Georgia Tech has been recognized with the National Association of Education Procurement (NAEP) Award of Excellence in Procurement, highlighting the exceptional contributions of the procurement department in supporting the institution’s mission. The award showcases the outstanding work of Procurement and Business Services (PBS), demonstrating innovation and dedication to delivering value to faculty, staff, and students.
During the NAEP’s 2024 EPIC Meeting, Executive Director Ajay Patel and Director Erin Mitchell accepted the award on behalf of Georgia Tech. Their session focused on the use of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) in procurement operations, showcasing its transformative potential. RPA enables organizations to automate manual tasks, reduce errors, and improve operational efficiency, allowing them to realize significant cost savings and process optimization.
Georgia Tech is leading the way in innovation by implementing bots to automate administrative functions in asset management, accounts payable, and grants and contracts. For example, the “compliance documents bot” streamlines communication with suppliers to request essential compliance documents like E-Verify, Certificate of Insurance, and Sole Source. Additionally, the accounts payable supplier team plans to introduce a “welcome bot” to interact with new vendors via email, providing information on purchase orders and invoices policies.
These initiatives underscore PBS’s commitment to embracing advanced technology to better serve the campus community and achieve operational excellence.