The way The University of Western Ontario does business, particularly in how it engages a vendor, will be the topic of discussion Wednesday, May 25 at the Innovative Ideas Forum of the Council of Ontario Universities.
Gitta Kulczycki, vice-president (resources & operations), will be presenting on Western’s Procure-to-Pay project as part of a panel discussion on transformed processes at the event held at Victoria University at the University of Toronto. The forum is focused on exploring administrative efficiencies in the broader public sector.
Procure-to-Pay was one of two Challenge the Process initiatives launched in 2007 within Kulczycki’s portfolio. The project ran until 2009 and was implemented under the leadership of Lynn Logan, associate vice-president financial services.
“Although the project ran for approximately 20 months, process improvements in this area have continued and become a way of doing business,” Kulczycki says. “The primary scope of the project was to define, measure, and improve the business processes that encompass all aspects of engaging a vendor at Western – from the initial purchase contract to the final payment of invoices.”
The project was selected as one of three processes highlighted at the forum because of its impressive outcomes.
“Many universities have and are undertaking process improvement initiatives. Here at Western, continuous process improvement is an ongoing focus of our operations,” Kulczycki says.