E&I Partners With the Higher Education Systems and Services Consortium

JERICHO, NY – E&I Cooperatives Services (E&I) and the Higher Education Systems and Services Consortium (HESS), a nonprofit organization for private colleges and universities, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to work collectively to help members connect and save money through technology and services software agreements.

As part of the MOU, E&I has committed to aid in the development, negotiation and management of HESS’s ERP and ancillary administrative software agreements, providing HESS members with access to competitively researched and negotiated features and pricing from its software partners.

“This is a perfect relationship for E&I’s new technology initiatives,” states Keith Fowlkes, co-founder of HESS and VP of E&I’s Technology Category.  “The connection between E&I and HESS brings new resources to both of our organizations.”

“Our HESS leadership team has known since the beginning that we needed assistance and expertise in contract development and negotiations,” states Bob Keasler, HESS Board of Directors president. “This relationship with E&I brings the HESS Consortium members the expertise it needs, while helping E&I better connect with technology leaders in HESS’s growing number of smaller, private, non-profit member institutions.”

This alliance marks a new initiative for E&I to more closely engage with small and mid-sized private institutions on their shared technology contract needs. “We see this as a natural partnership with shared goals to serve our collective members more effectively,” said Tom Fitzgerald, CEO, E&I Cooperative Services. “I’m confident E&I and HESS can help make the technology buying process more efficient for our member institutions.”

About HESS
The Higher Education Systems & Services Consortium (hessconsortium.org) is a fully incorporated 501c3 nonprofit, membership-run organization.  Made up of chief financial officers, chief information officers as well as technology and finance directors, HESS is focused on collectively lowering costs and increasing collaboration between private colleges and universities in the area of administrative systems and services.

About E&I
E&I Cooperative Services (E&I) is the member-owned, not-for-profit sourcing cooperative delivering expertise, solutions and services to education and related institutions. E&I provides members with access to a diverse portfolio of competitively awarded contracts, electronic procurement solutions and consulting services to help them source effectively. By leveraging the knowledge and expertise of nearly 4,100 member institutions, E&I helps members reduce costs and optimize supply chain efficiencies. The Cooperative’s member-driven competitive solicitation process has been validated by the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP) as being in compliance with generally accepted procurement standards. For more information, please visit: www.eandi.org

Featured

  • Howard Community College President Joins National Research Council

    Howard Community College President Daria J. Willis was recently appointed to the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Commission on Research and Community College Trends and Issues, according to a news release.

  • StarRez Releases 2025 State of Student Housing Report

    Student housing software solutions provider StarRez recently released its second State of the Student Housing Industry Report, according to a news release. The report is based on the results of survey data from more than 400 higher education institutions around the world, both StarRez clients and not.

  • ClassVR headsets

    Avantis Education Revamps Hardware for ClassVR Solution

    Avantis Education recently announced the launch of two new headsets for its flagship educational VR/AR solution, ClassVR. According to a news release, the Xcelerate and Xplorer headsets expand the company’s offerings into higher education while continuing to meet the evolving needs of K–12 users.

  • Minnesota District Partners with Kraus-Anderson on Four Construction Projects

    Stillwater Area Schools in Lake Elmo, Minn., recently announced a partnership with Kraus-Anderson for construction projects at four schools in the district, according to a news release. The projects’ funding comes from a $175-million referendum passed in November 2023.

Digital Edition