Provider benefits from cloud-based procurement platform
Aged care provider HammondCare has improved its procurement and invoicing processes by implementing a cloud-based system.
Better supplier engagement and improved user experience are among the benefits of upgrading to a modern cloud-based procurement and invoicing solution, the head of procurement of an aged care provider tells Australian Ageing Agenda.
Aged care provider HammondCare migrated its on-premise procurement and invoicing systems to Coupa in January as part of a larger information technology infrastructure and application transformation project.
The cloud-based platform enables HammondCare to source products, generate purchase orders, process invoices and manage contracts and expenses in one platform.
HammondCare head of procurement Aaron Passfield said the platform has improved the organisation’s procurement and invoicing processes.
“We have more of an Amazon shopping experience now with a more modern interface,” Mr Passfield told AAA.
The platform’s modern features include the ability to run virtual credit cards and expense modules.
Other benefits include better supplier engagement and an improved user experience, Mr Passfield said.
HammondCare’s previous procurement system, which was implemented in 2014, had a simple interface and only core procurement-to-pay functions, he said.
“We had an old legacy system that was expiring and needed to be updated, so moving to the cloud was in line with our strategies,” Mr Passfield said.
A key aspect in choosing the Coupa solution is that it meets the organisation’s current and future business needs, he said.
“You certainly want to be able to find a system that you’d grow into and not have to do these transitions as often,” Mr Passfield.
The migration to the new system was short at about six months but it encountered some challenges, he said.
“The timeframe was short because we had an existing system. We weren’t coming from a paper-based system so that was the added advantage,” Mr Passfield said.
“There were a lot of challenges with rolling out a new system, especially within the pandemic time. We weren’t able to be on site and we had to deliver that all on Microsoft Teams.”
He said they overcame these challenges by engaging with management consultants Valta Technology Group and speaking to aged care providers who had already undertaken a similar migration.
“We spoke to a few companies with a similar size to us and had similar challenge. Having developed policies beforehand was also a great benefit for the change management process,” Mr Passfield said.
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