Five years, five experts, five stars! This month marks the fifth anniversary of the Supply Chain Management (SCM) Response Team. The team consists of five founding members who represent a diverse cross-section of SCM. Together, they provide hands-on support to all UCSF customers and external suppliers. Additionally, they have taken on responsibilities for new projects like Greenphire ClinCard (the clinical research study participant payment solution) as well as supporting the expanding UCSF footprint at St. Mary’s, Saint Francis, and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland.

Five years in, the Response Team is focused on being proactive and educational. They routinely analyze ticket topics and use the data to refine ticket intake forms and update routing for more efficient support workflows. They also use their connection to customers to help identify web content that needs revision and clarification, such as links for software purchases and terminology that better aligns with Controller’s Office materials.  

In FY 2025, the SCM Response Team resolved 12,466 tickets from 470 teams, assisting 2,274 individuals. Moreover, they triaged and escalated 4,057 tickets to specific experts within SCM.

Assembling the SCM Response Team

Hastily assembled from existing SCM staff during the pandemic, each member brought unique expertise to the team. Over time, they cross-trained and collaborated to broaden their knowledge and build a reputation for service excellence.  

Lead SCM Response Team Analyst Philip Nguyen credits confidence in their expertise, routine team exercises, ongoing service training, and close relationships for making this initiative a huge success.  

Philip states: “I am so proud of our team. Every individual [SCM Response Team Analyst] is committed to serving our community and working closely together. From Josie Ip managing Greenphire inquiries, to Tony Meno presenting support metrics at SCM meetings, to Jasmine Gergis writing newsletter content, and Laura Morsony updating training materials, we are involved in everyone’s business (in helpful ways).”

SCM covers a wide range of systems, processes, and areas of expertise. Our highly regulated environment, along with the numerous roles and responsibilities of our customers, creates significant support complexity. The SCM Response Team continually seeks ways to better serve our customers and reduce stress on the rest of our SCM staff.

Justin Sullivan, Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Procurement Officer Supply Chain Management, says: "Few teams have the broad perspective on SCM's operations that the Response Team does. Engaging with suppliers, our stakeholders across health and campus, and delivery teams across all of the domains supported by SCM, the Response Team members have a unique perspective on how we serve our stakeholders and the most valuable ways we can improve." 

Hot Support Tips for Summer 2025

• Wire Payments: If UCSF needs to pay via wire transfer, ensure you start with a wire enrollment form for your payee. This enrollment must be completed before UCSF can initiate the wire creation process. The form and details are available on the SCM website.
• PaymentPlus Program: If your supplier is looking for payment through our PaymentPlus program with U.S. Bank, the supplier should expect a payment transaction from U.S. Bank. Although UCSF is the source of funds, “USBank” will appear as the payor. All details should match the pre-transaction email notification.
• Guidance on SCM Procedures: For questions or guidance on common SCM procedures, visit our website. If you find information is missing, inaccurate, or confusing, please let the Response Team know in your ticket detail.

The SCM Response Team is dedicated to providing exceptional support to all of us. We appreciate your hard work. Congrats on a stellar first five years!