17 December 2025 
Matt Sisson, Projects and Membership Manager
BUFDG EVENTS - BOOK YOUR PLACE
Shared Services Showcase, 23–27 March 2026 | Online (MS Teams)
We are pleased to announce that we are planning our first Shared Services Showcase for March 2026. This event will run over five days with short, online “drop in” sessions you can join between 10:00 – 14:00 each day. Each session will introduce sector organisations that provide shared services to help universities work more efficiently and collaboratively. This is a free event for anyone working within finance and procurement teams and anyone involved in transformation or shared services projects. Further details and information about how to access individual sessions will be shared in January 2026. Book your place here.
BUFDG EVENTS - SAVE THE DATES
We’ll share full details and booking information for these ones in the new year. For now, please note the dates below:
BUFDG Annual Meeting 2026, 29–30 April 2026 | Edgbaston, Birmingham
The BUFDG Annual Meeting is a two day in-person event which includes sessions FDs/CFOs and other senior finance leaders. It is an opportunity for colleagues from across the sector to share ideas and discuss current challenges. The full agenda and booking details will be available in January 2026.
Scottish Universities Finance Conference 2026, 28 May 2026 | Glasgow University
Join us for the Scottish Universities Finance Conference – a full-day, in-person event bringing together finance and procurement professionals from across Scottish universities. The programme will feature plenary sessions for all delegates; alongside breakout sessions you can tailor to your interests. There will be insights on key sector topics, a full agenda will be available early 2026.
English H E Finance Conference, 1 July 2026 | In-Person (Location confirmed Jan/Feb 2026)
Next year we will launch our new in-person, H E Finance Conference for any BUFDG members working in finance in English higher education institutions. Inspired by the Scottish Universities Finance Conference, this free event will include finance update sessions and sector insight – designed specifically for the English HE finance context. The day will include presentations and exhibits from supporters of and suppliers to the sector and will be free to attend. More details will be announced in early 2026.
BUFDG Finance Festival 2026, 2–4 November 2026 | Online (Platform TBC)
Our annual three-day online Finance Festival will return in a new slot in the calendar - taking place in November 2025, covering key issues and trends in HE finance and procurement. This event is free to attend for all staff at UK universities. Further details will be shared in March 2026.
BUFDG EVENTS - KEEP AN EYE OUT
We’ll release details about other BUFDG events in the new year. Keep an eye on our events calendar. Upcoming events will include:
BUFDG Tax Conference 2026, June 2026 – Exact dates TBC | Online (MS Teams)
Our annual two-day online conference for tax, payroll, and global mobility managers, and others responsible for tax in their institution. The programme includes plenary and breakout sessions across both days. Further details and booking information will be available in February 2026.
BUFDG TRAC Conference 2026, September 2026 – Exact dates TBC | Online (Platform TBC)
An online event providing a practical introduction to the Transparent Approach to Costing (TRAC), including requirements and implementation guidance.
And have your say!
If you have any thoughts or comments on what you would like to see on the agenda of any of our upcoming events, feel free to drop us an email at events@bufdg.ac.uk.
SECTOR
Just in case you need a recap - there were announcements large and small that impact on the H E sector in the recent Budget, and Andrea and Julia have rounded them all up in our TaxHE Budget Special. They also hosted a member roundtable meeting where they presented the main Budget changes and opened up for member discussion. The recording of the session is on our webinars page.
There have been some interesting data releases over the last fortnight. UCAS has published its end-of-cycle data for undergraduates, noting that more school leavers are now living at home to study, expanded on by Jim Dickinson for Wonkhe. HESA has meanwhile published its subject update dashboard, showing potential subject ‘cold spots’, and used to look at language provision across the country in this article in the BBC.
UUK Chief Executive Vivienne Stern has written in Wonkhe to explain the direction UUK will be taking over the next 12 months, in shaping its strategy and actions, particularly in response to the reputational challenge facing the sector.
Elsewhere on Wonkhe there are reflections of the sector over the last year, and thoughts of how 2026 might unfold. Rachel MacSween considers how the international student market is changing, and the implications for the sector. News editor Michael Salmon reviews the impact of the government’s industrial strategy, and how universities are responding. And DK does a ’12 day(ta) of Christmas’ round-up article.
Insights from a merger - AdvanceHE have produced a report looking at what the wider sector might learn from the recent merger between AECC Bournemouth and the University College of Osteopathy.
