Arlington Independent School District (Arlington ISD)—a major K–12 institution serving 54,000 students across 76 campuses—encountered a variety of procurement challenges familiar to many public sector organizations: manual, paper-heavy processes, limited budgets, and complex oversight requirements. For lifelong Arlington resident and Director of Purchasing, Lisa Phillips, the need for a streamlined solution was clear.
Determined to reduce inefficiencies and enhance transparency, Arlington ISD partnered with Euna Solutions. Guided by Phillips’ hands-on experience—from campus secretary to leadership roles in multiple departments—the district made a compelling business case for automating procurement. Phillips and the team at Arlington ISD took the leap from outdated, manual processes to a fully automated, efficient procurement system. From Sourcing to Contract Management to Marketplace shopping and Invoicing, they revolutionized procurement, saving time, reducing errors, and leveraging AI for cost-saving opportunities.
Key Challenges: Spreadsheets and Manual Processes Created Bottlenecks
Before adopting Euna’s Sourcing module in 2016, Arlington ISD’s procurement staff faced a time-consuming, labor-intensive process. Hours were spent managing paperwork, tracking bid compliance, and coordinating vendor responses manually. The risks were ever-present: missed deadlines, outdated agreements, and compliance lapses. Limited competition compounded these challenges due to an outdated Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system that constrained the district to a small pool of local suppliers.
Arlington ISD’s previous contract management approach left them vulnerable to compliance risks, missed renewals, and lost productivity. Managing hundreds of contracts through spreadsheets and separate storage systems created ongoing bottlenecks. The district’s ERP posed a unique challenge, capping Arlington ISD’s suppliers at five and stretching onboarding to a year per vendor. This generated over 1,000 help tickets from staff navigating the cumbersome ERP interface.
Prior to adopting Euna Marketplace, Arlington ISD’s supplier onboarding process was slow, cumbersome, and limited by their ERP system. With a cap of about five suppliers in the old system and onboarding times of up to a year per supplier, the district’s purchasing options were severely restricted. “Waiting a year to onboard a supplier was more than just a delay—it was a major barrier to providing our campuses with what they needed on time,” shared Lisa Phillips, Director of Purchasing at Arlington ISD.
Before using Euna Invoicing, Arlington ISD’s manual invoicing process was prone to errors, delays, and even lost paperwork, leaving accounts payable staff struggling to keep up. Each invoice required multiple rounds of data entry, and inconsistencies frequently led to extensive rework, slowing down the entire invoicing cycle and causing issues for both staff and suppliers. “Processing invoices manually was frustrating for everyone,” shared Lisa Phillips, Director of Purchasing. “The errors and delays put a strain on our team and slowed everything down.”
Solution: Streamlined Sourcing, Contracting, Marketplace, and Invoicing Automation
For years, Arlington ISD’s existing ERP system posed challenges for procurement.
“It’s hard to sell the idea of saving time and money when you’re telling secretaries it’ll take a year to get there,” recalls Phillips. “By the time it’s implemented, the enthusiasm is gone.”
It became clear that AISD needed a modern, automated solution to streamline procurement, reduce errors, and improve overall efficiency.
- Sourcing: In 2016, AISD adopted Euna Sourcing to modernize its manual, error-prone sourcing process. By automating bid management and expanding the supplier network, the district increased efficiency, reduced compliance risks, and improved competition among suppliers. This laid the groundwork for a more effective and compliant sourcing process.
- Contract Management: In 2021, AISD implemented Euna’s Contract Management module to centralize contract tracking and improve visibility into contract renewals. With automated alerts and better control over contracts, the district significantly reduced the risk of missed renewals and enhanced overall contract management. This was a critical step in ensuring compliance and operational efficiency.
- Marketplace: Euna Marketplace was introduced in 2022, transforming the supplier onboarding process. The system reduced onboarding time from a year to just minutes, expanded the supplier base by 1780%, and simplified purchasing. “We went from onboarding one supplier a year to being able to onboard them in minutes,” says Phillips. “It changed everything for us.” The Marketplace improved user satisfaction and drastically reduced help tickets, allowing the district to respond to procurement needs more efficiently.
