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News

Q&A With Shannon Brown, SMU’s New Director of Purchasing

What is your background in Purchasing/Procurement?

My career started in public service for the state of Tennessee in the governor’s budget office.  When my husband and I moved back to Dallas, I was fortunate to continue in a similar role with Dallas County.  After working on budgets for over 10 years, I sought out a leadership position in the county’s Purchasing Department.  My role was to bring a customer service focus to the organization and implement process improvements.  I was successful in the job and was asked to step in and oversee several other operations departments that included facilities management, construction management and fleet.  Eventually, I returned to the Purchasing Department and finished an 18-year career with Dallas County.  My experience also includes consulting work with state and local governments on procurement best practices.

What drew you to the position with SMU?

As an alumna, working at SMU has always been on my “dream job” list.  When I first learned about a procurement position available in higher education, I didn’t know it was at SMU.  I’m pretty sure the poor person who told me the opening was at SMU still has ringing in his ears from my squeals of excitement.  After researching the changes and improvements the University was looking to make, I knew my skills would be a good fit.  We have a quote hanging in our house that says “Luck is preparation meeting opportunity.”  That sums up how I feel about my path to SMU.

Tell us about your personal connections with SMU.

I was determined NOT to attend SMU.  As a native of Garland, Texas, I wanted to go far away to attend college.  A friend convinced me to come with her to a Mustang Monday in fall 1987, and at lunch I called my father (in the age of no cell phones) and said I wanted to come to SMU.  My husband and I met in our first-year dorm and both were very involved in student organizations.  We graduated in May and married a few weeks later in Perkins Chapel.  We live close to the campus and enjoy being able to be back on campus for events. 

What is your vision for Purchasing at SMU?

Purchasing should be a place departments want to reach out to, not a process they have to do.  SMU Purchasing will be a resource that brings value and finds value.

Is there a difference between Purchasing and Procurement?

The words are often used interchangeably – and I don’t put much emphasis on names and titles.  Generally, purchasing is defined as a process while procurement is discussed as a philosophy.  For me, procurement means more than just buying what departments need.  Procurement includes analysis and a decision-making process that considers other factors in addition to price.

How have you been involved with the OE2C Procurement Initiative?

I had the opportunity to work with the Procurement Initiative team on the final recommendation involving IT procurement.  It was a nice surprise to come on board and find a group of individuals of different backgrounds with a strong understanding of procurement goals.  Now the Purchasing Department is taking the momentum of the OE2C initiative and applying it to other areas to bring value.

How are you identifying the areas that might produce savings for the University?

The OE2C process identified about a dozen additional areas of spending to analyze for potential savings, and three of the initial savings areas have second phases.  The current timeline has the Purchasing Department reviewing specific initiatives through 2017.  And the team is always listening and looking for opportunities.

 You spent a lot of years in the public setting. What differences do you see in the private arena?

Government procurement is very structured and operates under a centralized organization.  In higher education, the model is more decentralized and more collaborative.  In public procurement, I sometimes had to say “we can’t do that.” Now I work to say “should we do that” first.  

Other items you would like to share?

Don’t be afraid of the procurement process.  We are very friendly folks and we want to be a resource for you.  Invite us over to see your operations.  I’m a strong believer that time actively spent in the field improves time spent in the office working.

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FAQ

A New FAQ to Assist on Staples Pricing

Q: While shopping for a specific item I need, I found a price that is better than what is listed on our Staples shopping site. Do I still have to purchase from Staples?

 A: If you find a better price on something you need to buy, contact the procurement team. SMU’s office supply contract gives us the ability to work with Staples to match the price and determine if the item needs to be added to SMU’s price list offering the highest level of discount.

 When you have a major purchase, we are also happy to save you time by researching prices for you.

 To inquire about a lower price you have already found, it helps to take a screen shot of the item and website offering the better pricing. In addition, having the manufacturer or product number also helps in the research and when discussing with SMU’s preferred providers.  Contact the appropriate category manager for your purchase to discuss:

Chanda Arnold

Category Manager

214-768-4647

arnoldc@smu.edu

Academic support, Athletics, furniture

***

Cathy Heckman

Category Manager

214-768-2174

checkman@smu.edu

Business services, printing, office supplies

***

Abby Kinney

Category Manager

214-768-2007

akinney@smu.edu

Information technology, hardware/software, audio/visual, professional services

***

Millicent Grant

Category Manager

214-768-2800

millicentg@smu.edu

Travel, entertainment, catering

***

Monica Corte

SMU Card Administrator

214-768-4151

mcorte@smu.edu

SMU Card and eProcurement

Categories
News OE2C

Sustaining The Change: The Future of OE2C

6801852981_c3ac4b7739_zThe work of Bain & Company with the Operational Excellence for the Second Century (OE2C) project concluded in September, and the University is now beginning a new phase in its goal to secure long-term economic vitality. As it charts its own course for the future, SMU will continue to implement initiatives begun over the past year, and will soon establish “continuous improvement” teams to examine other ways – suggested by staff, faculty and students – to improve administrative functions and reallocate funds to the academic mission.

