Implementation of Ariba purchasing system moving forward

Progress continues on the implementation of Ariba as Purdue's purchasing system, which will connect the University to a large global network of suppliers enabled for e-commerce. The activity is part of Purdue's ongoing procurement transformation.

Ariba 1, the first of two major implementation phases, is well underway, says Philip O'Keeffe, Purdue's director of procurement services. The following milestones have been achieved in the implementation:

* The University-wide project team led by Vicki Mayes, manager of strategic sourcing, launched the first module of the cloud-based Ariba solution in mid-May. This will be the new efficient and consistent means for the University to manage requests for proposals, quotations and information.

* The Supplier Enablement Team led by Nathan Elias, procurement data analyst, continues to connect suppliers to the Ariba Supplier Network. The team has conducted three well-attended summits via WebEx web conferencing to lay out expectations for goods and services providers to proactively work with Ariba and Purdue to get connected.

* Dave Barnett, manager of strategic sourcing, and the Procure to Pay (P2P) team have moved forward with their Ariba partners on the configuration, data integration and system build for this critical module. The module is scheduled to launch Sept. 23.

* The procurement transformation's Change Management Leadership Team is set to finalize a training plan around the end of May, and the initial training modules are expected to be available for P2P at the end of July. The team is conducting in-depth interviews to analyze change readiness and to collect input that will help refine the approaches to training, communication, support and adoption metrics. The interviews are being held with stakeholders from Business Management, Physical Facilities, Housing and Food Services, Intercollegiate Athletics, Procurement Services, and the Calumet, Fort Wayne and North Central campuses.

The Executive Sponsorship Team continues to actively support the overall procurement process transformation. The team is co-chaired by Tim Sands, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost, and Al Diaz, executive vice president for business and finance, treasurer.