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New Procurement System Launching January 2024

AVC Beck, IVC & CFO Baird-James, VC Wakimoto, and AVC Avetisyan sent the following message to UCLA employees.

What you need to know:

  • The Ascend 2.0 Program is launching BruinBuy Plus, UCLA’s new procure-to-pay system, on January 2, 2024.
  • BruinBuy Plus brings modernized, streamlined, and efficient procurement processes that will benefit the current and future Bruin community.
  • BruinBuy Plus will further support Accounts Payable (AP) efforts currently underway to provide faster payments and less payment uncertainty.
  • End-user training kicks off on October 30, 2023.

 

 

 

 

Dear Colleagues:

As we continue to work towards greater business modernization and efficiency, we are pleased to announce the launch of UCLA’s new procurement system, BruinBuy Plus, on January 2, 2024. This is the first milestone of the university’s financial transformation program, Ascend 2.0.

To address campus concerns regarding the shutdown of procurement operations during the fall quarter, we will launch the system January 2, 2024. We are confident that this adjustment will minimize disruption to campus as the necessary shutdown to cut over to the new system will now occur during the winter break, December 23 through January 2.

BruinBuy Plus will modernize UCLA’s overall financial landscape and bring a multitude of benefits, including:

  • Streamlined and automated purchasing processes
  • Intuitive shopping experiences
  • Personalized dashboards that will provide visibility into campus purchases and vendor invoices
  • Reduced cycle times
  • New communication tools for enhanced collaboration and transparency within the system

Why Are We Transforming Our Core Financial Systems?

UCLA has experienced remarkable growth since the current financial systems were developed four decades ago. Adopting modern, scalable, cloud-based procurement and financial capabilities to meet the needs of the large and complex nature of the University will allow staff to focus on UCLA’s core mission, powered by up-to-the-minute data and robust reporting functionality.

How Does BruinBuy Plus Relate to the AP Operational Improvement Initiative?

Accounts Payable (AP) efforts are currently underway to provide faster payments and less payment uncertainty. The AP Operational Improvement Initiative is committed to meeting the following targets by the end of 2023:

  • Pay invoices per the service level agreement
  • Resolve the backlog of unpaid invoices older than 30 days
  • Minimize the number of new invoices going on hold
  • Establish a dedicated customer service team for small and diverse vendors

The benefits introduced by the new BruinBuy Plus system will further support these goals.

How Are We Preparing Campus for This Change?

The Ascend 2.0 Program has been engaging various members of the Bruin community in monthly advisory committee and change leader meetings, quarterly town halls, roadshows, and office hours.

End-user training will kick off on October 30, to teach Campus Buyers, PAN reviewers, Principal Investigators, Fund Managers, and other future users how to use BruinBuy Plus to meet their procurement needs.

What Resources Are Available to Your Department?

There are several resources available to help UCLA faculty and staff learn more about BruinBuy Plus and the greater Ascend 2.0 Program:

If you have questions about BruinBuy Plus and/or the ways in which the Ascend 2.0 program team is partnering with AP, please reach out to Ascend2@ucla.edu.

We appreciate your support and partnership.

Michael J. Beck
Administrative Vice Chancellor
Ascend 2.0 Executive Sponsor

Allison Baird-James
Interim Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer
Ascend 2.0 Executive Sponsor

Roger M. Wakimoto
Vice Chancellor for Research & Creative Activities
Ascend 2.0 Executive Sponsor

Lucy Avetisyan
Associate Vice Chancellor
Chief Information Officer
Ascend 2.0 Executive Sponsor