SUMS has published a report on the state of land owned by the HE sector across the UK. The Team at Wonkhe have an accessible write-up.
NCUB has published the 2025 edition of its State of the Relationship report looking at university / business interactions.
On Governance, there is strong backing for an ethical university governance code, seeking to address the ‘over-financialisation’ of governance – there’s a summary on HEPI. Advance HE is supportive of the CUC Code of Governance review.
The government has announced a tightening of regulation on university franchisees. From 28-29, those with those with 300 or more students will face mandatory OfS regulation, or be unable to access student loan funding. There’s the usual summary on Wonkhe.
On 19 November 2025, the Building Safety Levy (England) Regulations 2025 were made in Final by the Secretary of State. The regulations make provision for the Building Safety Levy to be charged on specified applications for building control approval made on or after 1 October 2026. Broadly, the levy will apply to developers of new residential buildings and purpose-built student accommodation in England requiring a building control application, with certain exemptions. The regulations set out how the levy is to be charged, including its calculation and administration. Associated operational guidance was published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in July 2025.
Separately, on 18 November 2025, the Scottish Minister for Public Finance stated that the commencement date for the Scottish Building Safety Levy will be deferred by one year, to April 2028.
SCOTLAND
Andrea’s has also been doing some digging to see how Scottish councils are planning to implement the visitor levy, and whether university accommodation will be affected. Find the results of her research on the discussion board.
The Royal Society of Edinburgh has published a report on the funding of tertiary education in Scotland. Wonkhe has a summary.
The SFC has published its ‘Outcome Achievement Report 23/24’, looking at a whole range of case-studies of fantastic projects and achievements by colleges and universities in Scotland. The case-studies are grouped by theme, including economic transformation, sustainability / net zero, and work-based skills and learning.
WALES
The visitor levy for tourists idea is spreading, and Andrea has also been looking at what Welsh councils are planning. Members can read about the potential implications for universities on this discussion board post.
Paul Greatrix and Smita Jamdar at Shakespeare Martineau have an in-depth blog looking at how the regulatory approach in Wales may develop (and how it differs from that of the OfS in England), following the consultation closure on 17 December.
ENGLAND
UUK have published a brief explainer of the international student levy and how it applies to institutions in England. Helpful for circulating to other colleagues or for university comms.
UUK have responded to the OfS’ consultation on changes to quality regulation, taking particular issue with the “proposed penalties for Bronze-rated providers”, which are “inappropriate to apply to institutions meeting regulatory baselines”.
Susan Lapworth, CEO of OfS is leaving the regulator at Easter. The application deadline for interested parties is the 12 January.
The government announced a consultation on the introduction of a Visitor Levy in England in the Autumn statement. Andrea will be working with colleagues from AUDE and CUBO to draft a response to the consultation and we plan to hold round tables meeting to gather your thoughts in January. The consultation can be found here: Visitor levy in England
TAX AND PAYROLL
Andrea and Julia have been busy with a TaxHE Christmas special which, among many other things, includes news of:
BUFDG has been working with Harriet Latham from Big for Tax on some guidance on the tax implications of the new SORP. You can find a paper entitled Updated FRS 102 and the 2026 FEHE SORP The impact on tax for Higher Education here, plus Harriet gave a presentation on the tax implications of SORP 2026 at the SORP implementation forum in November 2025 with Q&A. You can find the recording here. We are also hosting a time to talk for tax specialists on Tuesday 16 December at 10.30am. You can book onto Tax Implications of the new FEHE SORP via the link. So far 150 of you have booked on!
Andrea has spoken to a number of people about the International Student Levy recently and welcomes input from members on the technical details set-out in the Department of Education Consultation. BUFDG will be responding to the consultation and you can share your thoughts at the round-table discussion meeting on 21st January at 2pm.
There are also loads of tax, payroll and international related events team BUFDG are hosting in January 2026 - just click on the links to register your place or find out more information.
VAT/Imports/Exports Issues Surgery (Member-Only) – 9.30am to 10.30am (online) on Wednesday, 7 January. Simon Twells (University of Warwick) and Andrea Marshall (BUFDG) will facilitate round table discussions on current VAT/import/export issues that members are facing. Please bring current queries or general questions to these sessions.
Global Mobility Surgery – 10.00am to 11.30am (online) on Wednesday, 14 January. Join an informal (member only) surgery to discuss any Global Mobility related question or scenario. This is a chance for members to discuss these types of areas with their peers and hopefully, learn something new, reduce adviser fees or avoid re-inventing the wheel.
