Healthcare delivery is the most powerful and sought-after service during these tough times. Planes that are supposed to carry passengers are now beginning to carry PPE, N95 Masks and test kits. The term 'economies of scale' has taken on immense significance and is the most powerful statement Countries and Governments can hope to make right now.

This raises interest on the purpose and existence of Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs) and their ability to bring PPE and Life Saving gear to affected areas. As a majority of Hospitals and Institutions are facing a mounting number of cases every day, surely it is time for someone else to step in and ensure that critical Infection-fighting Equipment are made available at the right time and in the right quantity.

Oracle Cloud puts together a powerful yet simple and scalable Shared Services Model that can create a Centralized Hub and Spoke model of mass purchasing. Category-based buying can be put in place with simple workflows and rules, and healthcare organizations can simply 'subscribe' to this service and start placing requests.

Here is an easy-to-understand ‘how to do’ guide:

1. Group Purchasing Organization will be the Central Purchasing Org in the Shared Services Setup
2. All Subscribers (Healthcare Companies), register through the Supplier Portal and are setup as the Requesting Units - transacting orgs
3. The Central Purchasing Org will also define 'Buyers' by category and will also have Category Administrators and Managers who will be responsible for the Supply Chain
4. The Central Purchasing Org will also have its Inventory Org Structure defined and will have access to the Supplier Master
5. PAR Replenishment: Periodic Auto Replenishment (also known as PAR) can optionally be implemented with the help of Oracle WMS Cloud's RF Screening Capability
6. The Central Purchasing Org will also be vested with the Shared Service responsibility of Invoice Matching and Payment Processing

Conclusion

Leveraging Oracle Cloud's Shared Services Model can be a game changer for Group Purchasing Organizations to deliver critical life-saving equipment to Hospitals and Healthcare Providers.

Ravi Janakiraman

Practice Head, Oracle Supply Chain, Wipro Limited

Ravi Janakiraman is a Supply Chain Architect and Consultant with 20+ years of experience. He has been working on Oracle Applications for more than 15 years and has architected transformational programs for several global enterprises.  Ravi was responsible for incubating and starting Value Chain Planning Competency in the Practice and led the Co-Development of Demantra 7.3.X with Oracle.