Harford Community College and Unimarket Announced Today the Implementation of Collaborative ePprocurement to Drive Procure-to-Pay Efficiencies and Supplier Automation
Annapolis, MD, November 07, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Today, Harford Community College (HCC) -- the 9,000 student college in Bel Air, Maryland -- and Unimarket, the global leader of collaborative eProcurement networking, announced the signing of an agreement to implement the full suite of procure-to-pay functionality throughout the college. HCC is excited to join the six other Maryland and Washington DC Institutions already utilizing Unimarket’s technology, including Anne Arundel Community College (AACC), to electronically collaborate together through e-Procurement.
Andrew Little CPA, AACC’s Executive Director of Finance, remarked on the announcement. “We’re pleased to see Harford Community College joining the Unimarket network, and look forward to collaborating with them and other Maryland community colleges to achieve hard dollar cost savings. At AACC, we implemented Unimarket in just a few months and achieved payback shortly thereafter. We know Harford will achieve similar savings.”
HCC has been increasing enrollments year on year, and like most colleges, reductions in funding have meant that saving costs and doing more with less is no longer optional. Although the college has been utilizing electronic requisitions for almost five years, HCC realized that directly connecting internal business processes to those of their suppliers and other institutions is the key to continuous process improvement.
“In these times of economic uncertainty we simply can’t be spectators” said Dr. John Cox, CPA, Vice President of Finance, Operations and Government Relations at HCC. Cox himself visited one of Unimarket’s SunGard Banner customers, Manhattan College in New York, to understand firsthand how collaboration can be automated. “I am pleased with the results other Unimarket customers have achieved and the commitment and energy evident in the Harford team who are focused on rapid ROI with this initiative.”
“Collaborative eProcurement is another tool to help us become more strategic in our job “ says Vic Dodson, CPM, Director of Procurement at HCC, who has over 35 years of procurement experience in the public and private sectors. “It not only streamlines and automates some of the buying and payment processes, but also connects us with other institutions to pool our buying power, connecting to our suppliers for economies of scale and shortened cycle times. As an economics instructor, this concept resonates with me as a clear way to improve efficiencies and lower costs for the college and our preferred suppliers. The improved market intelligence and spend analysis will allow us to better manage our supply chains and our commodity purchases.”
Kathy Konrad, Accounting Manager, also visited Manhattan College. “We look forward to the efficiencies that the Unimarket platform can bring to the billing and payment process. We also like the fact that we can configure the integration with our SCT Banner business system to best meet our requirements”, says Kathy.
Scott Blackwood, CEO of Unimarket, remarked on the key to achieving rapid ROI. “Our most successful customers are those who have the right mix of knowledgeable people, good process and enabling technology, it really takes all three equally” said Blackwood. Blackwood also commented on execution. “At the end of the day it takes strong customer leadership, understanding of the unique culture of Higher Ed and a clear communications & project plan. We specifically look for strategic procurement officers who require controls, compliance and efficiencies in spend management, while making things faster and better for internal customers.”
About Harford Community College: Located in Bel Air, Harford County, Maryland. Harford Community College is a publicly supported two-year comprehensive institution of higher education, addressing diverse educational needs. The main campus of the College now consists of 19 buildings on 211 acres. The College owns another 121 acres, called the west campus, for present and future expansion. An open admissions institution that views learning as a life-long activity, the College provides transfer and career programs, developmental education, and continuing education courses.
About Unimarket: Located in Annapolis, Maryland, Unimarket is the global leader of collaborative eProcurement networking, providing software on demand to streamline procure-to-pay operations and achieve cost savings within and across organizations. Customers tailor user-friendly buying portals for decentralized purchasing that drives compliance to selected suppliers from the Global Supplier Network, where quote requests, supplier maintained catalogs and punch-outs are routinely accessed to locate and buy the most cost-effective goods and services – all in sync with controls within respective customer finance/ERP systems. A distinctive feature of the Unimarket solution is the ability for customers to collaborate on their common purchases, thereby increasing economies of scale and driving down unit costs.
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Andrew Little CPA, AACC’s Executive Director of Finance, remarked on the announcement. “We’re pleased to see Harford Community College joining the Unimarket network, and look forward to collaborating with them and other Maryland community colleges to achieve hard dollar cost savings. At AACC, we implemented Unimarket in just a few months and achieved payback shortly thereafter. We know Harford will achieve similar savings.”
HCC has been increasing enrollments year on year, and like most colleges, reductions in funding have meant that saving costs and doing more with less is no longer optional. Although the college has been utilizing electronic requisitions for almost five years, HCC realized that directly connecting internal business processes to those of their suppliers and other institutions is the key to continuous process improvement.
“In these times of economic uncertainty we simply can’t be spectators” said Dr. John Cox, CPA, Vice President of Finance, Operations and Government Relations at HCC. Cox himself visited one of Unimarket’s SunGard Banner customers, Manhattan College in New York, to understand firsthand how collaboration can be automated. “I am pleased with the results other Unimarket customers have achieved and the commitment and energy evident in the Harford team who are focused on rapid ROI with this initiative.”
“Collaborative eProcurement is another tool to help us become more strategic in our job “ says Vic Dodson, CPM, Director of Procurement at HCC, who has over 35 years of procurement experience in the public and private sectors. “It not only streamlines and automates some of the buying and payment processes, but also connects us with other institutions to pool our buying power, connecting to our suppliers for economies of scale and shortened cycle times. As an economics instructor, this concept resonates with me as a clear way to improve efficiencies and lower costs for the college and our preferred suppliers. The improved market intelligence and spend analysis will allow us to better manage our supply chains and our commodity purchases.”
Kathy Konrad, Accounting Manager, also visited Manhattan College. “We look forward to the efficiencies that the Unimarket platform can bring to the billing and payment process. We also like the fact that we can configure the integration with our SCT Banner business system to best meet our requirements”, says Kathy.
Scott Blackwood, CEO of Unimarket, remarked on the key to achieving rapid ROI. “Our most successful customers are those who have the right mix of knowledgeable people, good process and enabling technology, it really takes all three equally” said Blackwood. Blackwood also commented on execution. “At the end of the day it takes strong customer leadership, understanding of the unique culture of Higher Ed and a clear communications & project plan. We specifically look for strategic procurement officers who require controls, compliance and efficiencies in spend management, while making things faster and better for internal customers.”
About Harford Community College: Located in Bel Air, Harford County, Maryland. Harford Community College is a publicly supported two-year comprehensive institution of higher education, addressing diverse educational needs. The main campus of the College now consists of 19 buildings on 211 acres. The College owns another 121 acres, called the west campus, for present and future expansion. An open admissions institution that views learning as a life-long activity, the College provides transfer and career programs, developmental education, and continuing education courses.
About Unimarket: Located in Annapolis, Maryland, Unimarket is the global leader of collaborative eProcurement networking, providing software on demand to streamline procure-to-pay operations and achieve cost savings within and across organizations. Customers tailor user-friendly buying portals for decentralized purchasing that drives compliance to selected suppliers from the Global Supplier Network, where quote requests, supplier maintained catalogs and punch-outs are routinely accessed to locate and buy the most cost-effective goods and services – all in sync with controls within respective customer finance/ERP systems. A distinctive feature of the Unimarket solution is the ability for customers to collaborate on their common purchases, thereby increasing economies of scale and driving down unit costs.
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Unimarket, Inc.
Steven Biggs
888-868-5929
www.unimarket.com
Steven Biggs
888-868-5929
www.unimarket.com
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