Financial Operations Completes First Service Delivery Model (SDM) Rollout

Financial Operations is proud to announce the successful completion of the Service Delivery Model pilot project with the UBC Sauder School of Business.

The Service Delivery Model was developed as part of the Procurement Modernization Project – the initiative to revolutionize the way UBC buys and pays for goods and services – that began in 2016.

For the purposes of this project, the Service Delivery Model, or SDM, is the organizational structure and process used to deliver procurement and payment services to the university. The main goals of the new SDM are to improve procurement and payment service delivery, and prepare those involved in finance and procurement across the university for the upcoming transition to Workday (as part of the Integrated Renewal Program).

As part of the Sauder pilot, Financial Operations collaborated with faculty and staff to analyze existing practices, identify opportunities for improvement, and design a new SDM with a people-first focus. Sauder staff with Accounts Payable responsibilities transitioned to the central FinOps team, and two new roles (a Buyer and Procurement Partner) were embedded within the faculty to provide more upfront support. The Buyer provides expertise for day-to-day procurement needs and the Procurement Partner provides leadership and strategic support.

“Having been at UBC for 20 years, moving from Sauder to Financial Operations has been a great learning experience for me, and I’ve valued the chance to have this opportunity,” said Judy Rollheiser, an Accounts Payable Processer who transitioned to FinOps as part of the SDM rollout.

“Now that Sauder has successfully transitioned over to the SDM, we are seeing improved turnaround times for invoices and expenses, as well as PO creation,” said Sandy Tanaka, the Assistant Dean for Finance and Information Technology at Sauder. “We have been able to create additional capacity to provide more value-added activities.”

Invoice processing and expense reimbursement times have been cut in half since Sauder transitioned to the new SDM, exceeding the original targets for the transition.

Financial Operations is continuing to work with faculties and administrative units to develop new Service Delivery Models that will improve levels of service across the university.