19 October 2022 
Matt Sisson, Projects and Membership Manager
TECH WEEK, FINANCE FESTIVAL, MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTANTS’ WEEK
Two weeks ago we had the pleasure of hosting BUFDG’s first ever Tech Week and it went very well! We welcomed colleagues from consultancies, suppliers and member institutions to talk about the digital environment, budgeting software, whole finance systems, payments solutions, research management, security and compliance, and sustainability The videos and slides from the 19 sessions can be watched, rewatched and downloaded from our website. Whether you watched live on or will watch on catch-up, thank you for getting involved – do let us know what you liked (or didn’t).
Some of the most popular sessions at conferences are those involving members’ own stories but having them as part of the programme relies on volunteers sharing some time and knowledge. We are always looking for case studies and the next video star and would love to hear from you if you could contribute a session to next year’s Finance Festival (13th-15th March). All the info is on this discussion post but it could be a case study of a challenge you've been through recently, insight that you've gleaned through undertaking your role, or it might be an example of work done with a supporting company that has helped you become more efficient or effective. Or, if you're brave, it might be a horror story of something that has gone terribly wrong and the lessons you've learned for next time.
You can now book your place on our Management Accountants’ week taking place from the 22-25 November. We will be hosting a series of webinars across a range of topics which we hope you will find interesting and valuable to you and your team members. The webinars will take place throughout the day and we will update this page with the schedule.
FINANCIAL SANCTIONS
We’re grateful to the team at VWV for preparing a note for BUFDG members on the impact of sanctions on the sector. It aims to alert Higher Education providers to the broad nature of the UK's sanctions regimes, and how they add to the obligations of pre-existing legislation furthering national security and anti-financial crime objectives. The way it is written emphasises sanctions against Russia for both topicality and illustrative purposes, but is just as applicable to sanctions regimes against other countries. Sanctions legislation applies throughout the UK, with providers in Northern Ireland needing to comply with UK, rather than EU, sanctions. We would encourage members to continue discussions via this post.
SECTOR / FUNDING
The obvious thing to mention first in this Digest would be the mini-budget / fiscal event but, as we’re now somehow back to a pre-event state (but poorer), and we know that much more is coming down the pipe but we don’t know what that actually is, there’s not a huge amount that we can comment on in earnest. Keep an eye on the discussion boards for news of the implications (particularly tax and payroll related),
Apparently the UK has now hit the government’s 2.4% R&D funding target. Well, did we or didn’t we? There’s an article from Josh Martin at the ONS that explains all, as well as some thoughts from the Wonkhe team on what happens next. Now that the new (new) Chancellor has made it clear that no cuts are off the table, has research funding poked its head out of the trenches at just the wrong moment? Or should we be reassured by recent statements in the house? Oh, and there’s a new (new) Science Minister. Thanks David.
Crown Commercial Service has developed a new carbon net-zero funding and grants list, which you can browse here. The web page brings open grant and funding opportunities for net zero projects together in one list and will be useful for members to review available funding streams, funding providers and application dates. Readers may also want to be reminded (via this explainer from Lloyds) that there is still a little time to apply for grant funding under the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.
This morning’s news of the highest inflation rate in 40 years only emphasises the cost-of-living crisis. As institutions weigh-up how to help their students and staff – as well as others in their community – a new report by Millionplus shows that up to 300,000 students across the sector could be at risk of severe hardship over the Winter, with some more at risk than others. The Guardian covers the story. Jim Dickinson at Wonkhe also explains what we know so far about energy bill support for students.
Loose-tongued talk from the Attorney General Home Secretary Suella Braverman about restricting international student numbers has concerned Universities UK, which stresses the damage that could be caused to the UK economy as a result. While that may be true, Jim Dickinson at Wonkhe has a more nuanced view.
TAXES
Tax Technology (half) week saw 16 different sessions showcasing top technology tools from leading accountancy and specialist firms. All these sessions were recorded and will be stored in a repository of technology demonstrations that BUFDG members can access as often as they wish. They are accessible (for now) via the Tax Newsletter.
