Continuous Improvement in FY24
Continuous Improvement in FY24
Campus Contributions Towards Continuous Improvement
Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.
Often attributed to Mark Twain, this idea acknowledges that perfection is an ever-moving target. Continuous Improvement is at the heart of UC Procurement's mission to innovate, enhance value, reduce risk, and improve efficiencies in support of UC’s mission.
This Annual Report, showcased in our new UC Procurement Portal, is an excellent example of continuous improvement by Systemwide Procurement. Consolidating our five previous online resource websites into one Portal, and changing from the former biannual Impact Report to this new Annual Report format offers a more comprehensive, accessible, and relatable understanding of the extensive work accomplished by UC Procurement in one short year.
UC Berkeley
Bears that Buy: Making purchasing BEARable!
In June 2023, UC Berkeley's Supply Chain Management (SCM) team introduced Bears that Buy open Office Hours, a monthly event dedicated to supporting the campus community with all things purchasing. Whether you’re navigating BearBUY, seeking procurement advice, or have questions about accounts payable, this is your chance to connect directly with experts from Procurement, BearBUY Solutions, Accounts Payable, and Berkeley Regional Services. These interactive sessions are designed to make purchasing easy and efficient, offering up-to-date information, personalized assistance, and real-time answers to your questions. It’s customer service like you’ve never seen before—here to make your purchasing experience truly “BEARable!”
UC Davis
Aggie Enterprise Launch Transforms Invoice Processing at UC Davis
In January 2024, UC Davis launched the Oracle Cloud ERP system, Aggie Enterprise, enhancing efficiency but initially causing a backlog of nearly 3,000 invoices for the Supply Chain Management Accounts Payable team. Despite 12 processors working tirelessly, invoices surged to over 3,500 by March, with processing delays threatening Net 30 payment terms. To address these challenges, the team implemented strategic solutions, including daily office hours, form improvements, staff cross-training, and overtime. These measures resulted in a swift recovery, reducing open invoices to under 1,400 by June and fewer than 200 by July. Their proactive problem-solving ensured a successful fiscal close and set the stage for future invoicing success under Aggie Enterprise, showcasing the team's innovation, agility and resilience in the face of challenge.
UC Irvine
UCI Makes Great Strides Towards Efficiency with E2E Initiative
UC Irvine’s Procurement Services is making big strides in its End-to-End (E2E) Procurement initiative to streamline purchasing processes. Over the past 18 months, the team has worked with campus departments to enhance efficiency and customer service. Currently in the design phase, the project aims to transform how purchase requests are managed, from initiation to final Purchase Order. To support this shift, the team is emphasizing stakeholder engagement, robust training, and effective communication strategies. Early results show improvements, such as reduced aging and complex requests, supported by weekly office hours and campus collaboration. A E2E dedicated webpage offers updates and progress tracking, reflecting UC Irvine’s commitment to a more efficient and responsive procurement process for the entire campus community.
UC Irvine
UCI Boosts Efficiency with ServiceNow and Virtual Office Hours
UC Irvine Procurement Services introduced the new ServiceNow ticketing system this summer to enhance efficiency and streamline support for campus units. This upgrade centralizes help desk support, improving response times and service quality. Regular virtual office hours provide real-time assistance on purchase orders, agreements, and policies. These open forums offering live demonstrations and guidance, along with website improvements, have helped staff better navigate the procurement process and resolve issues quickly. The initiative has been well-received, boosting participants' confidence in handling purchasing tasks. With these innovations, UCI Procurement is fostering more responsive service and accessible processes for campus customers.
UC Irvine
Best-in-Class Award for Purchase Card Programs
UC Irvine's PALCard Team has been recognized with the Best-in-Class Award for Purchase Card Programs at the 2023 UC/US Bank Conference. Competing against all 10 University of California campuses and UC labs, the team was honored for its exemplary management, efficiency, and innovation in administering the purchase card program. This accolade highlights UCI’s leadership and dedication to best practices in procurement. The PALCard team’s commitment to streamlining processes and ensuring compliance continues to set a high standard within the UC system, reinforcing their role as a key contributor to UCI’s operational excellence.
