City of Sioux Falls Saves Time and Money With Best-of-Breed Procurement Platform

ROCKVILLE, MD, August 18, 2022—The City of Sioux Falls has implemented EqualLevel’s eProcurement marketplace as part of its best-of-breed strategy to automate its procurement process. EqualLevel’s marketplace replaces their full eSourcing and eProcurement suite which had been in use for several years. Not satisfied with a full suite solution, the city was interested in employing a best-of-breed platform. Their purchasing department conducted a thorough search for a system that could be “as easy to use as Amazon. And we’ve found it,” said Purchasing Manager Scott Rust. “The product provides ease-of-use for both the end-user and the administrator. The analytics of the tool are amazing. We now have so much information at our fingertips.”

Situated in the middle of the Great Plains, the City of Sioux Falls is the largest city in South Dakota, with a population of 180,927. In 2020, it was voted tenth among the 100 best places to live in the U.S. (livability.com). The city’s current operating budget is $281 million. 

Rust and Business Analyst Matt Newman conducted a thorough evaluation of systems recommended by their counterparts at various schools, cities, and states. During demos, Rust and Newman paid careful attention to every facet of the software to determine how easy it was to use for the end-user. The team also interviewed staff to ensure they understood their needs for a new system. 

The City of Sioux Falls launched EqualLevel’s platform in April 2022. “The process was not cumbersome at all,” said Rust. “We were surprised how fast it was adopted and how fast it earned a prominent spot on our city’s intranet,” said Rust. Through the platform’s savings advisor, ELSA, which identifies the best value among search results, the city is already seeing thousands in savings. It has also eliminated the need to manually process purchase orders. “We have taken over 600 manual requisitions out of our system freeing up employees to do other things,” said Rust.

Since the launch of the new EqualLevel marketplace, the City of Sioux Falls has seen more contract compliance and increased utilization across its departments. “EqualLevel was able to create an easy-to-use, Amazon-like shopping experience for the city. From the field to the office, everyone can use it,” said Rust. 

Of the suppliers that have been onboarded, 12 have brick and mortar stores within city limits allowing more city dollars to be invested in the local economy. “Doing business with local retailers has been a priority for our city. With EqualLevel’s tool we have been able to satisfy that goal,” said Rust.

EqualLevel was founded with the goal of creating a straightforward procurement solution that helps public sector organizations streamline operations and optimize spending. EqualLevel combines the best eProcurement marketplace and eInvoicing capabilities into a single solution that is easier-to-use, faster to configure and deploy, and more cost-effective than any other procurement platform available today. With deep domain knowledge in eProcurement, a best- in-class cloud platform, a fast-growing community of customers, and industry-first innovations like ELSA (an AI-powered savings advisor), EqualLevel is leading the way in helping the public sector spend smartly and save more. For more information about Equallevel, visit https://equallevel.com