NEUPC Connect 2026 – Presentations & Resources

The Power of Procurement: Skills, Learning & Impact

Thank you to everyone who joined us in York for NEUPC Connect 2026.

The day brought together colleagues from across the NEUPC community for a programme focused on learning, collaboration, professional development and the changing role of procurement within Higher Education.

From challenging ourselves to Be More Pirate, to exploring the financial landscape facing the sector, strengthening procurement’s role as a strategic partner and investing in our people, Connect was designed to create conversations that continue long after the event itself.

We’ve brought together the presentations and resources from the day below, giving delegates the opportunity to revisit the sessions and share the learning with colleagues.

Alex Barker – Be More Pirate

Opening Keynote

Alex Barker opened NEUPC Connect by challenging us to think differently, question established ways of working and consider where positive change can begin.

Drawing on the principles of Be More Pirate, Alex explored how individuals and organisations can challenge the status quo, create meaningful change and turn ideas into action.

A thought-provoking and energetic start to Connect – and a reminder that sometimes progress begins by being prepared to rewrite the rules.

Download Alex Barker’s presentation → here

Ryan Keyworth – State of the Nation

The Higher Education Financial Landscape

NEUPC Chair Ryan Keyworth provided a timely look at the financial environment facing Higher Education and the pressures institutions are navigating.

The session explored the wider sector landscape and provided important context for the conversations that followed throughout Connect – particularly around the growing need for procurement to demonstrate value, influence and impact.

Download Ryan Keyworth’s presentation → here

Kieran McGaughey – Procurement as a Strategic Partner

How do we move procurement beyond being seen simply as a process or transactional function?

Kieran McGaughey explored the role procurement can play as a genuine strategic partner – building relationships, influencing earlier and demonstrating the value the profession can bring to organisational decision-making.

The session encouraged delegates to think about procurement’s visibility, relationships and influence, and how we continue to strengthen our position within our institutions.

Download Kieran McGaughey’s presentation → here

Breakout Sessions

Connect gave delegates the opportunity to explore some of the issues affecting their own roles in more depth through a series of focused breakout sessions.

Martin Vincent, Weightmans – The Changing Higher Education Landscape

Heads of Procurement Breakout

Martin Vincent led an interactive session exploring the likely changes in Higher Education delivery and what those changes could mean for procurement.

Rather than simply presenting to the room, the session created space for discussion and debate, allowing Heads of Procurement to share experiences, challenges and perspectives on how the profession may need to respond as the sector evolves.

Download the session materials → here

Andrew Mackay, Investors in People – Developing Our People

Procurement Teams Breakout

Technical procurement knowledge matters – but so do the skills that shape how we communicate, collaborate and build relationships.

Andrew Mackay from Investors in People explored customer service, behaviours and the softer skills that can make a significant difference to both individual and team effectiveness.

The session encouraged delegates to consider the skills we need to develop alongside our procurement expertise as the expectations placed on the profession continue to evolve.

Download Andrew Mackay’s presentation → here

Victoria Murden, York St John University – The Supplier Voice

Supplier Breakout

Our suppliers are an important part of the NEUPC community, and Connect provided an opportunity to hear their perspective too.

Facilitated by Victoria Murden from York St John University, this session gave suppliers the opportunity to discuss their experiences of working with the Higher Education sector, explore what strong supplier relationships look like and consider how institutions and suppliers can work together more effectively.

The insight gathered from the session will help inform future conversations between NEUPC, our members and our supplier community.

View the Supplier Voice resources → here

Ask the Experts

One of the most interactive parts of Connect, Ask the Experts gave delegates the opportunity to put their questions directly to our speakers and contributors.

The discussion brought together many of the themes from across the day – from sector pressures and organisational change to people, relationships, influence and the future role of procurement.

Thank you to everyone who submitted a question and contributed to the conversation.

Paul Devoy – Investing in People and the Future of Procurement

Closing Keynote

To close the conference, Paul Devoy of Investors in People brought the focus back to one of procurement’s most important assets – its people.

Paul explored the importance of creating organisations and teams where people can develop, perform and thrive, and challenged us to think about the cultures we create around our people.

It was a fitting way to bring together many of the themes running throughout Connect: skills, learning, leadership, relationships and impact.

Download Paul Devoy’s presentation → here

Keep the Conversation Going

NEUPC Connect may have finished, but the conversations certainly haven’t.

We hope the presentations and resources from the day help you continue those discussions within your own teams and institutions – whether that means sharing a new idea, challenging an established way of working or simply starting a conversation with someone new.

Thank you again to our speakers, breakout leads, sponsors, exhibitors and delegates for making NEUPC Connect 2026 such a fantastic day.

And thank you to York St John University for welcoming the NEUPC community to York.

People. Ideas. Learning. Impact.

That was the Power of Procurement at NEUPC Connect 2026.