UC Los Angeles
Stephen Agostini Named UCLA Vice Chancellor & CFO
Stephen J. Agostini was appointed UCLA’s new Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer, in spring 2024. He brings extensive experience in public finance and strategic planning, previously serving as associate vice chancellor for finance and budget at UNC Chapel Hill and as CFO for several prominent U.S. federal agencies. In this new role, Agostini will oversee UCLA's financial strategies, budget, and resource management, playing a crucial role in advancing the University’s fiscal health and mission. His appointment marks a significant step in enhancing UCLA’s financial stability and operational excellence. The university community looks forward to his leadership and contributions as a key member of UCLA’s team.
UC Los Angeles
UCLA to Transform Abandoned Mall into Cutting Edge Research Hub
UCLA is transforming the vacant Westside Pavilion into a vibrant state-of-the-art research park – the "Westwood Innovation District." Announced in January 2024, this 591,000-square-foot space will house cutting-edge research facilities, labs, and offices for collaboration among scientists, students, and industry leaders. This partnership with Hudson Pacific Properties will focus on technology, engineering, and life sciences, fostering advancements in AI, robotics, and medical research. This trailblazing project aims to boost the local economy by generating jobs and attracting high-tech companies. Set to begin construction later this year, the first phase is expected to be completed by 2026. UCLA's initiative reflects a trend of repurposing spaces to support 21st-century education, research and innovation.
UC Los Angeles
UCLA Receives $120 Million for Groundbreaking Immunology Research
UCLA has received a transformative $120 million gift from philanthropists Alya and Gary Michelson to establish the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy. The Institute will be housed in the new Westwood Innovation District research park, currently under construction. This landmark donation, one of UCLA’s largest ever, will fund two cutting-edge research entities within the institute. One will focus on accelerating vaccine development, while the other will explore novel immunotherapy therapies for diseases like cancer and heart disease. An additional $20 million will be used to support young scientists pioneering new approaches in the field. With this significant investment, UCLA is set to become a leader in immunological research, pushing the boundaries of science to develop life-saving treatments.
UC Merced
UC Merced Launches BobcatBuy+ for a Seamless Shopping Experience
UC Merced launched BobcatBuy+, an eProcurement upgrade that simplifies and enhances the campus shopping experience. BobcatBuy+ is an overlay by Labviva on the Oracle purchasing platform, and integrates 25 catalogs into a single, easy-to-use system that allows for easy product comparison, pricing, and access to detailed information like shipping estimates and research protocols. The project involved collaboration with over 30 suppliers and multiple rounds of testing with faculty and campus staff to ensure a smooth transition. BobcatBuy+ sets a new standard for efficient procurement and is expected to reduce tail spend by streamlining orders through contracted suppliers and decreasing invoice exceptions via automated processes. This successful rollout is a result of collaborative efforts between UC Merced, UC Systemwide Procurement, and UC San Diego, who first piloted the Labviva technology.
SWP - Travel
Annual Travel Survey Delivers Insights
The Central Travel Office conducts an annual survey, a vital tool for capturing feedback from over 600+ participants. Each year the survey consistently reflects high satisfaction with our service and competitive airfare offerings. Client comments provide crucial enhancement suggestions, with this year’s survey showing a need for more robust and updated online tools. These insights drive ongoing program improvements and active collaboration with our travel management partners. Though a non-mandated travel program, our travel services have seen a remarkable 19% year-over-year growth. This success underscores the value of our program, which not only delivers cost savings but offers benefits that significantly enrich the travel experience for our users.
SWP - Information, Analytics & Systems
SWP Enhances Spend Data Process with Validation and Transparency
Systemwide Procurement (SWP) has revamped its spend data refresh process to boost accuracy and transparency. In March 2024, the SWP Data, Analytics & Reporting team, in collaboration with Systems team and GEP, reviewed and re-mapped the refresh process, introducing enhanced data validation and clearer role accountability. To provide stakeholders with clear visibility of each month’s data and ensure CalUsource spend data accuracy, key improvements include a comprehensive validation process based on a monthly spend calendar published in the Procurement portal. This updated process has already improved operational efficiency and data reliability. These enhancements allow for more timely updates to dashboards and reports, benefiting the entire UC Procurement community by maintaining data integrity for improved decision-making.
