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Emory University: Saving Millions with Electronic Procurement
7/24/2003
Easy Online Sourcing
At the heart of the success of Emory's eProcurement system is the time-saving
online shopping experience that is part and parcel of the whole package. All
stock products can be researched from users' desktops, eliminating tedious searches
and comparisons of traditional business directories or paper catalogs. Approved
vendors are listed in pull-down menus for faster sourcing. All items are at
users' fingertips.
For computer hardware and peripherals, the online listings include consortium pricing from organizations such as the Western States Contracting Alliance (WSCA), the Educational and Institutional Cooperative (E&I), and the Atlanta Regional Consortium of Higher Education (ARCHE), as well as special pricing negotiated for Emory by ePlus Technology, an ePlus subsidiary and national IT reseller.
For the non-stock items frequently desired by Emory's research facilities and medical centers, users can submit requisitions listing product descriptions rather than catalog numbers and then check an option titled "Other Source" that flags the request for special attention. Once the order has been vetted by all reviewers, it enters a queue for handling by one of Emory's buyers. The buyer in turn searches for the item or initiates a Request for Quotation to complete the purchase.
In this way, purchasers of non-standard items still reap the benefits of automated approval, including eliminating the risk that out-of-the-ordinary requests will slip through the cracks. This system also enables Emory's purchasing department to keep all requisitions and purchases in a central database for easy access and analysis.
Paving the Way
Emory selected Procure+ because of its flexibility
to adapt to the imperatives of university purchasing without modifying existing
processes or ignoring the huge volume of exceptions inherent in a university
environment. By working with ePlus on customizations, Emory has essentially
paved the way for other universities interested in transitioning to paperless
procurement.
Rex Hardaway (purrdh@pur.emory.edu), is director of Procurement and Material Services, Emory University.
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