In response to a UM-wide interest for additional purchasing information, Procurement Services recently held a number of training sessions with individual departments.
“Procurement Services offers training and strategy sessions with an overview of purchasing resources, processes, policies, as well as topics tailored to a unit’s specific needs,” said Jim Kozich, procurement supervisor. Jim recently hosted a Navigate webinar for research administrators that focused on research-related procurement policies and procedures and compliance with federal requirements.
Consisting of six buying teams that specialize in different commodity areas, Procurement Services has the expertise to meet all of U-M’s purchasing needs. Beyond that, the department’s robust training program can help units efficiently purchase the goods and services necessary to support the important work they do for U-M while maximizing their financial resources.
“Our training program for units is really designed to enhance everyone’s ability to understand the responsibilities, skills, and knowledge that are necessary to make purchases that can be very straightforward or incredibly complex,” said Yuri Vertkin, a training specialist in Procurement Services. “We understand that, in an organization as large as U-M, purchasing is not a one-size-fits-all process so we specifically tailor each course to the audience so participants get a customized experience that applies only to them. This approach results in meaningful sessions that truly benefit the department and its employees.”
Procurement Services has long been focused on collaborating with units to ensure the purchasing process at U-M is easy and convenient. “We fully understand the importance of customer outreach, and establishing partnerships at the local level. U-M is a complex organization and so are the systems required to support the institution. Anything that we can do to help our customers better understand the purchasing process here at U-M has a positive impact. Something, for example, as simple as knowing who to go to with questions can make doing business with us a little easier” Ted Eisenhut, a manager in Procurement Services, said.
Procurement Services is happy to collaborate with you to design, and host a customized virtual or in-person training session based on your department’s needs. Whether your unit is experiencing turnover, would like to better understand the procure-to-pay process, could benefit from additional training in procurement systems, or just has a number of purchasing-related questions, we can develop a customized curriculum for you.
If you’re interested in arranging a custom-designed training program for your unit, please complete this Contact Us form.