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Tribal casino procurement involves complex workflows with many actors and steps involved. And under legacy, paper-based procurement systems, this complexity can create problems at multiple failure points.

However, tribal gaming leaders are increasingly turning to new technology for a smoother procurement pathway. Discover how Sage Intacct, a cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) and accounting platform, can help your gaming organization handle procurement more quickly, efficiently and effectively than before.

What’s wrong with paper- or spreadsheet-based procurement?

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Right? Well, that depends. While many gaming organizations have long relied on paper forms and Excel spreadsheets to manage their procurement process, longevity does not necessarily equal efficacy.

Typically, a paper-based procurement workflow looks something like this: A submitter will complete and hand in a paper form to approvers. Those approvers, often more than one, will sign it and send it over to the purchasing team, who will make the product purchase. And finally, a receiver gets the product and then notifies accounts payable to pay the bill.

This system can work fairly well. But consider how many points of failure exist:

• Every time a paper form has to pass from one person to the next, there is a chance that the form gets buried on a desk, accidentally thrown out or otherwise lost.
• Everyone involved must be on-premises in order to move the process forward, which can result in logistical hurdles (for example, if a key approver is traveling or if you need a sign-off from your tribal council).
• Physical forms create a mountain of paperwork to dig through for reporting, taxes or during an audit.
• Different workflows for standard, food and beverage or capital purchases.

Sage Intacct offers a smoother, cloud-based procurement solution

As an ERP, Sage Intacct allows you to run your entire procurement operation from one cloud-based platform. This can make your systems smoother and simpler by eliminating potential failure points and streamlining how things work.

Here are some key benefits of Sage Intacct as a tool for tribal gaming procurement:

• Completely paperless: The entire procurement process moves online, which means no more physical forms to deal with (or lose track of).
• Access from anywhere: Because Sage Intacct is a fully cloud-based ERP platform, you can access the software from anywhere rather than having to be on-premises.
• Prompt notifications: If you’re responsible for the next step in the approval process, you’ll get an email notification when it’s time for you to act.
• Greater transparency: Approvers and anyone responsible for oversight will have clear visibility into the entire procurement process, including the current state of each specific transaction in the system.
• Centralized records: All transaction records, including receipts, are uploaded into the cloud for easy access.
• Real-time insight into purchasing costs: See budgeted versus actual costs at the time of purchase, so you can make more informed decisions.
• Sign orders remotely: An approver can sign a purchase order electronically without having to be on-premises. This can be especially helpful for any orders that require sign-off from your tribal council, as council members can track and approve purchases remotely.
• Simplified accounts payable: Your accounts payable team will be able to track the status of an order without needing to be updated by a receiver or purchaser.
• Audit-ready financials: Since all your procurement records are organized and online with supporting documentation attached, you’ll have an easier time putting together reports, filing taxes or preparing for an audit.

What does it take to implement Sage Intacct?

Transitioning to Sage Intacct typically takes between four to eight months, depending on your gaming organization’s specific needs. Here’s a short overview of the process:

1. Decide to make a change: If you want to improve your procurement workflows, you first need to decide if you and your organization are willing to change. Without that willingness, you’ll struggle to implement Sage Intacct or any other new solution.
2. Find an advisor to help you make the transition: Working with an advisory firm that specializes in moving gaming organizations onto Sage Intacct can make the process significantly simpler for you and your team.
3. Do a data cleanup, including vendor lists: You want to get all your data organized and ready for the new system.
4. Bring Sage Intacct online and train your team: Once you have the system up and running, you’ll need to work with your team to get everyone comfortable using it.

Doing all this successfully involves a certain amount of change management, including communicating to your team why you’re making a change in order to increase buy-in. You’ll also want to encourage open feedback from team members about how the process is going so you can provide additional support if needed.

The biggest barrier to change here often comes from leadership. If leadership is not onboard with a Sage Intacct transition throughout the entire process, it’s much more likely to fail.

Here, consider the value of working smarter, not harder. Ask yourself: How can I save my team some time? Simply being open to this question can help you reevaluate legacy processes that may no longer serve your organization as well as they once did — and create space for trying something new.

How Wipfli can help

We help tribal gaming organizations simplify procurement by implementing Sage Intacct. Ask us to help you assess and upgrade your procurement process for smoother purchasing and greater transparency. Learn more here or watch this webinar on how tribal gaming organizations can strengthen procurement.

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