Further to the Job Evaluation update provided in June 2026, the Joint Secretaries can now confirm that the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has commissioned KPMG to conduct the Lessons Learned review of the work relating to the college sector’s Professional Services Staff job evaluation process.

As such, the Job Evaluation Project Board (JEPB) requested that the SFC and KPMG attend their most recent meeting on Monday 5 October. The methodology of the forthcoming review was presented by both organisations, as to the rationale of why the review was required and how it will deliver meaningful findings and conclusions via the final report.

This work has now officially commenced and the KPMG team will engage with all stakeholders including College Employers Scotland (CES) representatives and the trade unions to undertake a focused review of the job evaluation process to date, drawing out lessons learned and identifying practical recommendations to support next steps over the next few months.

The review is expected to consider areas including:

•    Project Management
•    Governance and oversight arrangements.
•    Roles and responsibilities across the key organisations involved.
•    Stakeholder engagement and communications.
•    Programme delivery, including planning, risk management.
•    Budget management and funding arrangements.
•    Practical actions that will support the next steps of the exercise.

Throughout the process the SFC will continue to liaise with the JEPB and Scottish Government colleagues to ensure communications are coordinated and that updates are shared at appropriate points. The agreed Terms of Reference between SFC and KPMG can be found here.

We will continue to keep you updated on the progress of the review.