Thought Leadership Webinar

 

From Friction to Flow: What's Really Driving Higher Ed to Rethink Procure-to-Pay

Decentralized purchasing is higher education's most persistent challenge: departments buy independently, procurement teams lack visibility, approvals create constant bottlenecks, and finance can't get basic insights into spend. The systems meant to control costs become cost centers themselves. Join us for a candid panel discussion with procurement and finance leaders from across higher ed.

April 23, 2026 | 11:00am – 12:00pm PT 

UM - raki prasad Circle

Raki Prasad

Senior Director of Spend Management
Huron

UM - Seton Hall Logo Circle

Vaishali Sindha

Buyer
Seton Hall University

Why you should watch this webinar

If your institution is still fighting the same procurement battles — fragmented purchasing, manual approvals, no spend visibility, supplier sprawl — you’re not alone. These aren’t niche problems. They’re the structural reality of how higher education operates.

This candid 60-minute panel brings together procurement and finance leaders who have lived these challenges and driven institutional change. They’ll share what actually pushed their organizations to rethink procure-to-pay, and what the path from friction to flow really looks like.

What you'll learn

✔️ Why fragmented purchasing persists in higher ed and how institutions are taking back control without disrupting departments

✔️ The real cost of approval bottlenecks, and the workarounds that are making things worse

✔️ How to close the spend visibility gap and give leadership the data they need to make decisions

✔️ Managing supplier sprawl: how institutions are reducing complexity without losing supplier relationships

✔️ The procurement-finance divide: why it exists, what it costs, and what actually bridges it
 
✔️ What moving from friction to flow looks like in practice: real outcomes from institutions that have done it
 

Who should join

This session is for you if:

  • You lead procurement or purchasing at a higher education institution
  • You’re in finance, AP, or budget management and dealing with decentralized spend
  • You oversee supplier relationships or contract management across departments
  • You’re evaluating procure-to-pay systems or driving procurement process reform

Featured Speakers

UM - raki prasad Circle

Raki Prasad

Senior Director of Spend Management at Huron

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Raki Prasad is Senior Director of Spend Management at Huron, where he has spent nearly seven years advancing through consulting and leadership roles in procurement strategy and operations. With a career spanning product management, SAP implementation, and procurement consulting at firms including Deloitte, SAP, and Jaggaer, he brings deep expertise in spend management, contract lifecycle management, and supply chain optimization.

 

UM - Seton Hall Logo Circle

Vaishali Sindha 

Buyer at Seton Hall University

   UM Website icon white circle

Vaishali Sindha is a Buyer at Seton Hall University, where she has spent nearly three years advancing through procurement roles managing vendor relationships, purchase orders, and compliance. With a background spanning higher education, distribution, and operations, she brings a well-rounded perspective to procurement and supply chain processes.

Join procurement and finance leaders from across higher ed as they share the real challenges — and real outcomes — of moving from friction to flow in procure-to-pay.

April 23, 2026 | 11:00am – 12:00pm PT

Submit the form to book your spot.