Shared Service Arrangement Being Studied to Manage Costs, Improve Service

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The five UMass campuses and the UMass System Office have been studying a shared service arrangement for a select set of administrative operations with the goals of increased efficiency, improved customer service and cost savings for the campuses. 

The first phase of the implementation will focus on procurement and accounts payable, said Andrew Mangels, UMass Amherst vice chancellor for administration and finance. While the details of the structure are still to be determined, the campus is committed to a transition that will take into account existing campus resources and expertise that will be critical to the new unified structure. 

A group of campus representatives in accounts payable, procurement and payroll as well as the vice chancellors of administration and finance has been meeting with an outside consulting firm to generate a set of recommendations. The group has reached out to peer university systems with shared service models to learn about their success. 

“The need for increased efficiency in administrative operations is critical in managing costs, which are ultimately borne by students,” Mangels said. “The shared service model builds on successful administrative collaborations already in place throughout the university system such as the Buyways purchasing system, payroll and tax processing, and legal and banking services.”