Procure-to-Pay Project Update

Final Update – September 2025

Project Timeframe: August 2024 – September 2025, OCFO & BDOG

Overview

The Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) has completed development of a 5-year strategic plan to clarify the office’s role and set priorities. Procurement was identified as a critical area for improvement by campus partners. The “Procure-to-Pay” (P2P) process is complex and multifaceted at GU, so we need a deeper understanding of current practices — from processes and workflows to the tools we use and how our teams are structured — to identify areas for improvement.

Fall 2024 was dedicated to “listening and learning” to document the current state and benchmark industry best practices around Procure-to-Pay. 

Spring and Summer of 2025 focused on assessment, analysis, and action. We also reviewed recommendations and gathered feedback for implementation planning. 

*Fall 2025 closes out this project phase and moves into implementation of a “Center-Led Model,” driven by the OCFO.

P2P Project Conclusion & Next Steps

Key Recommendations & Changes:

After significant consultation and with approval from university leadership, we plan to shift to a center-led P2P model. This approach is similar to many of our peer institutions and is in alignment with industry best practices. Under the center-led P2P model, strategic decisions on policy, processes, and tools will be set centrally. Transactional work will be handled within the campus-level finance teams with clearly defined roles and responsibilities. This shift will require policy, process, and organizational structure changes, including:

• The Procurement division within the OCFO will transition into a unified Procure-to-Pay operation, bringing together Procurement, Accounts Payable, and ProCard services under a new structure. The central team will continue to focus on contracts, training, strategic sourcing, and travel alongside this expanded portfolio of work.

• Procurement Analysts will continue supporting stakeholders across campuses; however, they will now report to campus-level finance teams rather than the university’s central Procurement division. 

Once the foundational work of the implementation phase is complete, we will initiate broader organizational changes in early 2026.

These changes are intended to improve customer service, streamline processes, enhance training and information sharing, and drive cost savings.

We remain open to increasing resources across these teams, including potential new roles or reassignments, to ensure we continue to meet institutional needs.

Implementation & Moving Forward:

In the months ahead, our efforts will focus on developing updated policies, systems, training programs, and a clearly defined organizational structure. A series of advisory committees and working groups — each with specific roles and responsibilities — will guide this work to help ensure it is informed by the staff most affected. Committee members will represent diverse campus perspectives, serve as liaisons to their departments, and help facilitate two-way communication throughout the process. 

Overall Coordination