Strategic Collaboration and Sourcing Cut Costs for California Community Colleges

California Community Colleges system is the largest system of higher education in the United States with more than 70% of its students from diverse ethnic backgrounds. It faced a massive challenge: providing cutting-edge technology to 2.1 million students across 116 colleges while working within increasingly tight budgets and limited staffing.

Jennifer Keiper, senior director of procurement services at the Foundation for California Community Colleges (FoundationCCC), explained the core challenge: "Districts must prioritize funding for students and faculty, making efficiency and cost-effectiveness in procurement essential."

The case study, “Sourcing Solutions Creatively and Cost Effectively at California Community Colleges” featured on EDUCAUSE, highlights how California Community Colleges tackled the challenge of limited budgets while ensuring it adopted cutting-edge technology to meet the demands of modern education.

Through strategic partnerships with FoundationCCC, CollegeBuys (a strategic purchasing program) and technology solution partners like CDW, California Community Colleges was able to streamline its procurement and contracting processes through favorable terms and pricing. By consolidating procurement across its vast network, the colleges achieved better pricing, reduced redundancies and ensured consistent IT infrastructure across campuses.

Central to this transformation was a commitment to leveraging technology as a tool not just for cost savings but to also meet the increased expectations for improved technology resources for students, faculty and staff in an ever-shifting environment.

The EDUCASE case study shows how early relationship-building, carefully designed pilot projects, and flexibility and adaptability to evolving issues helped transform how America's largest higher education system approaches technology procurement. It also demonstrates how CDW helped California Community Colleges navigate complex technology decisions through tailored consultations. This support enabled California Community Colleges to maximize its IT investments and achieve its educational goals with a comprehensive roadmap including assessment, design, implementation services and ongoing support.

The relationship between FoundationCCC and CDW led to a better understanding of the shifts in the technology market. This collaboration helped both sides stay updated on evolving solutions, adjusting agreements as necessary. FoundationCCC monitors changing needs by visiting colleges and engaging with leaders, in addition to holding quarterly meetings with CDW to address feedback on emerging challenges and institutional requirements.

The strong connection with CDW helped each group see through the lenses of others, which fostered mutual understanding, making a complex process a little easier to navigate.

This partnership paid dividends in the end, demonstrating how strategic collaboration and vendor partnerships can deliver substantial cost savings without compromising high-quality equitable education.

This partnership model addresses a critical gap in higher education procurement. Rather than institutions navigating complex technology decisions alone, they gain access to expert guidance that helps maximize their IT investments while ensuring solutions align with educational goals.

Rupa Saran, vice chancellor and CIO at Coast Community College District, emphasizes the evolving role of technology leaders: "CTOs need to be more strategically involved, using their expertise to help shape high-level decisions and contribute to the broader vision at the executive level."

The California Community Colleges case study demonstrates that even large, complex educational systems can achieve significant cost savings through strategic collaboration. The key lies in viewing vendor relationships as partnerships rather than transactions, prioritizing collective benefit over individual institution advantages and maintaining flexibility to adapt to changing technological landscapes.

For CFOs and IT leaders facing budget constraints while needing to modernize technology infrastructure, these insights from the complete case study featured on EDUCAUSE offer a proven roadmap to more efficient technology sourcing in an ever-shifting environment.