Key Challenges:
- Transition from manual processes to an automated e-commerce solution without disrupting city operations
- Encouraging user adoption and satisfaction of a new e-commerce platform
- Integrating the new solution with existing city infrastructure and workflows
Key Results:
- Successful migration to the Euna Marketplace, leading to a more efficient procurement process
- 70% user adoption rate achieved
- Enhanced system performance and user satisfaction, as evidenced by positive feedback and reduced support tickets
- Improved operational efficiency and data management through seamless integration with the city’s infrastructure
Sioux Falls, celebrated for its exceptional schools, low taxes, affordable housing, and dynamic parks and recreation system, excels as an ideal hub for living, working, learning, and recreation. Sioux Falls is also dedicated to “taking care of today for a better tomorrow,” which includes their adoption of technological solutions to achieve greater community outcomes. Led by Mayor Paul TenHaken, the city government allocates substantial resources, with a 2022 operating budget of $281 million, toward technological innovations. This investment not only streamlines city processes but also enhances the overall quality of life, making Sioux Falls an unparalleled place to call home.
The Challenge: Manual Processes and Outdated Systems
Despite having an end-to-end Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system in place, the City of Sioux Falls’s procurement department was still manually processing thousands of purchase orders annually. The city’s punchout system was ineffective, outdated, and therefore not being utilized by employees in the field. The system also lacked functionality, was hard to access, and users found the checkout process cumbersome.
For the admin of Sioux Falls, it was easier to send requisitions for purchases to procurement rather than try to make purchases through the system they had in place. Not only was the city limited in the number of catalogs their former system could approve as contractable, but they also found running reports to be extremely time-consuming.
Purchasing Manager, Scott Rust, and Business Analyst, Matt Newman, knew they needed a tool that was user-friendly to make purchasing easier and increase employee adoption and engagement. Together, they set out to find a best-of-breed procurement platform that could provide an easy and effective shopping experience for end-users— all while maintaining robust reporting capabilities for the procurement department.
The Solution: Selecting a User-Friendly eProcurement Solution
The City of Sioux Falls conducted a formal evaluation of systems recommended by their counterparts at various schools, cities, and states. The system that was highly recommended, Euna Marketplace, powered by EqualLevel, checked all the city’s boxes with:
- The ability to provide users with an easy and effective shopping experience
- Unlimited catalogs in one centralized location
- Extensive reporting capabilities
- A simple and seamless checkout process
- Workflow enablement and tracking
Choosing Euna Marketplace was an easy win for both the city’s end-users and the procurement department. By scheduling an interactive demo, decision makers were able to observe every facet of the software to determine ease-of-use for their end-users.
The Results: High User Adoption and Engagement from the Start
The implementation of the Euna Marketplace marked a turning point for the City of Sioux Falls. The city incorporated Euna Marketplace utilizing its pCard program, a system which allows employees to make purchases on behalf of their organization using a designated credit card, for payment. Since the launch of the city’s new marketplace, there have been more orders, contract compliance has increased, and there has been less maverick spending. “Now that we have been able to easily add so many more catalogs, contract spend has gone up considerably,” said Rust.
In the three months the system has been in use, over $350,000 in spend has been executed through the marketplace. In the last 30 days alone, there have been over $30,000 in purchases. “Euna Marketplace was able to create an easy-to-use, Amazon-like shopping experience for the city and the flexibility allowed us to create the system we need. The checkout process is seamless. From the field to the office, everyone can use it,” said Rust.
“Having 600 plus requisitions out of our system has freed up procurement employees to do other things. With supply chain issues and federal money that has become available, procurement is not getting any less busy. It truly couldn’t have come at a better time,” said Rust.
The city has over 20 supplier catalogs onboarded, with plans for more. Because there’s no limit to the number of catalogs that can be added in Euna Marketplace, Sioux Falls achieves time savings for employees who can utilize the procurement software as a one-stop-shop. Of the suppliers that have been onboarded, 12 have brick and mortar stores within city limits, allowing more of the city’s dollars to be leveraged locally. “Doing business with local retailers has been a priority for our city. With Euna’s tool, we are able to satisfy that goal,” said Rust.
On the administrative side, Euna Marketplace’s dashboard includes reports that show up-to-date spending for the month, for the week, or by user. Easy-to-run reports and the ability to customize ad-hoc reports means the product is not just a fit for departments in the field, but also for city administrators.
With 250 active users, the city has achieved a 70% user adoption rate—even better than anticipated. End-users are taking ownership of the system by recommending suppliers to add and sending support requests to make the software perform better for them. “With everything in one system, users are motivated to use it. People feel good about saving money with the built-in AI savings advisor and administrators like seeing their savings accumulate through the AI reporting,” said Newman.
The ease of using the pCards through the marketplace has provided other benefits as well. “The rebate with our pCard program has grown exponentially through the increased use of the marketplace,” said Newman. “This additional rebate further increases the product’s ROI.”
Conclusion: Sioux Falls is Excited for the Months to Come
Rust and Newman look forward to growing their marketplace with more catalogs and users, while continuing to grow savings. “The system will continue to evolve and get better as we use it. The possibilities are endless,” said Rust.
The city sought to integrate a best-of-breed procurement solution for their community, and they believe they have found it. “The product provides ease-of-use for both the end-user and the administrator. The analytics of the tool are amazing. We now have so much information at our fingertips,” said Rust. Rust and Newman are excited about the future and the growing benefits that Euna Marketplace will provide.