The campus efforts to date have already resulted in significant change to the way SMU does business and almost $11 million in savings, noted SMU President Gerald Turner. “The process of change has not been easy, but I greatly appreciate the ongoing dedication of the campus community as we continue to see it through,” he said. “The improvements made to date, along with those still to come, will allow SMU to meet its strategic goals, focus new resources on our academic mission and put us on secure footing for the future amid the changing national landscape for higher education.”

Initiatives undertaken over the past year and a half have offered new academic opportunities. For example, using reallocated funds, the University has provided increased, round-the-clock access to ManeFrame, one of the most powerful, high-performance computers in the U.S., enabling large-scale research opportunities for faculty and students.

SMU also has increased the number of Ph.D. students on campus with the new “University-wide Fellowship” program. The program allows for up to 15 high-achieving Ph.D. students in a variety of SMU’s 22 doctoral programs. More fellowships will be created in years to come.

But these steps are just the beginning toward the University’s goal to shape world-changers while staying financially viable, OE2C leaders said.

Julie Wiksten, associate vice president for Operational Excellence and director of the OE2C Office, said the SMU community should expect even more improvements in the years ahead as her office continues sifting through suggestions/ideas for operational improvements and implementing those that work.

More than 50 ideas submitted by staff, faculty and students are up for consideration, she said, adding that some already have been implemented.

“Others will be addressed by small teams who will be tasked with making recommendations after doing research and due diligence,” Wiksten said. “That may mean researching best practices, holding focus groups, conducting surveys, etc.”

These new continuous improvement teams will begin their work after the first of the year to allow thorough, successful implementation of initiatives already in progress.

The OE2C Office will be responsible for reporting key metrics related to both major initiatives and continuous improvement projects. “Dashboards” are under development to add to the OE2C website to help “track progress and address issues as they arise,” Wiksten said. A financial savings tracker – showing how operational funds were saved and redirected toward the academic mission – was recently added to the website and will be updated to demonstrate ongoing progress

The OE2C Council, comprising faculty and staff representatives from schools and units, will continue to serve as a communications forum for OE2C, Wiksten said. The council will meet periodically to get updates and share issues they may hear in their workplaces. And the OE2C website will remain an active outlet for FAQs, related news stories and general updates regarding various initiatives. It’s also a great way for the campus community to submit ideas and suggestions.

“We have made great progress toward our overall goal of reallocating $25-$35 million from administrative expense to our academic mission,” Wiksten said. “But we still have a long way to go. The OE2C Office exists in part to help keep our focus on making SMU a leader among academic institutions. We welcome the participation and ideas of staff, faculty and students to help make that happen.”

Have a suggestion or idea to share with OE2C? Submit it here.

Categories
News

Your Monthly Guide: OE2C News and Highlights (October, 2015)

OE2C October News & Highlights

In October, the OE2C Office worked behind the scenes to support ongoing Shared Services leaders and Procurement savings progress. A look at the future of the OE2C project and an interview with Shannon Brown, SMU’s new director of purchasing,  were posted on the website to give SMU faculty and staff an idea about the direction of the work and the leadership making it happen.

The OE2C Council met on October 20 and talked to Shannon Brown about new directions for purchasing and procurement at SMU. Many good questions were asked throughout the meeting, giving the OE2C Office an idea of the perceptions of employees from various parts of the University.

Sustaining the Change: The Future of OE2C

Plans to achieve continuous administrative savings at SMU for reallocation to academic initiatives continue with the support of the OE2C Office after the Bain team left campus.

FAQ on Staples pricing and competition

When faculty and staff can find better prices than what Staples offers on items they need, category managers in the Procurement department are eager to help negotiate to get the best possible deal. 

Q&A with Shannon Brown, SMU’s New Director of Purchasing

SMU alumna Shannon Brown talks about her experience and vision for procurement at SMU.