Executive Summary
When the University of Utah (U of U), the state’s flagship public research institution and a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), considered its options for transforming procurement-to-payment, it faced the same challenges other schools have faced: outdated systems, manual processes, and siloed purchasing and payment scattered across a large and complex academic organization. What began as an effort to streamline invoice capture and purchasing soon evolved into a campus-wide movement toward digital excellence. By implementing JAGGAER eProcurement and Contracts+ solutions, U of U improved speed, accuracy, and transparency, for its Procurement-to-Payment processes.
Heather Holley, Manager of Operations, Service and Process Improvement, University of Utah
Punchout catalogs were a game-changer. They let us guide spend while making it easier for users to buy what they need— with preapproval for all orders – and the added benefit of efficiency through the Jaggaer punchout feature.
The Challenge: Modernizing a Fragmented Procurement Landscape
Before the transformation, Procurement and Accounts Payable (AP) at the university were deeply rooted in manual methods. Fax machines, paper invoices, and fragmented workflows slowed operations, introduced errors, and left many departments struggling with visibility and compliance.
“We had no search functionality. If a department needed to check whether an invoice was paid or not, we had to manually dig through records,” said Heather Holley, Manager of Operations, Service and Process Improvement, University of Utah. “Everything was paper-based. There was zero transparency.”
Procurement contract storage was equally siloed, with legal and financial teams lacking access to key documents. The situation left the school open to compliance risks and increased workload for staff.
The Solution: Procurement as a Strategic Backbone
The university launched its transformation with the JAGGAER eProcurement, soon followed by Contracts+. The initiative emphasized user empowerment, ease of adoption, purchasing controls, increased contract spend, faster invoicing timelines and the ability to scale across departments. The initiative emphasized user empowerment, ease of adoption, purchasing and financial controls via workflow controls, increased contract spend, faster invoicing timelines and the ability to scale across departments.
JAGGAER was selected for its track record of excellence in Higher Education, along with customizability of the solution. “Punchout catalogs were a game-changer,” Holley added. “They let us guide spend while making it easier for users to buy what they need— with preapproval for all orders – and the added benefit of efficiency through the Jaggaer punchout feature.”
With JAGGAER, the University of Utah gained digital invoice capture (OCR) to reduce manual entry and reduce AP backlog. The institution also launched Contracts+ to centralize contract storage, automate clause management, and mitigate legal risk.
Results: Efficiency, Visibility, and Empowered Users
The transformation delivered results that extended beyond simple ROI. With JAGGAER eProcurement, Contracts+ and digital invoice capture (OCR), The University of Utah achieved:
- Dramatic reduction in processing time, from days to minutes in some cases.
- More than 10,000 users are purchasing and approving through UShop, the university’s purchasing-to-payment hub.
- Improved compliance and legal oversight via centralized contract management.
- Enhanced user satisfaction through intuitive workflows and data transparency.
- Strategic purchasing decision making with orders financially approved at time of purchase
“We used to think eProcurement might require more staff,” said Holley during her presentation at JAGGAER’s REV2025 conference. “But with automation, our current staff is now more focused on strategic initiatives.”
Looking ahead, the University of Utah plans to focus on expanding AI capabilities in contract management and spend forecasting and increasing punchout adoption to further reduce manual effort. It is also aligning with Impact 2030, the university’s broader strategic plan focused on data-driven excellence and institutional innovation.
Why JAGGAER
JAGGAER One is an intelligent source-to-pay and supplier collaboration platform, and the catalyst for enhancing human decision-making to accelerate business outcomes. The University of Utah leveraged JAGGAER’s eProcurement, a fully integrated, end-to-end comprehensive and configurable procurement-to-payment marketplace that ensures adoption, to improve governance, and eliminate maverick spending.
