17 May 2005

To	Heads of HEFCE-funded higher education institutions Heads of universities in Northern Ireland

Direct Line	0117 931 7300
Direct Fax	0117 931 7203

Circular letter number 12/2005

For further information contact Heather Williams, tel 0117 931 7113, e-mail h.williams@hefce.ac.uk

Dear Vice-Chancellor or Principal

Evaluation of the effectiveness of the Joint Costing and Pricing Steering Group (JCPSG) in its second phase

1. The sponsors of the JCPSG (UK funding bodies, Universities UK and the Standing Conference of Principals) have commissioned consultants Deloitte & Touche LLP to review the work of the group in its second phase. This letter explains how they plan to consult institutions as part of the review.

2. The second phase of the JCPSG's work began in August 2002, and its activities will cease after 31 July 2005. The group's terms of reference and strategy (published February 2003) are set out at Annex A. The JCPSG has also established an exit strategy to ensure that activities to support the embedding of good costing and pricing practices are taken over by institutions, sponsors and relevant sector bodies from August 2005 onwards. A copy of the exit strategy is attached at Annex B. (The documents are also available on the web at www.jcpsg.ac.uk under About us.)

3. A fundamental part of this review will be consultation with higher education institutions (HEIs) focusing on how well costing and pricing has become embedded in HEIs decision-making processes, and how the JCPSG's activities have supported this. The consultation will comprise interviews with a representative sample of HEIs, and an electronic questionnaire sent to all HEIs.

HEI interviews

4. A sample of 20 HEIs will be invited to provide feedback to the Deloitte's team via face-to-face interviews. The purpose is to solicit views from individuals who have experience of implementing and embedding costing and pricing processes into the financial and academic decision-making process within the institution. The discussion will focus on the following key areas:

views on the overall performance of the JCPSG against its original terms of reference
views on the effectiveness of the JCPSG in delivering its aims and objectives
views on the adequacy of the JCPSG exit strategy and its effectiveness in supporting HEIs' future progress
progress with embedding good costing and pricing practice into decision-making processes within the HEI
any other views regarding the effectiveness of the JCPSG.

5. We will write separately to Directors of Finance at the HEIs selected for interview, with further information about the arrangements.

e-Questionnaire

6. The Deloitte team will send a questionnaire by e-mail to Directors of Finance at all HEIs. Directors of Finance will be asked to identify the most appropriate individuals to complete the questionnaire, in order to provide feedback on the embedding of costing and pricing processes within the HEI. The questionnaire should take no more than 30 minutes to complete, and will focus on the key issues outlined above. The deadline for the return of all completed questionnaires will be Friday 10 June 2005.

Queries

7. If you have any queries regarding the arrangements for the review please contact the Deloitte Project Manager, David Coulson:

David Coulson
Deloitte MCS Limited
Gainsborough House
34-40 Grey Street
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 6AE
tel 0191 202 5263
e-mail dcoulson@deloitte.co.uk

8. The consultants' report is due to be completed in July 2005 and will be made available to HEIs in autumn 2005, after it has been considered by the JCPSG's sponsors.

9. Given the importance of the review, and the key role that HEIs can play in informing its outcomes, we would very much appreciate your help in taking part in discussions and responding to the questionnaires.

Yours sincerely

Steve Egan
Director (Finance & Corporate Resources)

Download

Annexes A & B
[ MS Word 75K | Zipped Word 11K | Adobe PDF 25K | Zipped PDF 20K ]