Centralized procurement made easy at Red River College Polytechnic

Red River College Polytechnic (RRC Polytech) is Manitoba’s largest institution of applied learning and research, offering more than 150 full and part time degree, diploma and certificate options at several campuses across the province. As the top polytechnic in Manitoba, RRC Polytech’s mission is to support the diverse needs within its communities, and to prepare its students for success in a
rapidly changing market.

Red River College Polytech is determined to deliver on its mission by embracing a future shared with
their communities and partners across a wide range of industries.

Their goal? To always remain “In Front of What’s Ahead.”

Turning goals into milestones – strategic procurement at RRC Polytech

The Procurement team at RRC Polytech strives to provide efficient, sustainable and socially responsible procurement to support the College’s strategic values and goals. They are committed to ensuring cost-effective purchasing, driving compliance with legal and regulatory requirements,
fostering sustainability and social responsibility in all aspects of the purchasing process, and building lasting and rewarding relationship with their vendors.

“In Front of What’s Ahead”, ESM will remain a valued partner, supporting RRC Polytech’s evolving procurement needs every step of the way.“

But manual, paper-based processes made these goals difficult to accomplish. To support their
ambitious path forward, RRC Polytech’s procurement team knew they needed to modernize their
operations and bring effective automation to their purchasing processes, as well as to centralize
their efforts.

With that in mind, RRC Polytech chose ESM Purchase to streamline procurement and provide a
personalized path to purchase for staff across their institution. With the help of Ethos integration
between ESM Purchase and Ellucian Colleague, they have achieved a smoother, faster and more
transparent purchasing experience for everyone at RRC Polytech.

The Journey from manual to automated

Prior to adopting ESM Purchase, RRC Polytech faced several common issues stemming from its manual procurement processes.

Slow approvals, multiple methods of purchasing, limited tracking and reporting, and a lack of visibility were just some of the hurdles that made it difficult to support their varied educational and operational needs.

With ESM Purchase, RRC Polytech has successfully automated the purchasing process across their
campuses, providing users with a more consumer-like shopping experience.

Approvals are now quicker and provided in advance of purchases, ordering is managed through a single system, and users can easily access the information they need.

As the first Canadian customer, they experienced a number of unique obstacles and challenges that were navigated with the help and support of ESM’s experienced team of implementation professionals.

Direct integration with Ellucian Colleague

A key advantage of ESM Purchase is its Ethos-certified integration with Ellucian Colleague. As an Ellucian Advanced Build Partner, ESM’s pre-built, certified integrations provide consistent and reliable
data exchanges, accelerating the implementation process and simplifying ongoing maintenance.

This integration gives decision makers immediate access to insight, while Finance departments
gain better visibility and control of budgets and spending, enabling RRC Polytech to consolidate costs, reduce errors, and enhance decision-making.

Approvals, orders and purchases are now quicker and
managed through one single system.

Procurement Made Simple via Punchout

RRC Polytech has worked closely with ESM to strengthen their relationship with several of its
largest suppliers through the enablement of integrated Punchout catalogs.

A wide range of goods and commodities are available at the click of a button thanks to their robust
catalog offering, with additional vendors joining the list regularly, both in US and Canadian dollars.

Each supplier comes with its own unique requirements and challenges. ESM’s dedicated Supplier Enablement Team and Supplier Relationship Manager have ensured that operations run smoothly.

Issues are addressed quickly and effectively thanks to ESM’s support team, who have helped RRC
Polytechnic navigate and resolve many of the challenges they faced as a Canadian institution.

It makes the process robust. We just wanted to make it easier for them by automating processes such as creating requisitions and purchase orders.”

Creating a Strong Partnership for Years to Come

Together with ESM, RRC Polytech is delivering a centralized, easy to use pathway to purchase, that
improves efficiencies and the end user experience. As the institution marches towards realizing the goals in its strategic plan, In Front of What’s Ahead, ESM will remain a valued partner, supporting RRC Polytech’s evolving procurement needs every step of the way.