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Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration

Enterprise Services Partnership

Why We're Building a Partnership

The University of Kentucky is growing. We are serving more students, more patients and more communities across Kentucky than ever before.

To meet those growing needs, UK and Compass Group have formed the Enterprise Services Partnership. The partnership is designed to strengthen the support services that help our enterprise — UK, UK HealthCare, UK St. Claire and UK King's Daughters — operate every day.

As higher education and healthcare evolve, we need better coordination, consistent service standards and the ability to grow with the people we serve.

Through this partnership, Compass Group will help oversee key services including maintenance, grounds, custodial services, dining and food services, in-patient transport and in-patient sitting services.

Our Commitments to You

These commitments to our employees are firm:

  • You will remain a UK employee.
  • Your pay will not be reduced.
  • Your benefits will not change.
  • You will not be required to relocate.

This includes employees at UK, UK HealthCare, UK King’s Daughters and UK St. Claire.

If you are a current UK employee and you choose to pursue a promotional opportunity with Compass Group, you will have comparable pay and benefits.

About Compass Group

Compass Group is not new to Kentucky. The company already employs more than 1,400 people supporting UK HealthCare and works in communities across the state. 

Compass Group teams have been on campus to get to know you and will continue to host meetings and orientations to answer your questions and provide you with more information. 

You can learn more at WelcometoCompassatUK.com. 

FAQs

If you have a question that is not answered here, please reach out to your supervisor. You can email servicepartnership@uky.edu at any time with questions.

Will current employees continue to have a job?

Yes. This initiative is not about eliminating positions or replacing UK employees. 

These are our commitments throughout the partnership:

  • UK employees will stay UK employees — at UK, UK HealthCare, UK King's Daughters and UK St. Claire.
  • No one is being forced to move to Compass Group. You and your work stay where you are. 

Will pay or benefits change?

No. There will be no reductions in pay or benefits. 

You will continue working for the university with the same pay and benefits you have today, including your PTO, EEP and FEP benefits, among others.

You will continue to be eligible for salary increases under UK policies and processes. As with all UK employees, future increases depend on university decisions, available funding and applicable policies at that time.

What happens to new hires after the partnership begins?

Over time, many new positions within the partnership scope are expected to be hired through Compass Group. The specific hiring approach may vary by position and operational need. You will be informed as decisions are made.

What could change over time?

Any changes will be phased, planned and communicated ahead of time.

Possible changes could include:

  • New tools or systems
  • Updated processes to improve coordination
  • Training to support those changes

These changes would be designed to support you and improve how services work.

Will supervisors change?

For many employees, day-to-day reporting relationships may stay the same initially. As the partnership evolves, some organizational structures could change to support new ways of working. You will be notified before any changes affect you.

Who directs day-to-day work?

You should continue to follow the direction provided by your supervisor. 

The goal of the Enterprise Services Partnership is to create a coordinated team environment where responsibilities are clear and employees know who to go to for guidance and support.

What if there are changes to Major Job Responsibilities (MJRs)?

If there are changes to Major Job Responsibilities (MJRs) those changes would follow UK Human Resources policies and protocols. There will be clear communication and support.

How will performance evaluations work?

UK employees will continue to participate in UK's performance management process. Supervisors will provide information and expectations as evaluation cycles occur.

Compass Group employees will participate in performance evaluations in alignment with Compass’ policies.

Has a decision been made to partner with an external company?

Yes, we have selected Compass Group as our enterprise services partner and are in the process of formalizing the final agreement. 

How will UK hold Compass Group accountable?

The final agreement between UK and Compass Group will include performance expectations and accountability measures. UK will have a team manage the partnership, monitor service delivery and work closely with Compass Group leaders to ensure commitments are being met.

Why is UK reviewing these services?

UK is growing and serving more students, patients and communities across our Commonwealth.

At the same time, higher education and health care are facing new challenges, and it's changing how we operate. 

We want to ensure all our teams — across the enterprise — have the support, tools and coordination they need.

Which services are part of the Enterprise Services Partnership?

Services in scope include:

  • Maintenance
  • Grounds
  • Custodial services
  • Dining and food services
  • In‑patient transport
  • In‑patient sitting services

These services operate across multiple locations, including the academic campus and UK HealthCare in Lexington, UK St. Claire in Morehead and UK King’s Daughters in Ashland. 

How will this impact employees in the future?

Some employees may have optional growth opportunities over time that do not exist today.

The overall goal is to better support our people with:

  • Clear systems
  • Consistent tools
  • Better coordination across locations

You can find open positions with Compass Group in the UK enterprise online at careers.compass-usa.com/jobs

What if I missed a town hall or meeting?

You can reach out to your supervisors or leadership for the latest information on this process at any time. 

This website will stay updated.

If employees have questions, they can email servicepartnership@uky.edu. 

How will I get updates?

You will continue to receive updates through:

  • This website
  • Emails
  • Supervisors and leadership

You can send questions at any time to servicepartnership@uky.edu. 

We are committed to keeping you updated throughout this process.

What is the main goal of this initiative?

The goal is to build a stronger and more coordinated service model with the resources needed to support UK’s mission and growth.

