JAGGAER ONE Solution Proves Vital in Helping the University of Pennsylvania Manage Procurement Through the Covid-19 Pandemic

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. and PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- By utilizing the JAGGAER ONE source-to-pay solution suite, the University of Pennsylvania has successfully managed a procurement environment that has played a pivotal role in enabling remote teaching and work while allowing local, diverse, and environmentally sustainable procurement practices to thrive during the Covid-19 pandemic. Penn processes approximately 200,000 purchase orders and 400,000 invoices annually as it procures more than $1 billion worth of goods and services. The University also on-boards approximately 15,000 new suppliers and payees each year, and by doing so, collects useful diversity data that enables effective reporting and goalsetting.

“The University of Pennsylvania’s response to this unprecedented situation, in providing continuity to students, faculty, and staff, has been more than impressive. I speak with organizations all over the world and my advice is always ‘hope for the best but plan for the worst.’ Organizations like the University of Pennsylvania that have their supply chains and spend management systems in order have been in a much better position to cope,” said JAGGAER CEO Jim Bureau.

In 2018, Penn implemented new system functionality through JAGGAER, which established a supplier self-service portal and provided the administrative ability to manage payment-requests electronically. Previously, many activities within these areas were processed manually on paper and in very high volumes. By making these activities fully electronic, the University alleviated the necessity for staff to be present on campus and instead perform their work remotely.

Michael Popko, University of Pennsylvania Director of Disbursements said, “We were already pleased to offer more efficient processes while also helping the planet by removing reams and reams of paper from our process flow.  We didn’t foresee that the solution would also support our current health and safety protocols by further enabling remote work, but it certainly has.”

These enhancements were built onto JAGGAER’s electronic sourcing platform that was implemented several years ago and matured over time, thereby creating a rich marketplace for Penn’s buying community and directing their purchasing-activity to preferred suppliers.  As buyers use the Penn Marketplace, helpful icons identifying local, diverse, or green status for the products and suppliers are prominently featured.  As a result, the system not only facilitates cost-containment by leveraging aggregated spend but also plays a critical role in advancing sustainability and economic inclusion. 

As Mark Mills, Penn’s Chief Procurement Officer, explained, “The benefits of this longstanding relationship are currently paying off in many areas.  Because we have a versatile platform that simplifies making purchases through our preferred suppliers, we’ve been able to highlight local, small, minority-owned businesses. Many of them are providing resources such as personal protective equipment, building signage, or other important goods and services that are critical, and in extremely high demand during these extraordinary times.”  

“JAGGAER shares University of Pennsylvania’s commitment to greater supplier inclusiveness, which we support through our globally connected network. We look forward to embracing positive change in partnership with successful customers like Penn over the coming years,” added Jim Bureau.

Mills concluded, “Making smart procurement an easy process can often be a real challenge — especially in a very complex, decentralized environment. We’re pleased to be collaborating with our Penn colleagues, suppliers, and JAGGAER to continuously improve the systems and tools we use to help advance the University’s academic and research mission while also being intentionally inclusive and sustainable.”

About University of Pennsylvania Purchasing Services

Founded in 1740, the University of Pennsylvania has approximately 27,000 full-time students. Purchasing Services, a department within the University’s Business Services Division, is responsible for central procurement leadership at Penn. The focus of Purchasing Services is on its customers – the faculty, staff, and students at Penn who carry out the University's education and research mission.  Driven by the pillars of the Penn Compact 2022 – Inclusion, Innovation, Impact – Purchasing Services performs the following core activities for the University:

• Sourcing and negotiating favorable supply chain solutions, leveraging Penn's spend to achieve best-value outcomes,
• Managing supplier relationships to ensure end customers’ needs are met,
• Delivering positive impact in the areas of economic inclusion, environmental sustainability, and responsible supply chain management, and,
• Implementing and managing innovative procurement solutions to enable optimal process efficiency and make smart purchasing easy

About JAGGAER: Procurement Simplified

JAGGAER is the world’s largest independent spend management company, connecting customers to a network of 4 million suppliers in 70 countries, served by offices located in the Americas, APAC, Asia and EMEA. JAGGAER offers end-to-end SaaS-based procurement solutions, including advanced Spend Analytics, Category Management, Supplier Management, Sourcing, Contracts, eProcurement, Invoicing, Supply Chain Management and Inventory Management. These all reside on a single platform, JAGGAER ONE. JAGGAER has pioneered spend solutions for more than two decades and continues to lead the innovation curve by listening to customers and stakeholders in all industry sectors, public services and academia. JAGGAER holds 37 patents – more than any other spend management company.

JAGGAER Media Contact

Abigail Holmes
Corporate Ink for JAGGAER
[email protected]
+1 617.969.9192

University of Pennsylvania Media Contact

Barbara Lea-Kruger
Director, Communications and External Relations
[email protected]