SWP - Program Management Office
UC Procurement Launches One-Stop Digital Hub
January 2024 marked the debut of the UC Procurement Portal, a groundbreaking digital platform that centralizes everything related to procurement for the University of California system. This newly launched site consolidates five previous websites into a single, user-friendly hub, providing a comprehensive resource for systemwide procurement contracts, policies, trainings, news, events, and more. The public face of this site caters to suppliers, the media, and the public, but when UC staff login, they gain access to a wealth of exclusive content and tools. Designed to work seamlessly across desktops, tablets, and phones, the portal is a dynamic solution poised to evolve with future development phases. This innovative platform is set to redefine how procurement is managed across the UC system, streamlining processes and enhancing efficiency for all users.
SWP - Program Management Office
Driving Success with Integrated Project Management (IPM)
At the heart of effective continuous improvement for SWP is Integrated Project Management (IPM), a structured project intake, tracking and delivery system. Well-defined stages—Intake, Approval, Runway, Discovery, Implementation, Hypercare, and Delivered—ensure IPM projects move forward with clarity and purpose. Regular meetings with cross-team stakeholders—project managers, project owners, and communications—serve as touchpoints for monitoring project status, intaking new projects, knowledge sharing, and provide a comprehensive view of project staging and progress. Project sponsors, SWP Leadership, and the Procurement Leadership Council (PLC) are consulted for input as needed. Key IPM benefits include greater visibility and transparency, identification of integration points and cross-project impact, issue resolution, effective resource allocation, trust and credibility in project delivery, and collaboration that brings measurable results.
SWP - Information, Analytics & Systems
Procurement Dashboard Enables Better Outcomes
Data-driven decision-making is crucial to ensure more efficient and effective procurement operations. An important effort in this area is the development of the UC Procurement dashboards, a series of automated and interactive dashboards built in Tableau to provide a single source of truth in measuring our progress against collective UC spend, benefit and supplier diversity goals. Additionally, these dashboards’ direct integration with CalUsource, the procurement platform that houses our data, help significantly enhance data integrity and reliability. The Procurement dashboards are updated monthly with current and historical data on Key Performance Indicators (KPI) including spend, benefits, and supplier diversity, at systemwide and campus levels, and are used to assess progress in these areas and guide informed decision-making.
SWP - Impact, Policy & Compliance
Exciting Milestone for UC's Covered Services Workforce Program
In April 2024, the Covered Services Workforce Project reached an important milestone as it transitioned from a project implementation team to a permanent office: the Workforce Commitment Office (WCO). Led by Andy Willis, the WCO oversees the implementation of UC’s Covered Services obligations and reports into UC Labor Relations. Partnering with AgileOne for technology solutions and Systemwide Procurement (SWP) and UC Health Procurement for procurement expertise, the WCO now manages UC’s relationships with suppliers and key stakeholders in Covered Services. Ongoing collaboration among WCO, AgileOne, and UC business partners and stakeholders made for a smooth and mutually beneficial transition from project implementation to a managed service program.
SWP - Strategic Enhancement Team
Making Bank for UC!
The U.S. Bank Card program showed promising growth, but inconsistent strategies across campuses and unusable data exports created challenges. To tackle this, a UC San Diego intern, working with the Strategic Engagement Team (SET), developed a Power BI data visualization dashboard that compares UC spending with U.S. Bank data. This tool allows users to filter and analyze key data points, enabling easy identification of areas for improvement at the systemwide, campus, and category levels. Implementing this dashboard could boost card spend by $800 million, generate over $13 million in new rebates, save labor hours, and increase efficiency. This project underscores the significant value student contributions can bring to UC’s business processes and how UC students can help the University "make bank!"
UC Riverside
Modernizing UC Riverside's Financial Systems
The Impact23 program modernizes financial transactions, budgeting, and reporting at UC Riverside. The initiative replaces outdated systems with advanced, cloud-based solutions like Concur Travel & Expense, Kuali Sponsored Programs, Oracle Budget (EPM), and Oracle Financials. By implementing the UC-mandated Common Chart of Accounts (CCOA), Impact23 standardizes business processes and strengthens UCR’s technological infrastructure. This transition also upgrades existing systems like eBuy and iTravel, ensuring reliable, high-quality financial services for the campus community. The program addresses the limitations of the previous UCRFS system, which was no longer vendor supported, ensuring long-term success for the university. Developed with input from various departments and experts, Impact23 provides UCR with powerful tools to support its mission of teaching, research, and public service.
