A new challenger: PSET wins PURCON Best Exhibition Stand as it enters higher education ERP market A new challenger: PSET wins PURCON Best Exhibition Stand as it enters higher education ERP market From left: Pitso Mahlaole: Manager Procurement, University of Pretoria, Chris Wentworth: Chief Technology Officer, Gregory Steenberg: Manager - Business and Data Analysis, Kamal Patel: Group CEO, PURCO SA. For years, South African universities and TVET colleges have had few choices when it comes to the systems that run their operations. PSET wants to change that, and its debut at PURCON 2026 suggests the sector is ready to listen. The company launched its enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform at the annual PURCO SA conference in Sandton in October and walked away with the PURCON Best Exhibition Stand award. "From a sales and marketing perspective, winning the best stand at the conference is a big one," said Jean-Claude Kipinde, Sales and Marketing Manager at PSET. "We had a presentation of a few minutes, but the reception from that was strong. A lot of people came to the stand, quite excited about what's coming to the market." Jean-Claude Kipinde said the higher education ERP space has long been dominated by a small number of providers. "Historically, there have always been two major players, for both universities and TVET colleges," he said. "We bring something different, something that integrates internally and brings all the different aspects of an institution's operations together." The message landed with buyers. "We've had a few procurement managers stand here and say this might be the next big thing," he said. "So, we're quite excited." Jean-Claude Kipinde, Sales and Marketing Manager at PSET. Buyers are clear about what they want from a new entrant. Thembi Tabatha, Director of Procurement at the Vaal University of Technology (VUT), said her priority is a system that ties every function to institutional strategy. "An ERP system is going to assist, particularly if it starts at the strategic level and then breaks down," she said. "If it's procurement, procurement must align to strategy." Asked what drew the most interest, Kipinde pointed to a frustration he hears from almost every visitor: staff jumping between systems to get their work done. "When you speak to people operating different functions in a university, they always say: I must do this here, and then go there to pull that," he said. "The big draw card is that it is everything in one place." Many institutions currently rely on several third-party systems. "Finding everything in one place is such a relief for them," he said. Visitors also showed strong interest in PSET's supply chain module, which manages the procurement process from requisition through to approval and order, a natural fit for PURCON's procurement-focused audience. Sydney Maqoqa, Deputy Director: ICT Customer Services at Nelson Mandela University, said the promise of an integrated system matches what institutions need. "It is very promising, and it talks to some of the challenges that we have," he said. "The expectations are very high." Cost is always part of the ERP conversation. While Kipinde did not share pricing, he said consolidation brings its own savings. "What I will say is there will be some change left over compared to what institutions are currently using, to do a lot more in the institution," he said. "If you don't have to use multiple systems, you don't have to pay multiple invoices at the end of the year." PSET chose PURCON deliberately. The conference, hosted by the Purchasing Consortium Southern Africa (PURCO SA), draws procurement, finance, ICT and facilities decision-makers from almost every university and TVET college in South Africa and Namibia. CEO Ebenezer Smith said that made it the ideal launchpad. "Effectively, our entire market is in the room," he said. "There was hunger, there was a desire for alternatives." Tabatha said that is exactly why buyers attend. "It's good to meet with the various service providers, to know what is out there and to identify what you don't have in your own institution," she said. With the launch complete, PSET's focus now shifts to detailed demonstrations for interested institutions. Requests can be made at www.pset.tech or [email protected].