So much of our focus, since Covid and the start of the war in Ukraine, has been on upfront estates costs. With inflation hitting energy most obviously, but also capital development costs, wages and pensions, it has never been easier to put the everyday necessity of a strong backlog maintenance programme onto the back burner.
At the AUDE Big Conversation event for 2026 we’ll be tackling this idea. We know it is a fundamentally critical one to the long-term resilience of the university estate. Saving pennies today is extremely attractive as an idea, when under the kind of financial pressure that we are. But few of us doubt that the pounds mount up in the background when we delay.
Institutions face really difficult choices about where to prioritise investment. Backlog maintenance - often preventative, often invisible - can be an easy area to defer. Yet the consequences of underinvestment are well understood: escalating future costs, reduced asset performance, increased risk, and growing pressure on already stretched resources.
This year’s Big Conversation creates a space for honest, pragmatic discussion about how the sector responds. Through shared insight, sector data and practical experience, we will explore how universities can better understand, articulate and manage backlog maintenance in a challenging financial environment. The conversation will look at how estates teams can strengthen the case for sustained investment - both internally and with external partners - and how commercial and supply chain stakeholders can play a constructive role in supporting more strategic, preventative approaches.
Above all, the Big Conversation 2026 is about resetting the narrative: recognising that doing the basics well is not a compromise, but a cornerstone of effective estate stewardship.
The event will include a Welcome Drinks and Dinner the evening before, on Tuesday 10 November from 6.00pm. Then on Wednesday 11 November a morning study tour of the University of Strathclyde's campus, as well as a panel session and group discussions. The event will consist of discussion and knowledge-sharing sessions. The event will provide an open forum and opportunities for discussions and exchanges for the delegates attending to consider and reflect on. The event on Wednesday 11 November will run from 09:00 to 16:00.
