For the 2025-26 fiscal year, UCSF’s Supply Chain Management Strategic Procurement, a unified force combining Procurement, Contracts, and Strategic Sourcing, set out to improve UCSFs financial challenges with a bold savings target of $36.8 million. As of the end of Q3, they have reached $31.7 million in savings—thanks to the collaborative efforts of their teams and partnerships with campus departments across UCSF. 

Strategic Sourcing Initiatives

Within this shared success, Strategic Sourcing has played a key role in driving impactful projects. One such project came from Jose Padilla, Category Manager, in close collaboration with the IT Infrastructure team and UCSF Health Strategic Sourcing. This cross-functional team led a strategic initiative to reduce the overall costs for mobile phones with a two-pronged approach. 

• They led an enterprise-wide analysis of mobile phone usage that resulted in the elimination of unused mobile lines, and
• They successfully renegotiated rates, securing a new, more favorable agreement with a 20-percent discount on the rates. 

Combined, these efforts will result in over $7 million in savings, demonstrating the power of a strategic lens and teamwork on recurring expenses. This project is ongoing and is expected to deliver additional savings and efficiencies to UCSF in future phases.

In another savings success, Susan Riddle, Senior Category Manager, and Yvette Shaw, Senior Buyer, worked closely with the UCSF Police Department on a multi-year deal to procure state-of-the-art police equipment and software. Faced with a short timeline driven by imminent tariff increases, the team acted swiftly to lock in negotiated discounts before they expired. This effort safeguarded UCSF from $2.9 million in additional costs and ensured a stable, long-term contract.

Supporting UCSF’s Success

When asked about the impact of these projects, Silvia Rivera Vasquez, Manager of Strategic Sourcing, said, “These projects are just two of many examples of how Strategic Sourcing supports the broader UCSF mission. Our team brings forward-looking strategies to amplify the positive impact of our Professional Buying team—both of which are vital to UCSF’s success."