University of Sussex achieves end-to-end spend management with Proactis and Unit4
The University of Sussex has transformed its entire Source-to-Pay function, delivering measurable efficiency gains and stronger, evidence-based control over spend, following a decade-long finance and procurement collaboration built around Proactis software and integrated with its Unit4 ERP system.
The milestone represents a fundamental shift in how the university manages financial operations, transforming from manual, paper-heavy processes to a fully connected, data-driven function that serves staff, students and suppliers alike.
When Ian McKee joined the University of Sussex over ten years ago as Deputy Director of Finance, he inherited a procurement division perceived across the institution as the ‘spend police’ rather than a strategic enabler. In addition, the wider higher education sector was contending with tuition fee reform, rising student expectations and mounting pressure on operational efficiency.
Rather than pursue a single large-scale transformation programme, Ian McKee and his team took a deliberately sequential, multi-year approach, progressively deploying Proactis Marketplace, Invoice Capture, Supplier Relationship Management, Sourcing and Contract Management modules, alongside Unit4’s own Purchase-to-Pay module, with a forthcoming major Unit4 migration to cloud.
As a result of the improved efficiencies and paperless approach, the resources allocated to opening and sorting incoming post were no longer required. In addition, a spend dashboard enables evidence-based decisions on spending patterns, timing and policy.
The legal team and other stakeholders across the university now have self-service, real-time access to contract documentation and KPIs are tracked at scale across the entire contract portfolio, with full visibility of bottlenecks and creditor reporting.
The University has also been able to align its new paperless operations with sustainability targets, being a key pillar of its institutional strategy.
Ian McKee confirmed: “Our entire source-to-pay function is paperless. With that, we’ve improved effectiveness through control and data insights, because the focus has been on what’s happening in the process rather than just turning the wheel to try and make the process happen.”
Ilija Ugrinic, SVP Strategy & Marketing at Proactis, said: “The University is an excellent example of the continuous evolution of spend management, initially driven from within the transactional process to then also encompass procurement and in doing so driving tangible, end-to-end Source-to-Pay benefits. The lessons from this journey translate well beyond higher education across Private, Public and Not for Profit sectors.”
Ian Owen, Global Industry Director for Public Sector and Higher Education at Unit4, added: “Cloud migration isn’t just about IT modernisation - it’s the gateway to the next generation operating model.
Read more of the coverage here: UK Tech News Education News
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