ePro - Taking University of Missouri Purchasing to the Next Level!
On November 9, 2006 UM officially kicked-off the system wide implementation of a new eProcurement system designed to use the power of the Internet to streamline the procurement process and dramatically reduce acquisition costs, freeing up millions of dollars for expanding the University's core missions of teaching, research and economic development. By seamlessly integrating SciQuest’s catalog function with a significantly improved version of our PeopleSoft purchasing module we will create a "virtual marketplace" comprised of a wide range of products from which to compare and choose. This marketplace affords end users a "one-stop" shopping experience with the ability to order from supplier's complete on-line catalogs at pre-negotiated discounted prices. The "Amazon.com" like ease of process will facilitate end users increased utilization of those supply sources which provide requisite quality and service at the most favorable price, thus affording substantial material and administrative cost savings. In so doing we expect to realize a system wide annual savings ranging from a minimum of $5.4M to a potential $17.9M when fully deployed. It is therefore clear why eProcurement at UM is not just a "Procurement Project" but in fact is an integral part of university leadership's strategic plan and its anticipated success will significantly impact the financial health of the entire UM System.
Solution design and development is expected to take approximately nine months after which all campuses will simultaneously conduct a 3-4 department pilot before rolling the new system out to all users. Recognizing the critical importance of wide spread user adoption, Advisory Groups have been formed to insure that each campus has input throughout the solution design, development and deployment phases. The names of the Campus Advisory Group Leads are provided below. In early February the Campus Advisory Groups will host a program(s) for their campus users at large providing a detailed project overview as well as actual product demonstrations. Keep an eye out for the date, time and location for your campus program!!
Campus Advisory Group Leads are UMC - Teresa Vest, UMKC - David Babcock, UMR - Pat Davis, and UMSL - Tangie Brooks
Reviewed 2019-08-05