Southern Universities Management Services (SUMS) is a charitable company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales (2732244), incorporated on 17 July 1992 and registered as a charity on 18 November 1994 (1042175).

SUMS has three operating divisions: SUMS Consulting, Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium (SUPC) and Procurement Shared Service (PSS), which delivers the national Procurement Maturity Assessment.

SUMS is owned by its Members who are the principal beneficiaries of its services.

SUMS is governed by the SUMS Board (also known as the SUMS Management Committee), which is made up of directors appointed from SUPC’S and SUMS Consulting’s memberships.  The members of the Management Committee are also charity trustees for the purposes of charity law.

SUMS VAT registration number:  798 3933 58
Registered office: University of Reading, Reading Enterprise Centre, Earley Gate, Whiteknights Road, Reading, RG6 6BU.

Freedom of Information 

Please contact us in writing at consulting@sums.ac.uk for any Freedom of Information requests.

Directors Reports and Financial Statements

Privacy Notice

Our privacy notice can be found here.
Our Transparency notice (staff) can be found here.
Our Records Retention schedule can be found here.

SUMS Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy

SUMS Group Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy can be found here.

SUMS Sustainability Statement

SUMS take responsibility for any impact that our activities may have on the environment, the economy and society. We aim to sustain economic and social growth while ensuring minimal impact on the environment. We approach these issues ethically and transparently.

Economic Sustainability

SUMS Consulting, a not-for-profit organisation, actively promotes and supports the development of good practice in higher education.  We work to obtain maximum efficiency and productivity in our activities and contribute to the local economy whenever possible.

Social Sustainability

We support small and medium-sized enterprises and local businesses and provide a safe and fair working environment with equal opportunities for all employees.  We adhere to the highest standards of human rights practices and international labour laws.

Environmental Sustainability

SUMS supports the University of Reading’s Green and Clean Scheme (https://www.reading.ac.uk/cleanandgreen/).  Through the scheme, SUMS aims to reduce its carbon footprint, recycle the majority of our waste and develop sustainable travel plans for employees.

When purchasing office resource and materials, SUMS takes advantage of services available through the Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium, an organisation that obtains value for money in purchasing while also considering sustainability requirements.

You can find our SUMS Group Modern Slavery Statement here.

You can find our SUMS Group Sustainability Policy here.

Contact Us

For answers to questions regarding our privacy policy or information we hold about you, please contact Claire Tudor-Morgan, Head of Finance and Administration:
c.l.tudor-morgan@sums.ac.uk
☎  0118 228 4020

Southern Universities Management Services
Reading Enterprise Centre
University of Reading
Earley Gate
Whiteknights Road
Reading, RG6 6BU