goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland with effect from 31 March 2025. Andrea has worked with colleagues in Northern Ireland to pull together a one page checklist to help navigate this. You can find the paper here.
Do you ever think that our tax year, from 6 April to the following 5 April is particularly odd? There were very good reasons for initially setting these dates, but these no longer apply and the CIOT ponder whether it’s time to align with the calendar year, like most of our neighbours.
The 2025 BUFDG (in-person) Tax Conference, taking place on 11th and 12th June is open for bookings - find out more details and book your place here. There are early-bird discounted tickets available, that can be purchased up until Monday, 31 March.
Oracle users can take part in a round-table discussion (BUFDG members only) led by Neil Turner from the University of Manchester, and the BUDFG Tax Group’s automation specialist. The forum takes place on 5 March, and there’s more information in this discussion thread.
Are you interested in courses on Corporation Tax? We’re currently trying to gauge demand for the year ahead so, if you are interested in attending an online or in-person CT course, please let Andrea know. See this discussion thread for further information.
Finally, a reminder that you can always catch up with all the relevant tax, payroll, international taxes, global mobility and corporate tax updates, by reading our latest TaxHE newsletter.
MISCELLANEOUS / EVENTS
The University of Cambridge has shared an update on the sector project it leads to identify or create banking services and investment funds that don’t contribute to fossil fuel extraction. So far six providers of cash deposit accounts have been identified that meet the criteria. While no existing investment funds have been identified that are up to standard, there is work on two new funds that are expected to launch in the first half of 2025. There’s also a useful interview with Dr. Belinda Bell, one of the project leads, which explains more and sets out next steps.
Our colleagues at AUDE are taking the lead on a project to reimagine the role that university estates can play in sector transformation and delivering efficiencies. The project launches with a webinar on the 9th April. The webinar is open to university colleagues only, and will probably be of most interest to those in strategic roles. More information and registration is on the BUFDG website here.
We’re pleased to let you know that BUFDG’s popular Business Partnering courses return in June. Finance Business Partnering Foundations is made up of two 3-hour modules, on 4-5 June, to help colleagues that are relatively new to their role set solid foundations for success. The higher-level Strategic Finance Business Partnering is on the 18-19 June, and is to help more experienced colleagues operate more strategically, develop the effectiveness and impact of the Finance function, and gain increased organisational influence.
Our Job of the Fortnight is for a Senior Procurement Category Manager at the University of the West of England. The successful candidate will spend their time “liaising with stakeholders to understand their needs, ensure their buy in, identifying routes to market, sourcing suppliers, managing tenders, monitoring performance and ensuring legal compliance”, among other things. The deadline for applications is 13 March.
There are lots of other vacancies listed on the BUFDG jobs page.