- Invoicing: The final step in AISD’s procurement transformation came in 2023 with the implementation of Euna Invoicing. This implementation automated the invoice-to-payment process, reducing manual errors and bottlenecks. By automating manual processes and through its intuitive design, AISD increased its invoicing capacity within the system by 229% 10X in 2024 compared to 2023, enabling faster and more efficient handling of procurement demands. Euna Invoicing helped streamline operations and allowed staff to focus on higher-value tasks. “Processing invoices manually was a constant hassle,” Phillips recalls. “The errors and delays were frustrating for everyone.”
Results: Unbelievable Cost Savings, Unmatched Efficiency
By making a digital shift, Arlington ISD gained comprehensive renewal tracking, reducing missed deadlines and reducing compliance risks. Digital records replaced stacks of physical files, freeing office space and providing quick, organized access. As Phillips noted, “With Euna Sourcing, we left behind filing cabinets and gained clarity. Competition and efficiency rose steadily.” Supplier responses averaged 26 per event, and Arlington ISD awarded over $172 million annually, easing compliance and allowing the team to focus on essential tasks.
“Euna’s Contract Management module has provided us with tools to centralize and streamline oversight, ensuring nothing slips through the cracks.”
-Lisa Phillips, Director of Purchasing
Euna Procurement’s Contract Management module introduced a centralized hub for tracking active contracts, a tool that would transform Arlington ISD’s contract oversight. The digital hub provided automated notifications for contract renewals and maintained real-time visibility into contract performance, helping Arlington ISD avoid costly errors and save valuable staff time. Phillips noted, “The time it took to complete contract renewals was significantly reduced. We now have full visibility and control, which makes a huge difference.” With digital storage replacing physical records, key documents were easy to access, saving space and allowing the team to retrieve contract information quickly.
Euna Marketplace allowed their team to easily onboard suppliers within minutes and with no limits on the number of active connections, reducing onboarding time by 99.9% from a year to just minutes, expanding Arlington ISD’s supplier base from five suppliers maximum to 94—a 1780% increase in under two years. With a multi-supplier search tool, staff can instantly compare approved suppliers, view real-time pricing, and check stock, allowing for quick, informed purchasing decisions. Marketplace’s AI-powered Savings Advisor also identified cost-effective alternatives, resulting in over $36,000 in hard-dollar savings in 2024. “We went from onboarding one supplier a year to multiple suppliers in minutes,” Lisa noted, reflecting on the flexibility and control Marketplace brought to Arlington ISD’s campuses. Built-in compliance checks keep every purchase in line with Arlington ISD’s procurement policies, allowing staff to process more than 10,000 annual orders efficiently.
Euna Invoicing delivered the transformation Arlington ISD needed, introducing automation that dramatically reduced processing times and enabled the district to handle invoices with new levels of efficiency and accuracy. Arlington ISD easily increased its invoicing volume within the system by 10X in 2024 compared to adoption in 2023, demonstrating the ease of use for a faster and more efficient handling of procurement demands.
“Invoicing used to be a major hurdle, but now it’s a faster, more accurate process that benefits everyone involved.”
-Lisa Phillips, Director of Purchasing
Beyond speeding up the process, Euna Invoicing strengthened compliance through an automated three-way matching system that validates data against purchase orders and receipts. This system has been essential in ensuring invoice accuracy, preventing overcharges, and catching discrepancies before they become issues. By reducing manual intervention, Arlington ISD’s accounts payable staff can now focus on higher-value tasks, enhancing productivity and creating a more streamlined, compliant procurement cycle.
By fully embracing Euna’s procurement suite, Arlington ISD is setting a new standard in public sector procurement. The district is equipped to adapt to its community’s evolving needs, with a focus on strategic sourcing, compliance, and cost efficiency that will serve Arlington ISD well into the future.