Expert Professional Services from Woodstock Group

Modules: Buying & Invoice Mgt., Catalogs, Guided Buying, Sourcing, Contracts, SLP and Risk

The  principal of Woodstock Group was engaged by a SAP Ariba Partner to lead a full SAP Ariba upstream and downstream implementation that was successfully delivered for a leading global Visa and Mastercard payment processor, encompassing the complete suite of SAP Ariba modules and executed at global scale. Upstream, the program included Ariba Sourcing, Ariba Supplier Lifecycle and Performance (SLP), Ariba Contracts, and Ariba Spend Analysis, enabling standardized supplier onboarding, risk and compliance management, strategic sourcing, and contract governance across regions. 

Downstream, the scope included Ariba Buying, Ariba Buying & Invoicing, Ariba Invoicing, and deep supplier connectivity through the SAP Business Network, delivering a fully digital requisition-to-pay environment. The solution was tightly integrated with the SAP ERP as the system of record, ensuring financial integrity, real-time controls, and global consistency across highly regulated payment-processing operations.

The program was completed on time and on a material fee basis, with minimal change orders achieved through strong upfront design discipline, clear global process standards, and rigorous governance. A partial remote delivery model was used to support a geographically dispersed organization, requiring close coordination across procurement, finance, legal, IT, risk, and compliance teams. 

Next, comprehensive change management and training services were embedded throughout the lifecycle, enabling the successful onboarding and enablement of thousands of users worldwide. Role-based training, virtual learning paths, executive communications, and adoption metrics ensured rapid transition to the new operating model without disruption to mission-critical payment operations.

Following go-live, the program transitioned seamlessly into ongoing Managed Services support, providing long-term stability and continuous improvement across the SAP Ariba landscape. Managed services included hypercare, functional and integration support, release and patch management, supplier enablement expansion, and optimization of upstream and downstream processes as business needs evolved. 

This steady-state support model ensured sustained user adoption, regulatory compliance, and performance at scale, positioning SAP Ariba not merely as a deployed system, but as a durable global procurement and supplier collaboration platform supporting one of the world’s most complex and high-volume payment ecosystems.