Creating An Easier Procure-to-Pay Model

Companies buy a lot…and country-wide, billion-dollar companies buy even more. The Miller Group, subsidiary of Colas Canada is no exception. As this article is being written (August 2020) Miller is in the midst of one of the Companies’ biggest transitions, they’re migrating their ERP, core manufacturing, document management, project estimating & management software.

Technologies Used

• JD Edwards
• Microsoft Office 365
• Power Automate
• Command Alkon Apex
• Command Series
• OnBase
• HCSS
• HeavyBid
• HeavyJob
• Bid Management System (BMS)

The Team considered several options from paper-based forms to a fillable PDF or Excel form to eventually utilizing a Microsoft Office 365 product that Colas already has at its’ disposal, SharePoint.

Many that have used SharePoint in the past know it as a document coloration site, but it can do much more. By utilizing a workflow add-on and PowerAutomate, it can transform a manual paper process to a digital one, and this is exactly what Miller has done.

By utilizing SharePoint document libraries, lists, Nintex Forms & Workflow, along with PowerAutomate, Miller has a digital, partially automated, central, standard purchase requisition system that will help get the approved request details into the hands of the people who are creating the Purchase Orders in JDE.

By working digitally and with email, quick conversations can take place from anywhere to get corrections or clarifications about the account string, vendor or job number, for example, all while working of the same info and not having to deal with attachments.

The current purchase requisition process at Miller is now standardized, digital, semi-automated, and more importantly, being done. 6 months into rolling out this new system Miller has over 20,000 purchase requisitions completed, which can surely be considered a success.