The role of ERP systems in enhancing procurement operations: a practical insight from stichting BRAC International

Abstract

This internship report investigates the transition from manual, spreadsheet‑based procurement to a fully integrated ERP Procurement Module at Stichting BRAC International’s Corporate Affairs Department. Over a three‑month period, I supported end‑to‑end procurement operations initiating ERP requisitions, maintaining work plans and registers, drafting purchase orders and tenders and delivered administrative, travel, and analytical support across head and country offices. To ground system design in real user needs, a mixed‑methods survey gathered input from 50 procurement stakeholders spanning five country offices. Quantitative ratings revealed that 56% of users find current manual workflows very inefficient, with 46% spending more than an hour on each requisition and over 80% experiencing data‑entry errors weekly or daily. Approval routing and decentralized Excel forms emerged as the biggest bottlenecks. Stakeholders uniformly prioritized five ERP capabilities: supplier/ vendor management (68% rated high importance), procure‑to‑pay automation (74%), self‑service requisitions (70%), spend analytics (62%), and integration with Finance/ HRMS (70%). Moreover, 70% of respondents expressed strong confidence in learning a new system and favored multi‑modal training particularly in‑person workshops, live virtual sessions, and on‑the‑job coaching. These findings underscore an urgent need for an ERP solution that centralizes supplier data, automates approval workflows, embeds data validation controls, and delivers real‑time dashboards. The report concludes that implementing these modules will dramatically reduce cycle times, eliminate errors, enhance compliance, and free procurement teams to focus on strategic activities like supplier relationship management and cost optimization. To support a successful implementation of the ERP Procurement Module across BRAC International, this report strongly recommends focusing on three pivotal areas. First, it is essential to invest in an intuitive and user-friendly self-service requisition system that empowers staff to independently raise purchase requests while reducing the administrative burden on the procurement team. Second, seamless integration between procurement and other key ERP modules such as Finance and HR is critical, as it allows for real-time data sharing, minimizes duplication of effort, and enhances transparency across departments. Finally, a blended training approach that includes both in person and virtual training, along with practical on-the-job coaching and easy to get learning materials, will boost user adoption and ensure that staff feel confident directing the new system from day one.