RFP783-22013 Source-to-Pay E-Procurement System

1.1 GENERAL

The University of Houston (UH) System (System) comprises the largest Texas state institution system of higher education located in an urban, metropolitan environment. The UH System's research and scholarship is globally significant, nationally competitive, and serve as an engine for economic development, while its public service activities enhance the quality of life in the region. The UH System offers undergraduate and graduates degree programs in a variety of disciplines; courses are conducted throughout most of the calendar year. The student population of the University of Houston ("University" or "Owner") is comprised of over 46,000 students. The University of Houston employs approximately 2,700 faculty members and 4,000 staff members. The other component universities, in surrounding areas, include: the University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL,) located in the far southeast Houston-area, which has a student population of approximately 9,000 students, 800 faculty and 600 staff members; the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD,) located in downtown Houston, which has approximately 14,000 students, 750 faculty and 600 staff members; and the University of Houston-Victoria (UHV) is located approximately 100 miles southwest of Houston and serves over 4,300 students, 200 faculty and 300 staff members.

The University invites you to submit a proposal to provide an Electronic Procurement system, also referred to as an e-Procurement or Source-to-Pay Software Solution ("S2P System") that will drive greater efficiencies throughout the University's purchasing and payables processes while integrating with the PeopleSoft 9.2 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)/financial system. PeopleSoft will remain the system of record. The S2P System should reduce manual, paper-based processes, process cycle times, and improve the accuracy, quality, and efficiency with current state of the art S2P business functionality. Ultimately, the system would provide complete on-line access to process procurement and payable transactions, allowing work to be performed from any remote location. Please note that the UH System is comprised of UH Central Campus, UHCL, UHD, and UHV. All UH System Universities are separate entities that share a common PeopleSoft ERP system. However, each University has its own unique policies and business procedures. Further, each University would elect which S2P modules would be purchased (if any) for each University. Respondents are encouraged to propose contractual arrangements offering the maximum benefit to the University in terms of (1) system and services to the University, (2) total overall cost to the University, and (3) project management expertise. Proposers should describe all educational, state, and local government discounts, as well as any other applicable discounts that may be available to the University in a contract for services.

The S2P system should include functionality for the entire S2P cycle that supports the business needs for an institution of higher education. Functions include but are not limited to e-sourcing, contract management, e-procurement, analytics and reporting, and accounts payable processes. These MUST be services of the proposed solution and not simply rely on the existing PeopleSoft solution. It is the University's intent that all actions are to be delivered with the proposed system. The S2P system shall be a hosted Software-as-a-Service (Saas) license model that is generally available and currently implemented at comparable institutions. Any solution modifications or additions necessary to enable the S2P system to operate according to all technical and functional requirements herein must be approved by the University and must become part of the base product and not require additional fees/costs with future releases or upgrades. The University anticipates the S2P system roll-out to be completed in a timely fashion and in accordance with best practices; including but not limited to implementation, data migration, project management, change management, training, and ongoing support.