Employment Status/IR35 Surgery (member-only) – 11.00am to 12.00pm (online) on Thursday, 15 January. Join fellow members to informally talk through any employment status, IR35, off-payroll working, etc issue you may have or scenario you’d like opinions on.
PROCUREMENT
The Procurement Value Survey (PVS) is now open for 2024/25 submissions. The Efficiency and PVS page on the HEPA website contains all the information institutions need to help complete the PVS, including the Benefits Methodology and the explanatory webinar recording. The Help page contains answers to frequently asked questions such as treatment of VAT, calculating impactable spend, calculating spend with SMEs and the Procurement Performance Indicators (PPIs). Members can access the PVS here. If you have any questions please contact Ash. The deadline for submissions is 6 February.
The Cabinet Office have released a new Procurement Policy Note (PPN) which provides advanced notification of the new threshold amounts which govern the procedures for the award of public contracts for goods, works and services as set out in the Procurement Act 2023 (PA23). You can view the PPN on gov.uk here.
COUNTER FRAUD
Thanks to all those who contributed to the 2025 Fraud Survey. The final report is just making its way through the Counter-Fraud Working Group, and we’ll have the report and findings available in the New Year.
The government has just launched its anti-corruption strategy, as well as a risk assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing. The strategy is focused on corruption but also covers money laundering, fraud and sanctions evasion. The government will also be publishing a new, expanded Fraud Strategy soon, as well as a new dedicated Anti-Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Strategy. There are about half-a-dozen references to universities in the document but none that appear immediately/directly actionable.
The Home Office have released guidance to help organisations protect against ransomware and spot weaknesses in their supply chains. The guidance sets out practical steps to check the security of key suppliers and safeguard against vulnerabilities. The resource was developed by the UK and Singapore and is designed to make businesses more resilient and prevent hackers from exploiting the links that connect suppliers and customers.
The Global Education Recruitment Standards Authority (GERSA) has published a White Paper on the impact of the ECCTA on Higher Education institutions. Under particular scrutiny is international agents, where any fraud committed by them that benefits the university – either directly or indirectly – could see the university deemed liable. The defence for universities is similar to that for the CFA and Bribery Act; the demonstration of ‘reasonable preventative procedures’, however the bar is higher for the ECCTA. All members should be making full use of the BUFDG compliance e-learning modules (including the new ECCTA one) for staff as part of their preparation.
The OfS has opened an investigation into the University of Greater Manchester, previously the University of Bolton (which was already under investigation by Greater Manchester Police earlier this year regarding financial irregularities). The OfS investigation will look at whether the University had adequate and effective management and governance arrangements in place to operate in accordance with its governing documents.
RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
The next Research Finance Forum will take place on Tuesday 25 February, 1.30-3pm. Topics will include Tax on Research, an update on Innovate UK and TRAC facilities engagement, using the Forum's Teams channel and more. Register your place here.
The next steps for REF 2029 were confirmed at the Universities UK Research and Innovation Conference on 10 December, following the pause announced back in September. Changes include
scaling back the “culture” strand in the renamed Strategy, People and Research Environment) to 20% weighting, Knowledge and Understanding (outputs) rising from 50% to 55%, and Engagement and Impact remaining at 25%. Other confirmed updates included the continuation of some elements of the 2021 framework to reduce burden, flexibility on outputs and the removal of the minimum requirement to ease pressure on individuals, and the decision to drop some proposals like the new four-star plus rating. The headline was that REF 2029 will continue on the same timeline with some adjustments to reduce burden and align with Government missions, respond to the pilot, and increase the focus on strategy, specialism and collaboration. More details were published on the REF 2029 website, including an updated timeline and pilot report.
MISCELLANEOUS
VWV are hosting a session looking at TNE on Tuesday, 24 February (from 11.00am). Whilst it's prime audience is in-house legal teams, it states that it will be useful for anyone involved in the creation/management of TNE arrangements.
Our Job of the Fortnight is for a Deputy Director of Finance – Controls and Operations at the University of Reading. The successful candidate “will lead and develop a diverse team, including qualified accountants and business process owners, and will be responsible for ensuring a robust financial control framework across the University group and to lead and develop the statutory reporting and the key operational finance processes.” The deadline for applications is 7th January.
There are lots of other vacancies listed on the BUFDG jobs page.