UC San Diego
Campus Markets Debut Amazon’s Just Walk Out Technology
UC San Diego took a pioneering step by introducing Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology at three campus market locations, enhancing the shopping experience with seamless, cashier-free checkouts. This cutting-edge technology allows customers to simply scan a QR code upon entry, shop, and leave without needing to wait in line. The initiative, led by the Integrated-Procure-to-Pay Solutions team, marks the first installation of Just Walk Out technology within the UC system. This revolutionary upgrade is more than just a convenience for students and staff—it has also boosted sales and efficiency. UC San Diego’s strategic collaboration with Amazon has transformed campus retail operations and set a new standard for shopping at UC campuses.
UC San Diego
UCSD Concur 2.0 Transforms Travel and Expense Management
After two years of meticulous planning and data-driven refinements, UC San Diego is celebrating the successful launch of Concur 2.0, an upgrade that transforms travel and expense management across campus. Driven by extensive user feedback, Concur 2.0 delivers a more intuitive workflow, reduces data entry and enhances transparency. Concur 2.0 is a testament to UC San Diego’s dedication to innovative, client-focused solutions. Since launching in April 2024, the new system has reduced over 520,000 clicks, eliminated 77,000 account code mismatches, prevented over 1,000 chart string validation errors, and saved over 6,775 hours in staff time! These improvements underscore the team’s commitment to enhancing user experience and operational efficiency.
UC San Francisco
UCSF SCM Unveils New Website for Enhanced User Experience
UCSF Supply Chain Management (SCM) launched a new website to streamline access to essential resources and improve the UCSF user experience. This revamped platform offers a more intuitive layout, making it easier to find critical information on procurement, logistics, payment solutions, travel and supplier diversity. With enhanced navigation and updated features, the new site allows quick access to tools and support, from campus bid opportunities to payment policies and supplier registration. The site also reflects SCM's commitment to innovation and service excellence, providing a modern digital experience that aligns with UCSF’s mission. Visit the new SCM website to explore the latest features and discover how UCSF is transforming supply chain management for a more efficient and user-friendly future!
UC San Francisco
UCSF SCM Highlights Strategic Advances in FY23-24
UCSF Supply Chain Management (SCM) achieved major milestones in FY23-24 to enhance campus operations and streamline sourcing. A new IT Sourcing Pipeline, developed with IT Executive Leadership, optimizes IT procurement and project execution through strategic monthly reviews. In January 2024, SCM launched a sourcing process to establish long-term strategic contracts, boosting procurement efficiency and fostering stronger partnerships across the campus. Additionally, UCSF simplified facility rental agreements for more flexibility and better space utilization and introduced new guidelines for community partner payments to ensure transparent financial transactions with outside organizations. The Greenphire ClinCard Program, paying clinical research participants with reloadable debit cards, was launched to simplify compensation for their valuable contributions. These initiatives demonstrate SCM’s dedication to operational excellence and strategic growth, supporting UCSF’s mission.
UC Santa Cruz
UCSC Launches Guided Buying Module in CruzBuy
UC Santa Cruz has launched the new Guided Buying module in CruzBuy, revolutionizing the way the campus community makes purchases. This innovative feature streamlines procurement by “guiding” users directly to UCSC Preferred Suppliers, promoting strategic partnerships and smarter spending decisions. Guided Buying offers an informative and user-friendly experience by showing essential policies, news updates, and key information directly to CruzBuy users. By highlighting strategic suppliers, it ensures buying from partners that provide the best value and align with UCSC’s purchasing goals. This upgrade not only simplifies buying but also optimizes the procurement process by supporting UCSC’s commitment to make informed, strategic purchasing decisions that benefit the entire campus.
Strategic Priorities
UC Procurement is committed to the five strategic priorities below. Through dedication to these priorities, we strive to empower our campuses, foster innovation, and shape a more sustainable and equitable future. This Annual Report is organized by these five priorities – click any card to delve into our progress in these areas:
Economic and Social Impact
Strategic Partnerships
Drive Value and Savings
Continuous Improvement
Risk Management
Our supply chain, legal, and policy strategies minimize risk to safeguard UC against financial, operational, and reputational damage.