WARRINGTON, UK. September 18th, 2025 – Strategic global expansion partner Briars Group has been successfully appointed to Lot 3: Employer of Record (EOR) on the prestigious North Western Universities Purchasing Consortium (NWUPC) Global Mobility Services Framework.
This appointment allows Briars to provide UK universities with a compliant, cost-effective, and agile route to engage talent globally.
As universities increasingly expand their international footprint, the need for a flexible and global hiring model which meets local employment laws has become critical. However, expanding operations abroad comes with significant challenges such as high costs, complex and varied compliance needs and slow procurement processes.
As a trusted partner to over 3,000 organisations in more than 100 countries, Briars brings over 30 years of global workforce expertise to the UK higher education sector. Through this framework, universities can now benefit from a streamlined and fully risk-managed process to hire staff overseas without the need to establish a legal entity in each country.
The appointment to Lot 3 – Employer of Record (EOR) enables Briars to act as the legal employer on behalf of universities. This gives institutions access to global hiring capabilities while ensuring full adherence with local tax, payroll, HR, and employment regulations. It also reduces operational burden on university departments such as HR, payroll and legal, freeing up internal teams to focus on their day-to-day work.
Universities can also enjoy other benefits from Briars’ services, including reducing operating costs by avoiding the overhead of establishing entities and the ability to quickly onboard talent where research, teaching, or administration requires an international presence. It allows complex procurement processes to be avoided through Briars’ position as a pre-approved supplier on the NWUPC framework, cutting through red tape and speeding up hiring.
Andrew Fahey, CEO of Briars Group said: “We are delighted to be appointed to the NWUPC Global Mobility Services Framework. Universities are at the heart of advancing knowledge and fostering international collaboration, and we’re proud to help them achieve that on a global scale.
“This appointment highlights Briars’ proven expertise in compliance, HR, and workforce solutions. It’s an exciting venture for the company that allows us to help universities all over the country access international and domestic staff flexibly and compliantly.”
Unlike tech-only platforms, Briars offers a hands-on, tailored approach to workforce solutions, acting as an extension of a university’s HR, payroll, and regulatory assurance functions. This enables institutions to stay focused on their core mission of teaching, research, and student success while Briars manages the operational complexity of international hiring.
For more information, visit www.briarsgroup.com/for-universities.
ENDS