When Lisa Phillips, Director of Purchasing at Arlington Independent School District—one of the largest school districts in Texas—assessed her team’s paper-based, manual, and time-consuming procurement process, the need for an overhaul was clear. With around 54,000 students across 76 campuses, Arlington ISD needed an efficient and compliant procurement system to support complex operations. ‘Our procurement process was manual and time-intensive, which limited supplier participation,’ Phillips shared. ‘We knew we needed a more efficient approach.
Determined to modernize, Arlington ISD implemented Euna Procurement’s Sourcing and Contract Management modules to improve visibility, reduce inefficiencies, and strengthen compliance.
Sourcing Redefined: From Manual to Automated
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 The risks were ever-present: missed deadlines, outdated agreements, and compliance lapses. Limited competition compounded these challenges due to an outdated Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system that constrained the district to a small pool of local suppliers.
Phillips recalls, “Before Euna Sourcing, we had stacks and stacks of papers in cabinets, in office spaces, it was everywhere.” The procurement team needed relief from the time-intensive nature of their work and the risk of non-compliance. Euna Sourcing introduced a solution that automated tasks, organized bid management, and broadened Arlington ISD’s access to qualified suppliers.
Automated bid tracking and compliance tools replaced repetitive input, reducing errors and freeing up the team to focus on higher-value work. With this 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.
Learn more about Euna Sourcing here.
Contract Management: Centralized and Controlled
With sourcing on track, Arlington ISD turned its attention to contract management in 2021. 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.
Arlington ISD’s previous contract management approach left them vulnerable to compliance risks, missed renewals, and lost productivity. “Our previous contract management approach made it challenging to keep track of renewals and agreement details,” Phillips explains. “Euna’s Contract Management module has provided us with tools to centralize and streamline oversight, ensuring nothing slips through the cracks.” 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.
Within two years, Arlington ISD’s supplier base grew from just one Marketplace supplier to 94. We’ll explore how Marketplace will play a role in Arlington ISD’s ongoing procurement transformation in the following segment. This increase in suppliers not only offered more competitive pricing options but also supported the district’s compliance efforts. 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.
Learn more about Contract Management here.
Automation: Driving Efficiency and Strategic Growth
Automation through Euna’s Sourcing and Contract Management modules transformed Arlington ISD’s procurement, shifting focus from manual tasks to strategic priorities like supplier relationships and compliance. “Managing suppliers and contracts on one platform has allowed us to work faster and more effectively,” Phillips noted. With automated compliance tracking and renewal alerts, Arlington ISD now responds faster to procurement needs, giving teachers and staff quick access to essential resources and making the entire process smoother and more efficient.
Looking Ahead: Scaling for the Future
Arlington ISD’s success with the Sourcing and Contract Management modules marks the start of a strategic approach to procurement. Next, explore how the district implemented the Euna Marketplace and Euna Invoicing modules to further expand its supplier network, shop compliant contracts, use AI-driven insights to optimize costs, and streamline purchasing and payment processes. With Lisa Phillips and her team’s dedication to refining procurement, Arlington ISD is well-positioned to uphold operational excellence and set a new standard for public sector procurement.