The future of eMarketplace

Following the announcement that our current eMarketplace P2P (purchase to pay) system is to be discontinued, a decision has been taken to revert back to functionality within U4ERP (Agresso), the University’s core finance system.

Colleagues use eMarketplace for both supplier management and the ordering of goods and services. The solution integrates with the University’s finance system, U4ERP, for supplier payments and financial reporting.

The University was informed last year by our eMarketplace provider, Medius, that the software we use will no longer be supported after 31 December 2025.

This has forced us into planning on the future of eMarketplace sooner than expected after launching in 2022. However, it has also given us an opportunity to review what has worked well with the system and what needs to improve going forward.

A survey issued recently by the Finance team to eMarketplace requisitioners and approvers resulted in some valuable feedback about some benefits and frustrations with eMarketplace.

A review of options has taken place, including a review of alternative software offered by Medius, however this did not provide a suitable solution for the University. Given other ongoing change projects within the wider University, a completely new software implementation was also not desirable.

Reverting back to U4ERP (Agresso) will allow us to look at what improvements we can make in the short-term and also provide an opportunity for a further review of the functionality and products available in the market, once wider University projects have been delivered.

Reverting back to U4ERP will form part of a three-stage project, which will include an upgrade and cloud migration. We will provide further updates on the timing of the switch to U4ERP once timelines have been confirmed.

In the meantime, users of eMarketplace should carry on using it as normal, as the system is a core financial process and control for the University.

Thank you to all colleagues who have provided feedback to the Finance team on our eMarketplace. We will continue to use this going forward.