consortiums provides us the benefit of aggregate spend of members in turn providing highly favorable negotiated terms and conditions.” Additionally, UA prioritizes vendors with established relationships within Ohio’s higher education network. “We tend to use vendors that other schools have used, specifically our sister public universities in the state of Ohio. So, by doing that, we eliminate even more risk because they’re already doing business with institutions like us,” Irish explains. This approach secures reliability and consistency within the procurement process, ensuring that UA remains resilient, even amid global disruptions. Luckily, the university has a dedicated physical facilities department, so its inventory management is handled separately, allowing the procurement department to focus on its most relevant functions. LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY AND COLLABORATION FOR INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT In an era marked by rapid technological change, UA has positioned itself as a leader in digital transformation. “We are utilizing Workday as our ERP system, which we launched back in June 2023,” Irish says. The implementation of Workday is a testament to the university’s commitment to total integration between finance, HR, procurement, and student systems in the form of a cohesive, end-to-end solution. Photo Credit: Robert Muller 112 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 11, ISSUE 12
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