It all started with a mandate. In May 2012, the Foundation Committee mandated SWITCH's Management Board to set up a centre of expertise for software licensing and other IT goods and services. It wanted the new department to support Swiss universities in their IT procurement so that they could use their funds more efficiently. We on the SWITCH Procurement Team now represent the interests of as many as 85,000 university staff and some 270,000 students – a substantial market share in the education sector. That makes us an attractive partner for suppliers and manufacturers too.
The basic concept behind the new SWITCHprocure service has already proven its worth elsewhere. In the Netherlands, SURFmarket has been successfully meeting the entire education sector's needs for 22 years. In Switzerland, the Federal Office for Buildings and Logistics (FBL) performs a similar function for the federal government, the Swiss Informatics Conference (SIC) does so for the broader public sector, and Educa serves schools from nursery to grammar school level. Of course, these institutions differ from SWITCHprocure not only in terms of their target customers, but also with regard to their remits and purchasing volumes. The Procurement Team was therefore tasked with developing a suitable concept.
Systematically identifying customers' interests
SWITCHprocure is driven by the specific needs of our customers. We are working hard to understand how the various institutions organise the operation and purchasing of their IT, what processes they employ, where the challenges lie and what they expect from us. To this end, we have held extensive talks with IT managers at the institutions and their partner organisations on the one hand and with suppliers on the other. We have formed a working group that will provide a forum to discuss the universities' fundamental needs. We are also working with expert groups from the institutions concerned on particular issues.
Our customers' main interest is obvious. They want simple, legally protected access to high-quality IT goods and services that are geared to their requirements and offer good value for money. They want a means of sharing experiences and answers to difficult questions. With this in mind, we at SWITCHprocure act as a central point of contact for both universities and suppliers. We bundle interests, simplify administrative procedures and provide information platforms.
We also aim to provide easier access to various services as well as impartial advice on all legal matters relating to procurement. Going forward, we will additionally offer tendering in accordance with the World Trade Organization rules as well as training and events.
Put simply, SWITCHprocure brings a significant advantage for customers that might not be apparent at first glance: thanks to simplified processes and lower costs in IT, participating institutions ultimately have more money to spend on their core activities, namely teaching and research.
SWITCHprocure in pictures
