Leeds Beckett University extends Unit4 capabilities and streamlines purchasing with Proactis

Challenge 

Leeds Beckett University is one of the most popular universities in the UK, with around 3,000 staff and more than 24,000 students drawn from almost 150 countries. With procurement decentralised across approximately 500 buyers throughout the institution, the University faced challenges in driving compliance, reducing maverick spend, and giving staff an efficient and consistent way to find and order what they needed. 

The purchasing process was resource-intensive and often non-compliant, with limited visibility of what was being ordered and from whom. Following an upgrade to its Unit4 Business World ERP system, the University identified the opportunity to implement a marketplace solution that would integrate seamlessly with Unit4 and provide a single destination for all purchasing activity - regardless of the supplier's level of eCommerce capability. 

The University wanted to drive extra value, improve compliance, and eliminate wasted time by giving all 500 buyers access to approved suppliers, nationally negotiated prices, and a streamlined, auditable purchasing process. 

Solution 

Proactis Marketplace was selected as the best fit for the University's diverse supplier profile, providing the flexibility to accommodate suppliers at every level of eCommerce readiness - from full XML integration through to hosted catalogues and free-text orders. The Proactis Marketplace feeds directly into Unit4 Business World through a single ERP connection, with Proactis managing all supplier catalogue and punch-out integrations on the University's behalf. 

All orders - whether punch-out, hosted catalogue, or free-text - are sent electronically to suppliers via the Marketplace once raised in Unit4. For suppliers capable of receiving and responding via XML, orders are received automatically and electronically, enabling the earliest possible delivery of goods and eliminating manual processing at the supplier's end. Line-level invoice-to-PO matching drives straight-through invoice processing, with XML invoices in particular achieving close to 100% straight-through processing - removing the need for the Accounts Payable team to handle discrepancies. 

Approvals are managed at the click of a button with policy-based user restrictions, and initial catalogue content was prioritised around the categories with the greatest impact on ordering speed and price savings - including stationery, IT consumables, and laboratory supplies.