One of the key roles of the Finance Division's Process User Groups (PUGs) in the Finance Community is to raise issues that departments and services are experiencing as they manage the University’s financial operations day-to-day. In 2023/24 the Purchase to Pay (P2P) PUG shared insight on our current purchasing hierarchy's operations, including some of the frustrations felt by those involved.
Feedback included concerns about:
- difficulties working in different areas of the University or needing multiple log ins to carry out different roles;
- inconsistency in the extent to which budget-holders are accountable for approval of spend on their budget;
- difficulties balancing segregation of duties requirements with operational reality of small teams;
- confusion about delegations;
- lack of clarity about what is being approved at different approval points;
- unexpected results or inability to split code;
- lack of understanding of behaviours in the Buyer Work Centre;
- approval limits set at limits that don’t always suit operational needs.
The feedback from the P2P PUG led to investment, through the Digital Transformation Programme, in the Purchasing Hierarchy Project.
Launching in April 2025, the project has been highly collaborative - working with the P2P Process Oversight Group (POG) and PUG to co-design change that will meet as many needs as possible. Workshops were held to consult on department requirements and priorities in Summer 2024.
The workshops allowed plenty of scope for varied opinions and a good amount of time to discuss topics - Finance Manager, MPLS Department
The workshops brought together ideas and input from finance colleagues across the University, aiming to involve as many areas of the University in the process as possible.
Workshops have been excellent in enabling a wide range of users to get involved - Head of Finance, UAS Department
The Purchasing Hierarchy project aims to complete in November 2025.
