The Higher Education Systems & Services Consortium (hess)

What The Higher Education Systems & Services Consortium (hess) does

The Higher Education Systems & Services Consortium (HESS) is a U.S. private, non-profit consortium founded in 2014 and headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky. It operates as a community of practice for CIOs, CFOs, and technology professionals at private, non-profit colleges and universities, providing collective purchasing power, peer knowledge sharing, and negotiated contracts through an ecosystem of five foundational enterprise software partners (Ellucian, Oracle, Jenzabar, Workday, Anthology) and more than 40 business partners. HESS does not develop its own software products; instead, it facilitates access to discounted pricing, cohort-based peer learning, and shared implementation resources for its 500+ member institutions.

HESS delivers value through three primary programs: the HESS Collective Program (Oracle Cloud via Drivestream as implementation partner, with 20 institutions currently implementing and 15-year fixed-price terms); the Ellucian HESS Success Program (covering 70% of member institutions via Banner and Colleague cohort groups); and the HESS/Coalition Business Partner program offering negotiated contracts in security, telecom, IAM, endpoint management, and AP automation. Member engagement channels include the HESS Online Leadership Community (OLC), product cohort groups, the ASSIST community platform, quarterly webinars, and the annual National Conference (next: November 16-18, 2026, Louisville, KY).

The consortium generates revenue through Business Affiliate annual fees ($2,500/year), revenue-sharing arrangements with Contract Partners, and conference sponsorships, while membership remains free for eligible private, non-profit institutions. The 2022 strategic partnership with the Coalition for College Cost Savings expanded its procurement reach and member contract offerings. HESS is governed by a board of member-institution representatives and led by Executive Director and Co-founder Keith Fowlkes.

Name

The Higher Education Systems & Services Consortium (hess)

Legal name

The Higher Education Systems & Services Consortium (HESS)

Website

https://hessconsortium.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The HESS Consortium is a U.S. non-profit community of practice serving 500+ private, non-profit colleges and universities, providing collective purchasing power, peer knowledge sharing, and negotiated contracts with enterprise software vendors like Ellucian, Oracle, Jenzabar, Workday, and Anthology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Danville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Business Affiliate Annual Fees: HESS / Coalition Discount Business Affiliates pay an annual fee of $2,500 for membership benefits including 1-2 webinars annually, a microsite on the HESS OLC, and conference participation.
2. Contract Partner Revenue Share: HESS / Coalition Contract Business Partners participate in a revenue sharing program where a portion of contract value is shared with HESS to support member programs and services.
3. Conference and Event Revenue: The annual HESS Consortium National Conference generates revenue through business partner sponsorships at various levels (Elite, Platinum, Gold, Supporting) with varying staff attendance allowances.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The HESS Consortium is a non-profit community of practice that coordinates a network of more than 500 private, non-profit U.S. colleges and universities to collectively lower technology costs and optimize operations. It negotiates master service agreements, facilitates access to enterprise administrative software (ERP, SIS, HCM, LMS) through partner programs with Oracle, Ellucian, Jenzabar, Workday, and Anthology, and provides cohort-based peer learning, conferences, webinars, and a closed online community for technology professionals.

