The controller’s office, partnering with other departments, is focused on improving data quality across the University in the coming years. One of the first projects is working with UPST to align account codes in PeopleSoft with commodity codes.
A commodity code is an international standard system to identify goods or services. For example, one person might call what they buy “Kleenex,” and another might call it “Tissues.” A commodity code uses a standardized number to describe the many ways people might use to describe the same thing. Kleenex vs tissues is a simple example, but imagine how many different ways people can call the over 1 billion annual dollars UMass spends on supplies and services! By using consistent commodity codes, we can better understand what the University is buying and how to use resources most effectively.
The work to align commodity codes with account codes has a lot of benefits. First, it makes the buyer experience more streamlined and accurate. Once this project is complete, after a Commodity Code is chosen, there will only be one or two PeopleSoft account options. This project will improve the approvals, so the right people approve the right things. It will also improve data quality across the University and is the first step in creating a new procurement reporting tool.