Procurement Operations
& Enhanced Spend Visibility

Streamline processes and gain
comprehensive insights into spend.

The Challenge:

Are slow procurement cycles, manual errors, and hidden spend draining your budget?

  • Do manual errors cause delays and unnecessary costs?
  • Are complex procurement steps slowing down employee productivity?
  • Do you lack visibility into off-contract spending?

The Solution:

Automate and optimize procurement processes using ServiceNow’s Sourcing and Procurement Operations (SPO) to enhance operational efficiency, improve employee experiences, and consolidate visibility.

ODS extends SPO with native configurations that provide AI-guided shopping experiences, “touchless” procurement processes, and faster, more efficient workflows.

Some of the outcomes from this phase:

Transform your procurement operations by automating request handling, eliminating manual tasks, and reducing delays. Empower users with instant access to request statuses, driving efficiency across your organization.

Reduce the time from request to delivery by standardizing preferred items. Establishing clear workflows accelerates delivery, enhances consistency, and ensures every request follows a predictable, efficient path.

Provide employees with a consumer-grade shopping experience. Intuitive navigation and guided selections enable quick, budget-compliant purchases while maintaining adherence to procurement policies.

Achieve comprehensive visibility across procurement channels, capturing every dollar spent and tracking off-contract expenditures. Advanced analytics offer actionable insights, enabling smarter, data-driven decisions and enhanced control.

Move beyond simple reporting with analytics that spotlight savings opportunities across the procurement lifecycle. See exactly where funds are going and uncover actionable insights to optimize spending.

Eliminate costly manual errors by implementing automation-driven workflows. Ensure accuracy and compliance at each step, allowing your team to focus on strategic initiatives rather than administrative fixes.

We are so happy we picked ODS as our partner. Their Procurement and Sourcing experience allowed us to understand the downstream effects of our decisions and corralled a lot of people to get on board.

They also brought their own SPO configurations that allowed us to accelerate delivery times by 40% and cut processing costs across the board by 30%!

William D, Healthcare Procurement Manager

Frequently Asked Questions

Based on an annual budget of $100M, estimated saving will range between $240K and $520K per year – and should ramp up over time. 

Savings will be dependent on your annual budget and your current situation.

ODS has built ROI estimators that can provide a more accurate estimate of your Return on Investment.  These calculations are based on real-world experience and industry norms. 

Break-even estimates for this phase is 2.5 to 5 months.   We can provide a more accurate estimate after we do your ROI assessment. 

This phase includes

  • Installation of the ServiceNow Sourcing and Procurement Operation (SPO) module
  • ODS Spend Under Management Enhancements
  • ODS Request Automation Enhancements
  • Loading primary data
  • Workshops to design and document groups/teams & roles, workflows/playbooks, shopping controls, checkouts, and approvals
  • Configuring rules; configuring workflow automation; training
  • User Acceptance Testing
  • Go-live support and hypercare. 

For this phase, we recommend the following integrations:

  • ERP Primary Data (one way)
  • Procurement System (bi-directional)
     – includes suppliers, products, pricing, requisitions, and purchase orders
  • Purchase Order generation and auto-email to supplier playbook
    – in lieu of procurement system integration
  • Vendor advance ship notification (ASN)
    – for ship status and carrier tracking info

The ODS Enhancements for Spend Under Management and Request Automation Enhancements are included in this phase (as outlined in question #1)

The implementation process usually takes between 3 to 4 months. The duration depends on the complexity of your environment, the speed at which decisions are made, and the efficiency of information provision.

Our SPO implementations are designed to deliver  results almost immediately. We’ll work closely with you to set aggressive timelines and milestones, ensuring you see tangible improvements as soon as possible.  While some benefits, such as improved visibility and reduced manual effort, can be seen almost immediately after implementation, others, like  operational efficiency, become more apparent within a few weeks to months. 

We offer ongoing support, including training, system updates, and optimization services to adapt to your evolving needs.

Develop a cost-effective inventory system that aligns with demand by utilizing lean practices to minimize carrying costs and reduce waste. Implement smart reordering techniques to prevent stockouts and enhance shrinkage control. Improve operational efficiencies and achieving cost savings.