The HESS Consortium is not a GPO so we partner with the Coalition for College Cost Savings on master service agreements (MSA) for our collective members. Standards for selection are jointly established between the organizations in partnership. It is a costly process to create MSAs for our members so we want to make sure that companies meet a high level of excellence and national coverage. Before they are submitted as candidates to the Coalition for a master service agreement, HESS leadership uses the follow rubric to evaluate new business partners for both the business affiliate level and the business contract partner level.
Does the company reach all or a large portion of our member institutions nationally?
It is important for our partner companies to have the capacity to work with our national membership and provide the best services and/or products to the majority of our member institutions. What is your past and current commitment to the U.S. higher education market and what are your resources here? The criteria for this is usually associated with the number of sales and technology staffing within the company and, based on the type of services offered, the location and number of field offices in the U.S. With this, smaller local and regional businesses are normally disqualified.
(20 points)
Has the company been referred to HESS by two or more member institution as a reputable company. If a company is recommended by member institutions as a viable and reputable company who provided (or is providing) good services/products, HESS will take this into account when reviewing potential business affiliates and partners. (30 points)
Our HESS / Coalition master service agreement (MSA) has many items that are meant to protect our member institutions, their data and their operations. While the MSA is a short and broad guide for standards that we require from our business partners, many companies may be unable to adhere to the requirements that we ask of our business partner candidates. (standard requirement)
HESS / Coalition Contract Business Partners are requested to engage with our HESS member institutions on a quarterly basis and be active in our national conferences and periodic regional gatherings. These quarterly engagements include 1.) quarterly webinars on various topics related to higher education technology operations, products and services and 2.) quarterly entries in our HESS Consortium Business Partners Quarterly e-blast. Some companies do not have the resources to provide content necessary to engage with our members on a regular basis. (20 points)
As the HESS Consortium grows in numbers, the value of the consortium grows in terms of buying power, marketing and engagement with c-suite leadership. With this, we have set up a two-tiered partner program where companies support the HESS Consortium monetarily for its communication services and events for its members on behalf of our business partners. Many companies are unable to afford even the low costs that are involved with the programs.
HESS / Coalition Business Affiliates ($2,500 annually) are given 1-2 webinars annually, a microsite on the HESS Online Leadership Community closed social media site and invited to our annual national conference.
HESS / Coalition Contract Business Partners (low negotiated revenue share) are offered quarterly webinar engagements, quarterly articles in our HESS Consortium Business Partners Quarterly e-blast, a microsite on the HESS Online Leadership Community closed social media site and invited to our annual national conference to be sponsoring companies.
(standard requirement)
Our HESS Business Affiliates and our Contract Business Partners should be of high report, a national leader in their service/product areas and be able to perform at the highest levels in sales, support and pricing for our national membership. HESS leadership evaluate the need of companies’ products and services from member evaluation groups, communications and sometimes polling of the membership. This is also weighed heavily against current contract MSAs HESS currently has in its portfolio of contracts to avoid duplication of services. (30 points)
If a potential business partner meets the standard requirements and scores at least 80 points (out of 100 possible) within the rubric, the company is recommended to the Coalition by HESS as either a business contract partner or business affiliate. Please view current HESS Business Partners and Affiliates below.
Current Approved HESS / Coalition Contract Business Partners and Business Affiliates
About Nuventive
Nuventive helps colleges and universities improve how they plan, assess, and demonstrate progress.
The Nuventive Improvement Platform is purpose-built for higher education—connecting strategic planning, learning outcomes, assessment, and accreditation into a single, aligned approach.
Institutions use Nuventive to move beyond disconnected processes and reporting requirements, creating a clearer line of sight between their mission, their work, and their results.
By bringing these elements together, Nuventive supports more informed decision-making, stronger accreditation outcomes, and a more sustainable approach to continuous improvement.
Nuventive + HESS Consortium
HESS is built around a simple idea: institutions learning from one another to improve how they operate.
Members regularly exchange ideas, share approaches, and explore ways to gain efficiencies through cohort-based vendor relationships and operational insights.
Nuventive supports that same goal—helping colleges and universities connect planning, assessment, and evidence in a way that strengthens alignment and decision-making across the organization.
For private, non-profit institutions navigating increasing expectations around accountability, outcomes, and efficiency, the challenge isn’t access to data—it’s bringing it together in a way that is usable, aligned, and sustainable over time.
That’s where Nuventive comes in.
A More Connected Approach
Nuventive helps institutions move beyond fragmented processes by bringing together:
- Strategic, data-informed decision-making
• Learning and operational outcomes
• Assessment and planning
• Accreditation and evidence management…into a single, connected framework.
This allows institutions to not only document what they are doing—but to clearly demonstrate how their work supports their mission, priorities, and student success.
Designed for How Institutions Actually Work
Nuventive is built to support the way higher education operates across roles and functions:
- Academic leadership can align programs and outcomes to institutional priorities
• Institutional research and assessment teams can manage processes more consistently and efficiently
• Cabinet and executive leaders gain clearer visibility into progress, performance, and impact
• Technology teams benefit from a flexible platform that integrates into the broader institutional ecosystemThe result is a more coordinated and transparent approach to planning, assessment, and improvement—without adding unnecessary complexity.
Where This Connects with HESS
HESS brings institutions together to share knowledge, compare approaches, and identify opportunities for operational efficiency.
Nuventive complements this by providing a common structure for how institutions:
- Organize and manage evidence
• Align goals and outcomes
• Support accreditation and reporting
• Identify and adopt effective practicesFor HESS members, this creates an opportunity not only to strengthen internal processes, but to learn from peer institutions navigating similar challenges.
From Process to Improvement
Many institutions have strong processes in place—but those processes often operate in silos.
Nuventive helps bridge that gap by making it easier to:
- Connect planning to outcomes
• Turn assessment into actionable improvement
• Strengthen self-study narratives with clear, aligned evidence
• Maintain consistency across cycles, teams, and reporting needsThis shift—from disconnected processes to a more integrated approach—supports more meaningful, sustainable improvement over time.
How We Work with Institutions
Nuventive partners closely with institutions throughout their journey:
- Implementation aligned to your structure and priorities
• Ongoing support from a team experienced in higher education
• Guidance on strengthening planning and assessment practices
• Access to a broader community of peer institutionsOur goal is not just to support compliance—but to help institutions build a stronger foundation for continuous improvement.
A Natural Fit for the HESS Community
At its core, both HESS and Nuventive are focused on helping institutions work more effectively.
By combining HESS’s model of peer insight and operational alignment with Nuventive’s approach to planning and improvement, institutions are better positioned to:
- Improve visibility into performance and outcomes
• Strengthen accreditation readiness
• Create more efficient, scalable processes
• Learn from peer institutions across the networkHear It from Our Customers
Arcadia University and Nuventive: Student Learning Outcomes Video
https://vimeo.com/1007704269/b015f7e9c9?fl=pl&fe=shArcadia Case Study
https://nuventive.com/resources/#case-study
To learn more about these relationship levels and how your company might develop a business relationship with HESS, click here. For more information on this process, please contact Keith Fowlkes, Executive Director for the HESS Consortium at keith.fowlkes@hessconsortium.org.