Product overview

The HESS Consortium is a membership-based community of practice for private, non-profit colleges and universities that facilitates technology collaboration, cost reduction, and operational optimization among its member institutions. HESS does not develop or sell its own software products; instead, it serves as a consortium that negotiates group purchasing agreements, manages partner programs, and coordinates collaborative initiatives with enterprise software providers including Oracle (via the HESS Collective Program with Drivestream), Ellucian (via the HESS Success Program), Jenzabar, Workday, and Anthology. The consortium facilitates access to discounted pricing, shared implementation resources, cohort-based peer learning, and collective contracting through strategic partnerships with the Coalition for College Cost Savings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HESS Online Leadership Community (OLC): Closed social media platform for HESS members and business partners to collaborate, share information, and access exclusive partner content and discount information.
• HESS Collective Program
• Ellucian HESS Success Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 20 implementing institutions in HESS Collective Program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• Coalition for College Cost SavingscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Major strategic partnership formed in 2022 with the Coalition for College Cost Savings. Both organizations serve only private, non-profit colleges and universities. The partnership brings more savings, collaboration, and subject matter expertise while focusing on the unique contract needs of private institutions nationwide. HESS and Coalition jointly establish standards for selection and create master service agreements for collective members.
• OraclecoreTechnology or IntegrationOracle is a HESS Foundational Enterprise Software Partner and the chosen platform for the HESS Collective Program. Oracle Cloud for Higher Education provides modern, cloud-native enterprise solutions including ERP, HCM, and student management systems. The platform was selected after evaluation by 33 HESS member institutions over 18 months.
• DrivestreamcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDrivestream is the exclusive implementation and support partner for the HESS Collective Program. They offer 3-year initial implementation and 10-year support plans. Drivestream has partnership with Wipro for scaling capacity. Offers 0% interest financing through CompleteCloud Program.
• ElluciancoreTechnology or IntegrationEllucian is a HESS Foundational Enterprise Software Partner supporting over 160 HESS institutions (70% of membership). Offers the Ellucian HESS Value Program with exclusive pricing, maintenance abatement opportunities, and flexible contract options including 10-year agreement with 2% annual escalation cap. Has dedicated Banner and Colleague cohort groups.
• JenzabarcoreTechnology or IntegrationJenzabar is a HESS Foundational Enterprise Software Partner. Jenzabar ONE was selected most often by HESS members in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. Offers SaaS licensing with 10% discounts for HESS members on add-on modules. Has dedicated cohort co-chairs representing member institutions.
• WorkdaycoreTechnology or IntegrationWorkday is a HESS Foundational Enterprise Software Partner providing enterprise cloud applications for student, finance, and human resources to help institutions better serve students, faculty, and staff.
• AnthologycoreTechnology or IntegrationAnthology is a HESS Foundational Enterprise Software Partner offering the largest EdTech ecosystem supporting over 150 million users in 80 countries. Known for industry-leading LMS (Blackboard Learn), SIS (Anthology Student), and CRM (Anthology Reach) solutions.
• D2LstrategicTechnology or IntegrationD2L is a HESS / Coalition Contract Business Partner and global learning innovation company helping organizations reshape education. Provides Brightspace learning platform with HESS member discounts.
• Doctums GlobalstrategicImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDoctums is a HESS / Coalition Contract Business Partner - management and technology consulting firm focused exclusively on education. Offers exclusive discount rates (10%) to HESS and Coalition members for strategy, administration, and technology consulting services.
• DeepSeasstrategicTechnology or IntegrationDeepSeas is HESS Consortium / Coalition exclusive security partner. A Gartner Top 5 Managed Detection and Response (MDR) security provider for higher education. Provides 24x7 cyber defense through their Cyber Defense Platform.
• Fischer IdentitystrategicTechnology or IntegrationFischer Identity is a HESS / Coalition Contract Business Partner and leader in Identity and Access Management (IAM) for higher education. Offers accelerated identity solution implementing IAM in under 30 days with exclusive member discounts.
• Moran Technology Consulting (MTC)strategicImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMTC is a HESS / Coalition Contract Business Partner and technology consulting provider founded in 2004. Specializes in ERP/SIS replacement space with over 300 institutions worked with and 800 projects completed. Offers ERP Replacement Toolkit at 10%+ discounts for Coalition and HESS members.
• PaymerangstrategicTechnology or IntegrationPaymerang is a HESS / Coalition Contract Business Partner providing AP automation platform enabling invoice automation, payment automation, and vendor management. Helps AP departments save thousands of hours annually with enhanced visibility and reduced fraud.
• FileWavestrategicTechnology or IntegrationFileWave is a HESS / Coalition Contract Business Partner providing multi-platform endpoint management for Windows, macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Android and Chrome. Manages over 3 million endpoints across 7,000+ organizations globally with exclusive HESS member pricing.
• Strata Information Group (SIG)strategicImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSIG is a HESS / Coalition Contract Business Partner providing comprehensive strategy, implementation, and managed support since 1987. Trusted partner to over 600 colleges and universities globally offering procurement, ERP, project management, CRM, and BI/analytics consulting.
• Granite Higher Education SolutionsstrategicTechnology or IntegrationGranite is a HESS / Coalition Contract Business Partner delivering voice and data solutions to educational institutions with savings up to 50%. Services include VoIP, POTS replacement (EPIK), Internet Access, Managed Wireless, and mobility services.
• Brander Group Inc.strategicTechnology or IntegrationBrander Group is a HESS / Coalition Contract Business Partner helping universities safely monetize IPv4 addresses. Has 15+ years in network and data center space with access to companies in ARIN, RIPE, APNIC and LACNIC regions.
• Higher Digital Inc.minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHigher Digital is a HESS Discount Business Affiliate providing management consulting and software for digital transformation from on-premises to cloud ERP. Founded in 2017, has worked with over 200 global institutions offering next generation approach to digital strategy and implementation.
• MainStreet DBAsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMainStreet DBAs is a HESS Discount Business Affiliate providing database administration services for higher education technology environments.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Higher Education Systems & Services Consortium (hess)