It was a case of “check the news to make sure our slides are still relevant” for the PEG meetings last week. At the time of writing, the 45% rate of tax has been reinstated and numerous tax bodies/professionals have requested more details on how the repeal of the Off-Payroll Working rules will happen in practice.. There were a number of technical updates at the PEG meetings and these, plus other updates, can be found in this article.
The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) is conducting a review of emerging trends and tax implications of hybrid and distance working. This week, the Charity Tax Group invited BUFDG to a call with the OTS to feed back our views from the H E sector. The OTS explained that they are looking at three distinct ‘buckets’ relating to the UK, international, and the impact on self-employment. Read a summary of BUFDG’s feedback here.
HMRC have updated their social security guidance for workers coming to the UK from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, and the NIC guidance on UK workers working in those countries. The guidance makes it clearer which country’s contributions a person is liable for and provides clarification on which work categories are covered by the UK/Norway social security agreement.
PROCUREMENT
The Government Commercial Function are continuing their series of Masterclasses this autumn / winter. These sessions offer an opportunity to hear examples of commercial best-practice from experts across Government and the wider public sector. HEPA members can attend the sessions, all of which are listed in the HEPA training calendar.
We are grateful to Emilia Hogarth, Head of Communities, Government Commercial Function, for joining the HEPA L&D Group to provide an update on the Transforming Public Procurement programme. Emilia kindly agreed that we could record her presentation so all HEPA members can benefit from it – the session covers an overview of the learning programme, including the free resources that will be made available to you and your team over the coming months. You can view the recording here – it is well worth a watch if the changes will impact you and your institution.
The British Standards Institution (BSI) has published a pioneering national standard, giving organizations guidance on how to manage modern slavery risks in their operations, supply chains and wider operating environment. BS 25700 provides organizations with guidance for addressing the risk of modern slavery, including prevention, identification, response, remediation, mitigation, and reporting.
We were delighted to be joined by Uddalak Datta, Legal Director, Shakespeare Martineau for a HE update on the Procurement Bill. Amongst other hot topics, Udi covered the definition of “Contracting Authority” in addition to the legislative timetable, changes to procurement procedures, principles and award criteria as well as a brief discussion on remedies and oversight. You can watch a recording of the session here, and download the slides here.
The Cabinet Office has released updated versions of the Sourcing, Consultancy and Construction Playbooks. You can view the latest versions of each of the Playbooks on gov.uk via the links in this article. Each page contains the Playbook itself, along with a series of accompanying guidance notes and tools.
A big thank you to all who attended the HEPA round-table on Overseas Agents – Contracts. Ash’s notes from the session are here. Please continue to share and collaborate on the subject on the discussion boards.
EVENTS / OTHER
We’re running another edition of our popular Introduction to HE for Professional Services Staff course on 7 December. This is a one day development event aimed at all professional services staff within their first year of working in HE, who need to grasp the complexities and political environment of HE, and the implications for operating and influencing effectively. You can found out more and book through this link. For any queries, please contact Rachel.
We are pleased to announce a new free-to-attend webinar to help senior leaders in HE increase their personal impact and build on strengths. It’s a mixture of facilitated training and interactive discussion, and delivered by Claire Harvey MBE. This is the link for more information and booking, and please contact Rachel if you have any questions.
WPM is holding its International Payments Summit on 22 November 2022 in London. The agenda for the day looks very interesting, with sessions covering The Changing International Payment Landscape, International Payment Best Practices/Experiences and Financial Crime: International Payment Scams: The Picture in 2022. You can find out more about the summit and register on WPM’s website here.
Following a restructure at Queen Margaret University, the institution is now looking to appoint a Director of Finance. There isn’t a deadline as such but willing candidates may wish to respond by 31 October.
Meanwhile, Jisc is looking for a new Director of Procurement and Contract Management. The successful candidate “will be a part of the finance and procurement senior leadership team and will be accountable for the delivery of a high performing procurement and contract management service”. The deadline for applications is 2 November.
There are lots of other vacancies listed as usual on the BUFDG website.
