Our Commitment to a Mission-Centric Government

Why a Mission-Centric Government Matters 

We’re midway through 2023, and by now you recognize the term modernization as a popular buzzword in most industries. It’s used alongside other technological trends such as transformation, digitally native, and mobile-first. But modernization is more than just an organizational or investment strategy. It’s a commitment. A commitment to change, and more importantly, a commitment to an optimized future. 

To those serving the needs of a modern government, the supreme purpose is to drive and help enhance operations, accelerate projects and timelines, and achieve economies of scale. Even more so, and specific to the government information technology (IT) community, new technology acquisitions can make the impossible possible. And both the art and the beauty of making bold technological decisions is that the right investments allow for the government to maintain a sharper focus on the mission at hand. When the government spends more time focusing on the mission, it can focus on what is truly important – the safety, security, and trust of the nation’s citizens and the millions of US federal, state, and local government employees.

How SAP Concur Solutions Have Enabled Government for Over 20 Years 

SAP Concur solutions have helped organizations take on the challenge of modernizing travel and expense management for more than 20 years. By leveraging our end-to-end travel and expense platform, organizations have simplified and streamlined processes and delivered transparency and value to the employees and citizens they serve. Within regulated industries, SAP Concur solutions have led transformative projects to enhance user experiences, automate expense management, drive reconciliation and transparency in booking invoices, build out an enhanced ecosystem of partners, and much more. 

Delivering value for customers, whether they are focused on missions or profits, has always been the number one goal. For instance, SAP Concur solutions have provided a centralized travel and expense service for the E-Government Travel Service (ETS) Program since 2003, empowering the federal civilian sector to digitize travel and expense operations, streamline voucher management, and decrease audits. Essential-care provider, Cardinal Health also engaged with our solutions to adopt a continuous innovation system that gives their employees time back, in hospitals and pharmacies. The University of Alabama found a reliable partner in SAP Concur when it was looking to streamline and automate its travel, expense, and invoice management processes. Similarly, National Mortgage Insurance was able to drive visibility and transparency into its spend management operations through the adoption and rollout of SAP Concur systems. Finally, Vertex Aerospace moved ahead of the payment processing curve, by finding ways to embed automation into its invoice management system. These powerful commitments can produce compounding effects, when results produce more results due to continuous innovation. In regulated industries, where adhering to policies, directives, and government regulations is critical, it’s paramount to commit to change and adapt in real time.

The Importance of Investing in Investments 

Dedicating time and resources (budget and people) toward ensuring the success of an investment is of utmost importance. When hiring new employees, we train them, give them mentors, and open our doors to questions over the first few weeks and months. When learning to drive a car, we take comprehensive courses, take road tests, and endure “training wheels” or provisional periods where we are limited in driving to/from certain places, with certain people, or at certain times. And when we invest in IT, we connect new processes with existing ones, assign oversight to leaders or groups of individuals, and put together agile plans to reach milestones on the implementation journey. 

To commit to change management in regulated industries is how an organization can prove its commitment to modernization. The government has a reputation of lagging behind in the digital age.  This is partly because of the restrictions and regulations that stymie the pace and rate of innovation. However, finance, technology, and acquisition departments can combat this by making confident decisions. These government entities have a duty to protect and maximize taxpayer dollars, thereby striving to reduce improper payments over time. They also hold a responsibility to keep employees and citizens safe and progress towards a more sustainable platform. With many priorities and legacy systems that can fail to keep up, it’s imperative to invest in your investments, by allocating time, money, people, and programs to ensure proper onboarding and a path to success. Without this omnipresent type of planning, new investments can be left neglected. 

The Elements of a Successful Partnership 

All successful partnerships share similar core tenets: trust, transparency, effective communication, defined strategies, and mutual investments. In the IT world, trust is earned through proof of concepts, proper listening and learning, and solving problems together. Transparency is established by bringing parties together, opening “the books” where appropriate by sharing key priorities, and delivering on what you promised. And finally, effective communication accelerates a relationship, by establishing short and long-term goals, enjoying success, and learning from failures along the way. Together, these tenets are powerful, without one, a strong partnership can be challenged. 

Vendors and industry participants deserve to reap the rewards of a successful partnership, when both parties can come together with one another’s best interests to deliver mission outcomes. In the public sector, government stewards and managed service providers also double as community citizens. Therefore, when modernization efforts allow organizations to provide tangible value to their communities, it’s a win-win. 

The SAP Concur Commitment 

SAP Concur solutions provide a single platform, range of software technologies, robust partner ecosystem, and continuous innovation to guide government organizations on their modernization journeys. All journeys are different, and this flexibility to deliver purpose-built processes gives customers what they need most, when they need it most. Today, SAP Concur solutions are trusted by hundreds of government entities to deliver mission-centric outcomes. To keep up with ever-shifting regulations and maintain industry-leading security and performance, a partner who listens first and can tap into the depth of agency-specific travel, expense, or invoice management solutions is a partner you need.

Join the SAP Concur government community to see how other government organizations are solving their challenges or engage with an SAP Concur solutions expert today.