Client Overview
Our client is a premier healthcare institution in Canada, recognized for its commitment to delivering high-quality patient care and cutting-edge medical research. The hospital serves millions of patients annually and operates within a highly complex procurement environment, managing an extensive network of suppliers and medical resources. To optimize its procurement operations, the hospital embarked on a digital transformation journey, choosing SAP Ariba as its procurement platform of choice.
Project Overview
Objective: The hospital needed a robust procurement system to streamline supplier management, enhance sourcing efficiency, and ensure compliance with healthcare procurement standards. With SAP Ariba as the chosen platform, our team at Charing Cross was brought on board to provide comprehensive support during the SAP Ariba implementation and post-implementation phases.
Key Challenges:
- Integration of SAP Ariba into the hospital's existing systems and ensuring alignment with the specific regulatory requirements of the Canadian healthcare sector.
- Managing the transition from legacy procurement systems to a digital, cloud-based procurement platform without disrupting ongoing operations.
- Ensuring user adoption of the new system while customizing functionalities to meet the unique needs of the hospital’s procurement team.
Our Approach
At Charing Cross, we provided end-to-end consulting services throughout the SAP Ariba implementation process and beyond. Here’s how we made a difference:
1. Collaborating with the System Integrator (SI) During Implementation
We played an integral role in the design and architecture of the SAP Ariba solution to ensure it met the hospital's specific needs. Working closely with the hospital’s internal teams and the System Integrator (SI), we ensured that the solution's design reflected:
- Compliance with healthcare procurement standards.
- Seamless integration with the hospital’s existing ERP and financial systems.
- Custom workflows to streamline the procurement of medical supplies and services, maintaining quality and timeliness.
Our collaborative approach ensured that the platform addressed the hospital’s immediate requirements while providing a scalable foundation for future enhancements.
2. Cut-Over Strategy & Hyper-Care Support
The transition from the legacy system to SAP Ariba was a critical phase of the project. To ensure a smooth changeover, we developed a comprehensive cut-over strategy, minimizing disruption to the hospital's procurement operations. We identified and mitigated potential risks, ensuring that:
- Data migration from the legacy system was accurate and complete.
- Suppliers were onboarded effectively onto the new platform.
- The hospital’s procurement team was fully trained and supported during the transition.
Our team was also deeply involved during the hyper-care phase, providing immediate support as the system went live, resolving issues promptly, and ensuring continuous operation.
3. Post Go-Live Support as Technology Partners
Post-implementation, Charing Cross became the hospital's primary technology provider for the SAP Ariba platform. We provide ongoing support to ensure smooth system performance and stability. Our post-go-live services include:
- Technical support: Immediate assistance for any system issues or disruptions.
- User support and training: Ensuring that new staff members are adequately trained and that existing staff can maximize the platform’s capabilities.
- Supplier management: Helping the hospital to manage supplier onboarding and troubleshooting any supplier-related challenges.
4. Continuous Improvement and Custom Solutions
We recognize that healthcare procurement is a dynamic and evolving space. Since going live, we’ve continued to work closely with the hospital, helping them optimize their SAP Ariba platform through continuous system enhancements and customized solutions. Our ongoing efforts include:
- System Enhancements: As the hospital’s operations evolve, so too does its procurement platform. We have implemented enhancements to improve procurement efficiency, create better visibility into spend analytics, and streamline approvals and supplier collaboration.
- Custom Solutions: Not all of the hospital’s challenges could be addressed by SAP Ariba out-of-the-box. To meet these challenges, our team developed custom workflows and applications within Ariba that tailored to the hospital’s needs. These innovations have significantly enhanced the hospital’s ability to manage critical procurement processes more efficiently.
Results & Impact
Our partnership with the hospital has resulted in significant improvements in their procurement operations. Key outcomes include:
- Increased Procurement Efficiency: The digitalization of procurement processes has streamlined sourcing and supplier management, reducing administrative workload and cutting down processing times.
- Improved Compliance: The system ensures compliance with healthcare procurement regulations, providing clear audit trails and visibility across all transactions.
- Cost Savings: Enhanced spend visibility and sourcing processes have led to optimized supplier selection, helping the hospital achieve significant cost savings.
- Scalable Platform for Future Needs: The hospital now has a scalable procurement platform that can evolve with their needs, offering flexibility for further customization and integration with future technologies.
- Enhanced Supplier Relationships: Suppliers now have an efficient, streamlined process for engagement, improving supplier collaboration and contract management.
