Migrating to a new enterprise resource platform (ERP) system presented Singapore University of Technology & Design (SUTD) with the opportunity to enhance its proprietary procurement system.
Following the upgrade, the new version of SUTD Procurement E-Workflow & E-Services Domain (SPEED) now provides more real-time updates and makes it user-friendly to initiate and complete a purchase.
Established in 2009, SUTD is a leading research-intensive global university focused on technology and all elements of technology-based design. It took in the first cohort in 2012 and moved into its permanent campus near the Changi Business Park in January 2015.
About 2,300 undergraduate and graduate students are currently enrolled in degree programmes spanning fields such as architecture, computer science, engineering, and design and artificial intelligence. These programmes are designed to equip students with the necessary skills to develop products, systems, and services capable of addressing complex real-world challenges confronting the world today.
Need for SPEED
With the drive towards digital transformation journey, SUTD recognised the need to optimise its procurement process, aiming to enhance efficiency and productivity.
SUTD went through a journey of requirement review with the organisation wide commitment to scope the desired procurement landscape ahead, ensuring essential procurement controls and governance were implemented to safeguard the interest of the organisation. Overall, SPEED was to be developed as an end-to-end system to work with its then ERP system.
SPEED version 1.0 made its debut on December 19, 2019. It has e-enabled and streamlined at least 80 percent of the manual procurement processes and is also a platform where knowledge sharing is facilitated. The birth of SPEED has marked an indelible chapter in our journey towards procurement excellence.
Switching gear
With its legacy ERP coming to end of life, SUTD decided to switch to SAP S4 HANA, triggering a need to integrate SPEED with the new platform.
It also provided the university with an opportunity to further improve its procurement workflows.
“SPEED 1.0 had many other areas to be improved and other procurement functions to be built. We wanted to have a better streamlined platform, so stakeholders are only required and guided to enter whatever is necessary,” said Bernard Tay, Deputy Director of Procurement at SUTD.
Besides enhancing these areas and integrations with SAP, SUTD also wanted to develop a new module to handle period contracts and framework Agreements. This self-service buy function allows staff to buy off against bulk contracts easily.
JOS was awarded the contract in August 2021 with the target for the enhanced SPEED 2.0 on SAP to go live in April 2022.
“That’s a very challenging timeline in view of the magnitude of SPEED 2.0 and the close interfaces it has with the ERP solution,” said Tay.
“We are very happy with JOS for their professionalism. They have gone above and beyond just following requirements, developing and maintaining the system. The JOS team puts on their own thought process and looked for gaps, provided invaluable feedback and quality inputs. They acted as a techno-functional consultant rather than a supplier,” said Suryakala Mahankali, Lead Specialist of SUTD’s IT Applications team.
Finishing well
Despite the challenges, JOS was able to complete the core integrations and enhancements to SPEED 2.0 within an aggressive timeline.
The enhanced SPEED 2.0 has greatly improved SUTD’s procurement process:
- Easier procurement: The new self-service catalogue module functions like a shopping cart that allows users to access catalogue items and place orders from the right suppliers at the right prices. It also provides a single platform for approvers to approve the purchases. For bulk tenders, the pre-approved list helps expedite the procurement process.
- Better insight on procurement turnaround time: Insightful information is captured, such as the procurement turnaround time. This helps the procurement team identify potential bottlenecks and take prompt actions. Procurement delays can lead to higher costs, lost sales and missed deadlines.
- Real-time information saves time: With real-time information and seamless integration, the procurement process provides immediate validation to ensure the purchases are within the allocated budget. Purchase orders will also be sent automatically to the supplier within minutes after the approval. The Contract Management module has also facilitated users to view and manage their contracts such as contract variation, novation and viewing payment status, in near real-time.
SUTD is pleased with JOS and the outcome of the enhanced SPEED 2.0.
“JOS and SUTD have a shared vision of recognising the value of SPEED for procurement. With their effort, we were able to successfully migrate over to SPEED 2.0 with no disruption to our operations,” said Tay.
“They have not only been accommodating of our requests but have also demonstrated a high level of professionalism and proficiency in their work, showcasing their deep understanding of the subject matter. Although they didn’t possess extensive procurement knowledge initially, their support over the last two years reflects a significant growth in their knowledge and expertise,” said Suryakala.
Speeding ahead
SPEED 2.0 plays a crucial role in data entry within the procurement process, housing a substantial amount of information. Beyond transactional data, it also stores valuable business information. SUTD aims to harness this extensive dataset for enhanced insights and improved decision-making in the future.
Entelechy Asia 