This effort is focused on supporting employees and ensuring services continue to meet the needs of students, patients and the community.

What is included in the Request for Proposals (RFP)?

The RFP has clear requirements, including:

  • Employees remain UK employees.
  • No reductions in pay or benefits.
  • Payroll and benefits costs reimbursed to UK.
  • Support for student employment where possible.

You can learn more about our RFP process and the steps we've taken below.

Where are we in the process right now?

We are finalizing an agreement with Compass Group. You can learn more about our RFP process and the steps we've taken below.

Who is making this decision?

A large group of UK leaders has worked on this across four committees while representing: ​

  • Facilities Management​

  • Staff Senate​

  • Human Resources​

  • UK Athletics​

  • Student Success​

  • UK HealthCare​

  • UK King's Daughters​

  • UK St. Claire​

Feedback you shared in meetings helped guide our next steps.​

Who is on the evaluation committee?

The evaluation committee had broad representation from:  

  • Finance and Administration 
  • Facilities Management  
  • The Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment  
  • Staff Senate 
  • Student Success  
  • UK Athletics 
  • UK HealthCare 
  • UK King’s Daughters 
  • UK St. Claire  
 
Your feedback shared during November town halls was also provided to the committee.
 

Our Guiding Principles

These guiding principles explain what matters most as we look at better ways to support our employees and strengthen how services work across UK.

Advance Together: Retain our talent by creating opportunities for our teams to learn from one another, build shared expertise and contribute to excellence in service, maintenance and operations. 

Build Trust Through Transparency: Engage openly with employees, partners and stakeholders to foster understanding and confidence as we transition to an enterprise model, while respecting confidentiality and the integrity of contractual processes. 

Operational Excellence: Work with a qualified partner to establish consistent standards and requirements across the enterprise to deliver high-quality, reliable and sustainable services that support our mission of education, research, service and care. 

Maximize Financial Opportunities: Leverage private investment to maximize returns and strengthen long-term financial sustainability, supporting the institution’s continued growth. 

Mitigate Risk and Ensure Resilience: Design and implement systems that proactively manage operational, safety and financial risks — building resilient infrastructure and processes capable of adapting to future challenges across higher education and health care. 

Leverage Technology and Data: Use data-driven insights and modern systems to enhance preventive and predictive maintenance, optimize resource use and enable smarter decision-making across the enterprise. 

Value Partnership: Collaborate with a trusted third-party partner to bring specialized expertise, proven practices and external innovation that accelerate improvement and strengthen our capabilities. 

The Work We've Done

UK conducted a competitive procurement process through a formal Request for Proposals (RFP). Multiple national service providers submitted proposals. After evaluating and reviewing the proposals and conducting due diligence, UK selected Compass Group as the partner best positioned to help advance the university's mission to Advance Kentucky.

RFP process: 

  • Phase 1
    • Phase 1 is designed to notify and invite potential partners who may be interested in providing enterprise services across our institution.
    • The RFP describes the service areas and scope of a potential partnership broadly — not in deep detail. The goal is to determine who may have the interest, capacity and qualified experience to support the services we are evaluating.
    • Our evaluation committee assessed all the responses and made a shortlist of qualified potential partners to advance to Phase 2.
  • Phase 2
    • Phase 2 digs into finer, more detailed information between potential partners — including operational expectations, service details and financials — while both sides explore what a potential enterprise-wide service model would entail.
    • UK held working sessions and negotiations with potential partners to evaluate their capabilities and alignment with our needs.
    • Leaders assessed how well each partner aligns with our mission, values and long-term vision.

2025

  • November — UK leaders connected with potentially impacted employees through a series of in-person town halls and email updates. This website was launched along with servicepartnership@uky.edu. 
  • December 2025 — UK released the Request For Proposals (RFP) on Dec. 4, which launched Phase 1 of the RFP.

2026

  • January–February — Six proposals were submitted and then evaluated. 
  • February — Potentially impacted employees were updated again through a series of smaller staff meetings along with an email. 
  • March — UK leaders met with and held presentations with two finalists.
  • April — UK leaders chose an apparent successful partner and analyzed the proposal. 
  • April–May — Potentially impacted employees were updated through a series of regular townhalls. 
  • April–June — UK leaders began negotiations with the apparent successful partner
  • June — Biweekly enterprise-wide town halls continued to provide updates to potentially impacted employees. UK signed a nonbinding Letter of Intent (LOI) with Compass Group.
  • July — UK leaders and Compass Group amended their LOI. Compass Group began services as part of the partnership.

What's Possible Through Partnership

Clear commitments

This partnership is built around clear commitments to the people we serve — preserving pay and benefits for UK employees, reducing costs for students and fans, supporting Kentucky communities and improving the services that support our campuses and hospitals every day.
Read UK’s update to employees about the Enterprise Services Partnership. 
Read about UK’s commitment to putting students first. 
Read UK’s plan for an enhanced game day. 
Read about how UK and Compass Group will grow Kentucky’s food economy.
Read about the vision for “Food Force One.” 
Read about Compass Group's investments in the UK enterprise.

Questions?

Questions?

If you have any questions about the Enterprise Services Partnership, please email servicepartnership@uky.edu. 

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