Higher Education

As higher education procurement leaders are asked to do more with less, driving efficiency with faster supplier management is critical. Graphite Connect brings the power of automation and AI to create 85% faster vendor onboarding without sacrificing data quality. Hit sustainability goals, onboard new suppliers quickly, and manage new compliance requirements easily with Graphite.

Get a Demo

How Graphite Connect Solves Higher Education Procurement Challenges

Graphite Connect is a tailored procurement solution built to meet the demands of higher education institutions. Designed to create a single pane of glass through which you can view the supplier-managed, buyer-managed, and third-party risk data you need on a daily basis.

Faster Supplier Qualification and Onboarding

Onboarding qualified suppliers has never been easier. With Graphite Connect, buyers experience 85% reductions in supplier onboarding time, including verified data and certifications. Automated compliance tracking ensures your vendors stay audit-ready without manual oversight.

Automate risk and compliance tracking to ensure ongoing compliance.
Reduce onboarding times by up to 85%
Gather all supplier commercial, risk, performance, contact and communication data in one place, fully integrated into your ERP.

Eliminate Handoffs & Delays

Graphite Connect streamlines procurement workflows by eliminating the bottlenecks that slow you down. Digital approvals, real-time updates, and centralized communication keep everything moving efficiently. Whether you’re onboarding a new vendor or managing contracts, Graphite ensures no step gets stuck in limbo.

Centralize workflows for consistency across departments.
Automate repetitive tasks like approvals and follow-ups.
Track progress in real-time to meet deadlines every time.
Benefit from streamlined education contracts.

Customizable to Your Institution’s Needs

Graphite Connect can be customized for specific departments or campuses, making it easy to align every procurement process with internal policies and goals.

Support decentralized workflows with tailored solutions.
Maintain visibility across all departments with centralized data.
Simplify communication between departments and procurement teams.

Sustainability Made Actionable

Graphite Connect integrates sustainability tracking directly into procurement workflows, giving you the ability to monitor vendor ESG metrics. Whether it’s evaluating carbon footprints or ensuring fair labor practices, the platform helps you align your purchases with your values.

Evaluate vendors based on sustainability criteria.
Access real-time reports on your institution’s ESG performance through third-party sustainability data partners like EcoVadis.
Prioritize suppliers who align with your sustainability & delivery goals.

Key Challenges in Higher Education Supplier Management

Managing procurement in higher education isn’t easy: decentralized systems, strict compliance rules, and complex supplier needs create challenges most industries never face.

Qualified Suppliers Are Hard to Find

Verifying compliance, certifications, and the ability to meet institutional requirements takes time and effort. According to a study by Northeastern University, nearly 70% of higher education procurement teams struggle with this step, which slows down the process and limits supplier options. Graphite’s automated validations of supplier documents, combined with the AI reading and summarization capabilities of its AI Extract module, make identifying and onboarding qualified vendors fast and easy.

Process Delays Disrupt Operations

Whether it’s onboarding a new supplier or handling a vendor switch, any supplier delays can affect critical operations. Manual tasks, back-and-forth communication, and approval bottlenecks compound the problem, leaving procurement teams frustrated and stakeholders waiting. Graphite’s automations, powered by the efficiency of a network architecture, mean that supplier management simply moves faster. Less redundancy and a more streamlined approach to vendor approvals.

Each Institution Has Its Own Requirements

Unlike corporate procurement systems, higher education institutions often struggle with decentralized needs. Each department, campus, or unit may have its own requirements, making things complicated and inefficient. What’s more, procurement solutions that work for one university or college may not work for another.

Graphite’s platform is highly configurable to your process and requirements. Dynamic routing of task assignments to specific users or groups keeps supplier management flowing across large organizations of thousands of employees.

Growing Emphasis on Sustainability

Sustainability is no longer optional for higher education: it’s a top priority. Schools are racing to source eco-friendly materials and partner with socially responsible vendors, all while meeting ambitious sustainability goals. All of these requirements can leave procurement teams overwhelmed, especially when it comes to sourcing and tracking.

Graphite partners with third-party data providers like Ecovadis to provide scoring and sustainability data that can then be used to power risk reviews, ESG reporting and remediation plans.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How does Graphite Connect handle compliance for higher education suppliers?

We maintain a network of suppliers with regularly updated certifications, so your vendors always meet higher education’s strict compliance standards.

Can Graphite Connect integrate with existing systems like Banner or Workday?

Yes! Graphite Connect works easily with your current procurement and ERP systems, keeping everything connected without disrupting your workflows.

Does Graphite Connect support supplier diversity goals?

Absolutely. You’ll gain tools to identify and certify diverse suppliers (like minority-owned or local businesses) so your procurement aligns with your institution’s mission and values.

What kind of training and support does Graphite Connect offer?

From onboarding to everyday use, we provide tailored training and support to ensure that everyone on your team knows how to use the platform. Graphite is consistently voted the “Easiest to Work With” for Supplier Relationship Management platforms by G2, powered by real customer reviews.

Can individual campuses or departments customize their workflows?

Yes, Graphite Connect allows each department or campus to have tailored workflows to their particular needs while keeping everything connected under a centralized system.