Streamlining Infrastructure Management: How a State Toll Authority Modernized Procurement Through Strategic Automation

A state toll and infrastructure commission responsible for maintaining vital transportation corridors faced procurement challenges that were impeding operational efficiency and creating compliance risks. As a public agency managing significant infrastructure assets, they needed systems that could support transparency, accuracy, and fiscal responsibility.

Their invoice processing was entirely manual and time-consuming, creating bottlenecks in accounts payable and delaying vendor payments. Without automation, staff spent countless hours reviewing, approving, and entering invoice data—work that diverted resources from more strategic financial management activities.

Vendor registration and management were handled through a patchwork of spreadsheets and email communications. This decentralized approach made it difficult to maintain accurate vendor information, track updates, and ensure data consistency across the organization. The lack of a centralized vendor management system created inefficiencies and increased the risk of errors.

The commission also needed a modern solution for ACH payments that would enable them to pay vendors electronically while giving suppliers the ability to manage their own banking information securely. Their existing payment processes were slower and less efficient than what both the organization and their vendor community required.

Additionally, as a public agency handling taxpayer funds, they faced stringent compliance and auditing requirements. They needed robust tools for compliance auditing and fraud prevention to protect against both domestic and foreign risks while ensuring accountability in all procurement activities.

We collaborated with the commission to develop a comprehensive, phased implementation strategy that would modernize their procurement operations while minimizing disruption to critical infrastructure management activities.

Phase One established the foundation for procurement automation. We implemented SmartDocs Smart Payables to automate and streamline their invoice processing workflow, eliminating manual data entry and accelerating payment cycles. The SmartDocs Supplier Portal (Lite version) gave vendors the ability to register and maintain their accounts payable information directly, reducing administrative overhead. Critical to the success of this phase was SmartDocs ERP Integration with their Aptean system, ensuring seamless data flow and eliminating duplicate data entry across platforms.

Phase Two, currently underway, is expanding capabilities significantly. The upgrade to the full SmartDocs Supplier Portal provides vendors with comprehensive self-service functionality to register and manage all their information. SmartDocs ACH Payments is enabling the commission to approve and transmit funds electronically, while vendors can securely maintain their e-banking information within SmartDocs with direct ERP integration. SmartDocs Compliance Central is addressing their critical need for compliance auditing and fraud prevention, with capabilities to monitor both foreign and domestic compliance risks.

Phase Three, planned for the near future, will further enhance operational efficiency. The commission is evaluating SmartDocs Contract Lifecycle Management to automate and centralize their supplier contract management processes. They're also considering SmartDocs Expense Reporting to bring the same level of automation and electronic approval workflows to employee expense reimbursement.

While the implementation is still progressing through its planned phases, early results have been promising. The commission has successfully deployed foundational automation capabilities and is now building upon that platform with advanced features in Phase Two.

Workers have responded enthusiastically to the improvements, praising the automation that makes their daily work easier and more efficient. The transition from spreadsheets and manual processes to integrated, automated workflows has been well-received across the organization.

As the commission continues through Phase Two and looks ahead to Phase Three, they're building a comprehensive procurement ecosystem that will support their infrastructure mission for years to come. Detailed performance metrics will be available as additional phases are completed and the system reaches full operational maturity.

The phased approach has proven particularly effective for this public agency, allowing them to validate success at each stage, build internal expertise incrementally, and make informed decisions about future capabilities based on real-world experience with the platform.

SmartDocs partners with public infrastructure agencies to modernize procurement through intelligent automation and integrated compliance management. Contact us to learn how we can support your organization's transformation.