The University of Sussex has completed a long-term transformation of its Source-to-Pay (S2P) operations, replacing paper-based procurement and finance processes with a fully integrated, digital environment built on Proactis spend management solutions and the Unit4 ERP platform.
The initiative reflects a growing trend across higher education and the public sector, where organizations are seeking to improve operational efficiency, strengthen financial governance, and gain greater visibility into enterprise spending through connected finance and procurement systems.
Rather than pursuing a single large-scale modernization project, the university adopted a phased approach over more than a decade, gradually expanding its procurement capabilities while preparing for the next stage of cloud-based ERP transformation.
A Decade-Long Journey Toward End-to-End Spend Management
According to the University of Sussex, the transformation was designed to modernize financial operations incrementally while minimizing disruption.
Over the course of the program, the institution implemented multiple Proactis solutions—including Marketplace, Invoice Capture, Supplier Relationship Management, Sourcing, and Contract Management—alongside Unit4’s Purchase-to-Pay capabilities. The university is also preparing for a major migration of its Unit4 ERP environment to the cloud.
The result is a fully paperless Source-to-Pay process that supports procurement, finance, legal, and supplier management functions within a connected digital ecosystem.
“Our entire source-to-pay function is paperless,” said Ian McKee, Deputy Director of Finance at the University of Sussex. “With that, we’ve improved effectiveness through control and data insights, because the focus has been on what’s happening in the process rather than just turning the wheel to try and make the process happen.”
Improving Visibility and Operational Control
Beyond digitizing procurement transactions, the transformation has provided the university with broader operational visibility across spending and contract management.
Spend dashboards now enable finance teams to analyze purchasing patterns and support evidence-based decision-making. Legal teams and other stakeholders have self-service access to contract documentation, while procurement leaders can monitor KPIs across the contract portfolio with improved visibility into bottlenecks and creditor reporting.
The move to paperless operations has also supported the university’s sustainability objectives by reducing reliance on physical documentation and manual administrative processes.
ERP Integration Supports Broader Digital Transformation
For ERP leaders, the project highlights the growing importance of integrating procurement, spend management, and finance into a unified operating model rather than treating them as separate initiatives.
Ilija Ugrinic, SVP Strategy & Marketing at Proactis, said the University of Sussex demonstrates how organizations can progressively extend digital transformation beyond transaction processing into strategic spend management.
“The University is an excellent example of the continuous evolution of spend management, initially driven from within the transactional process to then also encompass procurement and in doing so driving tangible, end-to-end Source-to-Pay benefits. The lessons from this journey translate well beyond higher education across Private, Public and Not for Profit sectors.”
The initiative also positions the university for its next phase of ERP modernization.
“Cloud migration isn’t just about IT modernisation—it’s the gateway to the next generation operating model,” added Ian Owen, Global Industry Director for Public Sector and Higher Education at Unit4.
Why It Matters
As organizations continue to modernize ERP environments, procurement transformation is increasingly viewed as a strategic capability rather than an operational back-office function. Integrating Source-to-Pay processes with ERP platforms enables stronger financial controls, improved spend visibility, enhanced supplier collaboration, and more data-driven decision-making.
The University of Sussex’s phased approach demonstrates how long-term digital transformation can deliver measurable operational improvements while creating a foundation for future cloud adoption and AI-enabled financial processes.
ERP News Editorial Team
The ERPNews Editorial Team covers global developments in ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), enterprise software, cloud platforms, AI, automation, and digital transformation, providing independent news and editorial analysis for senior business and technology leaders. Our reporting focuses on market signals, strategic shifts, and enterprise impact across the ERP and enterprise technology ecosystem.
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