Supply Chain Management recently procured an award for excellence in procurement, given by the National Association of Educational Procurement in recognition of the unit’s contribution to and support of the UC Davis mission. The association of more than 1,000 member institutions honored UC Davis in the highest enrollment category: schools of more than 15,000 students.

A product of strategic reorganizations, Supply Chain Management comprises Accounts Payable, Distribution Services, Procurement and Contracting Services (including AggieBuy, AggieSupply and AggieSurplus), Travel and Entertainment, and Repro Graphics — and more than a dozen subunits.

“We are so excited to receive this award from NAEP as it represents the value that has been created from many years of hard work to build our supply chain organization,” said Tim Maguire, chief procurement officer.

Under Maguire’s leadership, Supply Chain Management started taking shape in January 2016, focused on creating a coordinated approach to procurement, driving efficiencies in purchasing and other operations, and improving communication. All this led to a net benefit of $17.12 million for the 2017-18 fiscal year, an increase of 15 percent over the previous year.

“The Supply Chain Management team has contributed significant value in providing best value access to goods and services,” said Lisa Frace, senior vice chancellor in Finance, Operations and Administration. “As we all look for ways to keep our costs as low as possible, the SCM team has been an invaluable partner with many campus units in helping to maximize savings and streamline processes.”

The value comes in the form of:

• Incentives earned from the use of bank cards, and the university’s P-Cards (purchasing) and travel cards, and from strategic sourcing
• Revenue from direct sales (Repro Graphics and AggieSurplus, for example)
• Revenue from partnerships (Pepsi, Peet’s Coffee and Tea, and Java City)
• Savings on purchases made through AggieTravel and systemwide agreements, and from discounts for early payments

Receiving a national award of excellence from peer institutions across the country “reassures us that the significant effort and the strategic direction we have focused on are aligned with what others are doing in higher education,” Maguire said. “As well, I believe that this award represents the great work UC Procurement Services is performing in support of the UC system to drive value creation and improved business processes to align each campus across the system.”

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