R1.7million paid to UNISA

On 14 June 2019, Selvan Govender, CEO of the Purchasing Consortium Southern Africa NPC (PURCO SA), handed over an amount of more than R1.7 million to the Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Unisa, Prof Mandla Makhanya.

The money is part of the total cost savings realised by members of the consortium in 2018 through collaborative purchasing and optimal procurement practices. Prof Makhanya said that the money would come in handy at a time when many students - even those who are employed - were holding back from paying their tuition fees. This, he said, was posing a huge challenge for Unisa. "Whatever, then, is coming our way into our coffers to support students, we always welcome with both hands."

PURCO SA is the purchasing consortium of the higher educational sector in Southern Africa. Its 64 member institutions include every South African and Namibian university, a rapidly growing contingent of technical vocational education and training (TVET) colleges, and a broad range of allied institutions such as the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) and the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS).

According to Govender, for the last financial year, the collaborative spend was 1.7 billion, of which the consortium realised a surplus of 28.5 million. That value is now being handed out in cash to member institutions. Unisa received an amount of R1 738 439.

While price and service benefits through collaborative purchasing were a core function, Govender said that the consortium had had to reinvent itself to make sure that it was serving the needs of the membership. Since its consulting business had been affected because of the shift from outsourcing to insourcing, it had moved into other areas of business. "One of the new ventures we’ve gone into is that we’ve launched a centralised platform that holds the qualifications database of students." This, he said, combined with partnerships they were forging with the major banks, meant that students applying for a range of financial offerings would qualify for better interest rates in terms of their scorecard application because their graduate status could be confirmed on the database. In this way, PURCO SA could make a contribution directly to the student, which aligned with its vision.

Collaboration is where it’s at: Prof Khehla Ndlovu (Vice-Principal: Strategy, Risk and Advisory Services), Dr Faroon Goolam (Registrar), Selvan Govender (CEO: PURCO SA), Prof Mandla Makhanya (Principal and Vice-Chancellor) and Willem du Plessis (Director: Budgeting and Cost Management)

Govender highlighted that the consortium was constantly monitoring what the needs of the membership were, and trying to meet those expectations. This meant that PURCO SA had evolved as the higher education sector was changing. Internationally, they kept abreast of new trends, two of which are ethical procurement and responsible procurement in terms of the environment.

* By Sharon Farrell, Editor: Internal Communication, Department of Institutional Advancement, UNISA