University Business - September 2011 - (Page 53)

Strategic procurement efforts may result in other departments being able to to preserve budgetary areas that are key to the institution’s mission. For example, saving on supply costs can mean maintaining or expanding research dollars. That has been the case at universities such as UC San Diego, where there are a wide variety of research areas. need to still prove yourself. “In some cases, people did fight me. I’m of good people on campus are working in ways that they believe not going to say it was all hunky dory, kumbaya,” he shares. But he are good, but they’re not necessarily working smartly,” he says. “By did keep in mind the importance of working together. going out and sitting with them, you change the dynamic. ... You Hicks found herself in a position of starting from scratch when hear things they need, respond to those, get a little credibility, build CU’s four campus procurement offices were consolidated and the up some trust. Then you bring up major initiatives, because they Procurement Service Center was established at the medical campus. hear you care about their business.” “People were very much used to dropping by, dropping stuff off,” Top-down support for procurement certainly doesn’t hurt. she says. At the new location, 30 miles away, “nobody was going to “When we introduced eProcurement at Missouri, we got the blessing come see us. We had to flip our thinking from inward to outward of the board and the president. The announcement about eProcurecustomer service.” ment came from the president,” Cooper says. “It does me no good Currently located with the Office of the President, the center’s to do it. Then you’re pushing that boulder uphill.” Starting from the outreach continues. It includes department visits, during which explanation of why key leadership is firmly behind the effort, it’s procurement officers share their roles; annual supplier showcases more difficult for people to say they don’t want to participate. on each campus, which attract about 1,400 people per year; anAt UC San Diego, it was the vice chancellor of business affairs nual procurement office open houses, also for each campus, where who provided the boost that Johnson’s team needed to gain suppeople can explain their procurement issues; a twice monthly news- port. “I think having that executive-level support was very key in letter; and invitations to the procuregetting us an audience,” Johnson ment office for specific departmental says. “After that it was having the presentations. data to compel them. Nothing, for While events such as the supplier sure, has been automatic.” Coupa, www.coupa.com showcases are a lot of work, “I’d say This, however, does seem sure: E&I Cooperative Purchasing, www.eandi.org we get way more value back,” Hicks Procurement is getting noticed on National Association of Educational Procurement, www.naep.org says. “Also, your relationship [with campuses. Murner’s advice to proother departments] has changed forcurement professionals: “You’ve got National Joint Powers Alliance, www.njpacoop.org ever. I think there’s this great apprethe light on you. Now you need to nextSource, www.nextsource.com ciation for our department that we know what your dance is.” SciQuest, www.sciquest.com took the time to do this for them.” Spikes Cavell, www.spikescavell.com For Cooper, relationship building The Cooperative Purchasing Network, www.tcpn.org See the online version of this article at has involved sitting down to create a www.universitybusiness.com for 12 Unimarket, www.unimarket.com face-to-face dialogue, actively listenways institutions can be more strategic U.S. Communities, www.uscommunities.org ing to people’s pain points. “A lot about procurement. Resources universitybusiness.com September 2011 | 53 http://www.coupa.com http://www.eandi.org http://www.naep.org http://www.njpacoop.org http://www.nextsource.com http://www.sciquest.com http://www.spikescavell.com http://www.tcpn.org http://www.universitybusiness.com http://www.unimarket.com http://www.uscommunities.org http://www.universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - September 2011

University Business - September 2011
Contents
Editor's Note
College Index
Ad Index
Behind the News
Viewpoint
Financial Aid
Money Matters
Internet Technology
Shared Governance
Acknowledging Achievement
Looking Back
Spotlight on Procurement
EduComm 2011
End Note

University Business - September 2011