The Added Value of the Public Procurement Department Lies in Its Core Mission

Estelle IL-TURNA, Head of the Procurement Department – Financial Affairs Division at Université Paris-Est Créteil Val de Marne

A major player in academic innovation in the Greater Eastern Paris region, the institution takes a synergistic approach to its missions of education, research, career placement, and partnerships. The university serves over 40,000 students and includes around forty procurement departments.

Estelle IL-TURNA, Head of the Procurement Department – Financial Affairs Division at Université Paris-Est Créteil Val de Marne

A major player in academic innovation in the Greater Eastern Paris region, the institution takes a synergistic approach to its missions of education, research, career placement, and partnerships. The university serves over 40,000 students and includes around forty procurement departments.

The procurement department, which I oversee, is composed of three procurement officers and an apprentice. It handles a substantial and diverse procurement volume. Consequently, since my arrival in 2022, my goal has been to identify and eliminate non-value-added tasks and explore outsourcing opportunities where applicable.

Aprovall, a solution I used in previous roles that has proven its value, efficiency, and sustainability, was a “natural” fit in the context of the University.

After a quick initial contact, we deployed the solution within two weeks to specifically verify the regulatory compliance of our suppliers, contract holders, and subcontractors. This verification has since been carried out at the time of contract award and throughout the contract’s execution, currently covering 250 third parties.

Before Aprovall, these checks were manually conducted at the time of contract award through written requests to the selected candidates. This required considerable time for document verification, checking dates, and confirming the relevant entity. During contract execution, such checks were rarely performed due to time constraints.

With Aprovall, a single login and the SIRET number of the contract holder allow us to perform all checks quickly, securely, and with traceability. Our compliance obligations are now fulfilled automatically. We receive real-time alerts (for example, if the company’s status changes, or in the case of judicial restructuring or liquidation).

Thanks to these alerts, we even discovered that one of our contract holders was in liquidation!

Each check saves us a minimum of 1 to 2 hours of work per contract.

For me, the question was clear. There is no added value in collecting and verifying documents that a reliable and efficient solution can handle for you!

The added value of the public procurement department lies in its core mission.

Aprovall has become a key partner in our procurement efficiency, allowing team members to refocus on high-value tasks like collaboration with internal departments and sourcing.

The solution was also designed to be adaptable, potentially covering other areas of compliance or third-party maturity. We are already exploring these options, particularly as we address broader issues beyond regulatory requirements, such as the decarbonization of procurement.

Client Quote:

I was familiar with Aprovall from my previous role at another institution. Having used it before and knowing its capabilities, I decided to continue using it in my current position.

Estelle IL-TURNA, UPEC