Georgia Tech has been selected as a recipient of the prestigious National Association of Education Procurement (NAEP) Award of Excellence in Procurement. This award is presented at the institutional level and recognizes the outstanding contributions made by the procurement department in alignment with the institution's overarching mission. It also highlights the exemplary work of Procurement and Business Services (PBS), showcasing innovation and dedication to providing substantial benefits to our institution's stakeholders, including faculty, staff, and students.  

Executive Director of Procurement and Business Services Ajay Patel and Director of Procurement Erin Mitchell accepted the award on behalf of Georgia Tech and had the opportunity to present at the NAEP's 2024 EPIC Meeting. Their session, "Revolutionizing Procure to Pay with Robotic Process Automation," delved into the transformative potential of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) in procurement operations.  

RPA has emerged as a pivotal tool in procurement, offering the capability to automate manual tasks, minimize errors, and enhance operational efficiency. It also empowers organizations to leverage automation effectively, optimize processes, and achieve significant cost savings.  

Georgia Tech is at the forefront of innovation with the introduction of bots to assist with automating administrative functions in asset management, accounts payable and grants and contracts. For example, the “compliance documents bot” plays a crucial role in facilitating communication with suppliers to request essential compliance documents such as E-Verify, Certificate of Insurance, and Sole Source.  

The accounts payable supplier team also plans to implement a “welcome bot” that will communicate with all new vendors via email. This bot will send out a welcome email that provides information on policies regarding purchase orders and invoices.  

These initiatives emphasize PBS’s commitment to embracing cutting-edge technology to better serve our campus stakeholders and drive operational excellence.