About the Client

Georgia, the eighth-largest state in the nation by population with an estimated 10.7 million residents as of 2021, is also the third fastest-growing state in terms of numeric gain and fifth in terms of percent gain.

Client Challenge

The main objectives of this project were to:

• Plan, design, and implement the Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise SRM software to support SPD procurement operations.
• Roll out the system functionality to two additional state agencies.
• Create a master plan for the staged rollout of the procurement system functionality to all other state agencies.

The Governor’s Commission for a New Georgia Procurement Task Force examined how Georgia’s 123 state agencies handle procurement selecting, bidding, and purchasing of thousands of supplies and services totaling more than $3.8 billion per year. As a result of the Task Force findings and recommendations, the procurement transformation initiative was launched in late 2005. Since a significant amount of spend is procured through the DOAS State Purchasing Division (SPD), much of the Initiative’s efforts were focused on this area. The SPD establishes statewide contracts, which state agencies are required to use and which other state agencies, state institutions, and local governments can use.

The SPD transformed its core organization and procurement standards and determined that Oracle’s PeopleSoft Enterprise was the best technology to enable the State to employ its recently improved business process. The State wished to replace its paper-based and manually intensive process with an online and electronic solution.

Client Solution

The State issued an RFP in early 2007 and subsequently awarded a contract to CherryRoad to implement the selected Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise SRM modules. These modules included eProcurement, Strategic Sourcing, Supplier Contracts Management, eSupplier Connection, and the Supplier Portal. The State wanted to add these modules to the existing PeopleSoft Financials Instance that was already in production.

In addition, the State wished to integrate the system with a electronic catalog system, SciQuest. The requirements for the new solution included:

• Replace paper-based requisitions with an online requisitioning tool.
• Electronically route requisitions through the approval process.
• Automatically create Purchase Orders based on approved requisitions.
• Electronically dispatch purchase orders to vendors.
• Manage Statewide Contracts in an electronic solution and allow online collaboration in the contract process.
• Electronically process solicitations from creation through analysis to award.
• Enable vendor self-services to access purchase orders and payments.
• Replace the current vendor registration system.
• Allow agencies that were not using the state’s Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise instance to easily access items on the statewide contracts to obtain the preferred pricing.
• Automatically post bids to Georgia Procurement Registry.

CherryRoad designed the following business process around the capabilities of the Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise modules:

• Utilize eProcurement to enter online requisitions, route for approvals using workflow, and source approved requisitions to a Purchase Order.
• Integrate Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise with SciQuest to access the online catalog and place catalog items onto the online requisition. Use integration to electronically dispatch the purchase order to the vendor thereby eliminating paper requisitions, faxes, and emails.
• Utilize Supplier Contracts Management to manage the entire contract process and allow online collaboration between the agencies and SPD.
• Enable eSupplier Connection to allow bidders and suppliers to register online in order to receive bid notifications, reply to online solicitations, monitor purchase order and payment activity.
• Utilize Strategic Sourcing to manage the entire solicitation process from bid creation through contract award.
• Integrate Strategic Sourcing with the Georgia Procurement Registry to post all bids online.

The robust functionality of each module along with the tight integration with the Core Financial modules was the State of Georgia’s primary reason for selecting the Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise product. CherryRoad’s deep understanding of the Public Sector environment, along with their proven experience with the modules listed above, helped Georgia choose the company as their implementation partner.