CCC’s Procurement Revolution Building on campus transformation

Procurement transformation in higher education rarely happens overnight. It is a journey, one that requires clarity of purpose, institutional alignment, and the discipline to stay the course, even when change feels uncomfortable.

In some cases, at CCC, a single purchase request could take six months or even a year, to complete. Paper forms shuffled between campuses, approvals mailed physically, and communication gaps compounded delays. Procurement wasn’t just slow. It was disconnected.

And that disconnect mattered. As Carmen reflects, purchasing isn’t merely a back-office function; it’s a service role. Faculty, staff, students, and vendors all feel the impact when procurement breaks down.

The challenge became not only processing requests faster but delivering a better experience while maintaining fiscal responsibility.

CCC’s first step was modernizing its procurement foundation with Ellucian Purchase, fully integrated with Colleague Finance and powered by ESM Solutions. Timing proved critical. CCC transitioned from paper-based processes to a fully electronic system, enabling staff to manage procurement seamlessly from any location.

The results were immediate. Manual paperwork disappeared. Approval paths became visible. Users could track requests in real time, rather than waiting weeks to uncover issues. Reporting that once took days could now be generated in minutes. CCC’s throughput increased from 500-600 requests per year to over 9,000, not due to increased spending, but because the system could finally support demand efficiently and compliantly.

CCC’s approach reflects broader trends: institutions processing high volumes of non-catalog requisitions often face delays as approvals touch multiple stakeholders. CCC eliminated this friction, ensuring scale didn’t compromise speed or control.

The next phase focused on user experience. Ellucian Experience, with embedded procurement cards, fundamentally changed how staff interacted with purchasing. Approvers no longer needed to log into full systems or sift through stacks of paperwork; key information surfaced directly in the portal they already used daily.

Mobility became a turning point. Approvals could happen on phones or tablets, eliminating delays tied to physical presence. One request was processed in just 45 minutes, a stark contrast to the months-long timelines of the past.

Consumer expectations shaped the design. Faculty and staff increasingly demand intuitive, responsive, self-service procurement, without compromising compliance.

CCC’s Experience cards delivered precisely that:

Real-time budget visibility, simplified approvals, and institutional controls, reducing downstream corrections and frustration.

Industry data shows 95% of buyers expect to use generative AI for decision support within the next year.

CCC’s story is not about a single product or implementation. It is about commitment.

The results speak for themselves: faster approvals, higher volume without added burden, improved transparency, and a procurement function aligned with the needs of the campus community.