Fiscal Year 2026 reflected another strong year of procurement and contracting activity across Minnesota State. Institutions created 44,815 purchase orders, a 20.7% increase over FY2025. Contracting also remained high, with 8,725 contracts executed.

These results highlight continued use of enterprise procurement tools, standardized workflows, and collaboration across colleges, universities, and the System Office to support timely and consistent procurement and contract management services.

Executing a contract is often viewed as the final step in a sourcing event, but there is one additional action that should not be overlooked. Once all parties have signed the contract, the associated sourcing event in JAGGAER should be advanced to Award status by completing the remaining workflow approvals.

Closing the loop on sourcing events helps maintain accurate procurement records, improves reporting, and ensures sourcing activity reflects the final procurement outcome.

Why This Matters

• Improves sourcing and spend reporting accuracy.
• Provides a complete audit trail for procurement activities.
• Ensures sourcing event statuses accurately reflect contract outcomes.
• Reduces confusion when reviewing historical sourcing activity.
• Supports systemwide procurement analytics and reporting.

Completing the Final Workflow Steps

1. Locate the sourcing event in JAGGAER.
2. Verify the sourcing event information reflects the final award.
3. Navigate to Tools > Approvals.
4. Open the Sourcing Event Evaluation Workflow.
5. Complete any remaining approval tasks.
6. Continue approving workflow steps until all approvals are complete.
7. Refresh your browser.
8. Confirm the sourcing event status changes to Award.

Each June, Pride Month provides an opportunity to recognize the contributions of LGBTQ+ communities and reflect on how procurement can support broader participation in the economy. While supplier diversity efforts often focus on expanding opportunities for historically underrepresented businesses, they also help strengthen competition, increase innovation, and build more resilient supply chains.

Procurement decisions influence economic opportunity. The suppliers we engage, the outreach we conduct, and the procurement practices we implement all affect who has the opportunity to compete for public business. By creating inclusive sourcing environments, institutions can encourage broader participation while maintaining a commitment to fairness, transparency, and best value.

Why Supplier Diversity Matters

• Expands competition and increases supplier participation.
• Introduces new ideas, products, and services into the marketplace.
• Strengthens supply chain resiliency by broadening supplier networks.
• Supports economic development and opportunity across diverse communities.
• Advances Minnesota State's commitment to equity and inclusion.

These efforts support Minnesota State's broader strategic objectives, including strengthening resources, expanding opportunity, and reducing equity gaps across the system.

Supplier diversity is not limited to a single month or outreach event. It is reflected in the day-to-day decisions procurement professionals make when developing sourcing strategies, conducting supplier outreach, evaluating barriers to participation, and creating opportunities for businesses to compete.

Building an inclusive supplier ecosystem requires consistent action. Procurement professionals can make meaningful impacts throughout the year by intentionally creating opportunities for diverse suppliers to learn about and compete for business opportunities.

Practical Strategies

• Expand supplier outreach when planning sourcing events.
• Review requirements for unnecessary barriers to participation.
• Leverage certified supplier directories and outreach networks.
• Encourage diverse supplier participation in informational sessions and pre-bid meetings.
• Evaluate procurement processes for unintended bias.
• Track supplier diversity outcomes to identify opportunities for improvement.

Supplier diversity is most successful when it becomes part of everyday procurement planning, not just a single initiative. Consistent outreach and thoughtful sourcing practices help create broader awareness of opportunities while maintaining fair and open competition.

Whether you are onboarding a new employee or expanding responsibilities for an existing user, ensuring the correct JAGGAER access is assigned is an important part of maintaining system security, data integrity, and efficient business operations.

JAGGAER access is established through the Employee Home Page and approved through the standard Finance approval process. However, obtaining access involves more than simply requesting a role. Users should carefully consider which permissions are necessary to perform their job duties and ensure they are associated with the correct institution.

Start with the Right Role

The most common challenge when requesting access is determining which roles are needed. Before submitting a request, work with your campus business office to identify the responsibilities you will perform within JAGGAER.

• Contract management and contract approvals
• Sourcing event creation and administration
• Sourcing event approvals
• Contract review and reporting
• System administration functions

If a similar employee already performs the same duties, one effective approach is to mirror that user's assigned roles. Campus business offices or the Procurement and Contract Management team can assist in identifying the appropriate role assignments.

Requesting Access

Users may request JAGGAER roles through the Employee Home Page by navigating to Security Administration and requesting the appropriate Finance (PC*) web roles. Once submitted, the request follows the standard approval process before access is granted.

Don't Forget Institution Assignment

One of the most common reasons users experience limited functionality after receiving approval is that they have not yet been associated with their institution within JAGGAER.

After role approval, users should submit a JAGGAER Service Desk request so the Procurement and Contract Management team can assign the user to the appropriate institution. Without this final step, users may be unable to create, search, manage, or approve contracts and sourcing events.

User access reviews are an important internal control that help ensure JAGGAER users have the appropriate permissions to perform their job responsibilities while protecting institutional data and procurement records.

Regular review of roles and institution assignments also supports audit readiness and helps campuses maintain appropriate segregation of duties.

What to Review

• Users who have changed positions or responsibilities.
• Inactive users who no longer require system access.
• Temporary or elevated permissions granted for specific projects.
• Institution assignments and approval authorities.
• Role combinations that may create segregation-of-duties concerns.

Why It Matters

• Protects procurement and contract records.
• Improves system security and access governance.
• Reduces errors caused by outdated permissions.
• Supports consistent procurement administration across campuses.

Professional development remains one of the most effective ways to strengthen procurement knowledge, improve sourcing outcomes, and stay informed about emerging practices, regulations, and technologies. Consider participating in one or more of the upcoming opportunities below.

Minnesota State Professional Development Opportunities

Note: The following opportunities are shared for informational purposes. Content may or may not directly apply to Minnesota State. For applicability questions, please contact the Procurement and Contract Management team through the Service Desk: Search - JAGGAER