this urgency, including intensifying financial pressures, growing dependence on digital systems and services, and the rapid rise of artificial intelligence. AI is introducing entirely new product and services, commercial models, licensing approaches and governance challenges. “This is all happening within the context of a government policy that positions digital capability, data and AI as foun- dational elements of future skills provi- sion. Skills England, the Department for Education and devolved administrations all emphasise the importance of digital transformation, AI adoption and workforce readiness. This makes sector coordination more important than ever before, and in FE we want to enable more collective action in procurement and vendor negotiations.”
Decision and buying complexity “We are very aware that colleges operate in an environment where resources and time are significantly constrained,” he said, adding: “Jisc have long-standing and highly valued connections with IT leaders, digital transformation teams, learning technologists, librarians and in- formation professionals. These relation- ships remain critical. However, when we consider the challenges facing colleges, things are becoming much more inter- connected.
“Decisions and planning for AI, digital content, assessment, learning technolo- gies and industry-standard technologies and resources are not solely technology decisions – they are also teaching and learning decisions. The roles shaping this include curriculum leaders, teaching staff, quality teams and senior academic leaders alongside IT and library col- leagues.
“In short, buyers will always need to balance cost, risk, functionality and institutional priorities. It’s sometimes an impossible task. These roles are often making decisions in fast-moving markets where supplier roadmaps, licensing mod- els and pricing structures are evolving at pace. This is where Jisc’s work in licens- ing and negotiation can help.”
Foundations in place
“Having worked in FE, I can say with confidence that one of the sector’s greatest strengths is its willingness to collaborate, and that includes collaboration with employers and HE institutions. Colleges routinely share experiences, approaches and good practice through networks, communities, events and sector bodies. We see this particularly around areas such as digital transformation, AI, cyber security, and teaching and learning. “Our challenge is to translate collabora-
tion into collective action and influence when it comes to tackling large and/ or critical vendors that often occupy an incumbent position, or demonstrate monopolistic behaviour. The role of Jisc’s licensing team, and in fact Jisc more broadly, is to bring together institu- tional insight, market intelligence and vendor/supplier engagement at a scale that would be difficult for any individual college to achieve alone.
“Within this context, collaboration has become more about sharing intelligence as much as sharing services. For exam- ple, understanding supplier behaviour, pricing issues, changes to terms, emerg- ing technologies and other market risks. Uncovering and addressing these issues as a collective is becoming just as valua- ble as negotiating on pricing discounts.” Jisc already has strong and broad representation across the UK FE sector with 340 FE member organisations, ranging from general FE colleges to independent specialist colleges and academy trusts: “In practical terms, this means we negotiate on behalf of the vast majority of traditional FE colleges across the UK, as well as a significant number of specialist and other post-16 providers. Our membership gives us a comprehen- sive view of the sector’s needs and enables us to aggregate demand at scale when
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