De-risking UK Higher Education Systems and Software Procurement
Beacon: An end-to-end, evidence-based procurement platform engineered specifically for university systems
From a free capability assessment aligned to UCISA HERM through to business case development, tendering, and delivery assurance, take control of your institutional systems procurement lifecycle with Beacon.
Designed for HE leaders
It’s designed for the leaders responsible for steering complex, high‑stakes change in universities. Built specifically for CIOs, Directors of Procurement, Registrars, data and reporting leads, and transformation managers across UK higher education, the FHE Procurement Platform gives senior teams a structured, evidence‑based way to translate strategy into clear requirements, run transparent tenders, and manage benefits realisation for every major system investment. By focusing on governance, audit readiness, and cross‑functional collaboration, it helps institutional leaders reduce risk, accelerate digital programmes, and ensure each procurement decision supports student experience, financial sustainability, and long‑term data capability.
The Complete HE Procurement Lifecycle, At a Glance
Traditional university software procurement is slow, fragmented, and prone to risk. The FHE Procurement Platform unifies the entire journey into a structured framework, giving institutional leaders total visibility from initial capability scoping out to long-term benefit tracking.
The 5-Stage Lifecycle Features
Capability Assessment
Evaluate your existing digital estate with complete confidence. Score 21 core systems across 165 UCISA HERM capabilities using a free, evidence-based framework designed to expose immediate operational gaps.
Requirements Justification
Stop building unstructured specifications. Seamlessly translate your capability assessment basket into a robust, structured requirements catalogue ready for institutional sign-off and business case justification.
Tendering
Streamline vendor selection without the compliance headache. Issue formal Requests for Proposals (RFPs), coordinate internal evaluation panels, and score vendor submissions utilizing custom MAT (Most Advantageous Tender) weightings.
Award
Transition seamlessly into formal contract finalisation. Safely record your final procurement decisions, publish mandatory notices, and manage the statutory standstill period within a structured audit trail.
Delivery & Assurance
Ensure your capital investments actually deliver. Track critical implementation milestones, manage deployment risks, and systematically audit whether the projected institutional benefits successfully landed.
Built for University Governance & Compliance
Higher education procurement demands ironclad compliance and data integrity. The FHE Procurement Platform provides absolute tenant isolation, ensuring your institutional requirements, scoring rubrics, and tender data remain completely secure and segregated. Built natively to support UK university standards and UCISA frameworks, it removes the guesswork from complex digital transformation projects.
Need more information?
Ready to replace your rigid legacy system? Book a demo today to see how Beacon can streamline your academic operations, cut procurement friction, and save your institution valuable time and resources.
