Kenneth Doherty (ac0578)

Ken is the Associate Vice President of Business Services and Procurement & Strategic Sourcing at Wayne State University. Over the twenty-five+ years he has been at Wayne State, he has held positions of increasing levels of responsibility, having started as Assistant and then Associate Director, before being promoted to department head.

As the AVP, Ken is responsible for oversight of the Procurement, Strategic Sourcing, Procurement Card, and the eProcurement functions, and manages a staff of 15. Areas of spend activity include the purchase of Scientific & Medical Equipment and Supplies, Office Equipment, Contracted Services, and other operational supplies to support the University in its educational and research mission. RFP Activity for products, technology, contracted services, and construction bidding represents 30-40% of departmental activity. The University's aggregate annual spend is in excess of $160 million.

While at Wayne State University, Ken developed several Business to Business (B2B) ordering systems, which streamlined the ordering process and prepared the University for migration to a full eProcurement system in 2012. Ken is also responsible for the implementation of several strategically sourced contracts, such as with Dell computer to address $3 million in annual technology spend, with Staples for the University's $1.5 million in annual office supplies, and with Fischer Scientific for purchases of up to $4.0 million in research supplies and equipment. KPIs are in place to monitor and measure supplier performance in these and other areas.

As one of his major accomplishments, Ken was instrumental in the development and implementation of a paperless Purchase Order system, where PO's are automatically imaged to the University's Banner ERP system, and quotes and other source documents are scanned by the requisitioner and electronically attached to their Reqs.  The last physical PO to be filed was in 2007!

Areas under Business Services that Ken is responsible for include:

• Disbursements
• OneCard                        
• Mail & Receiving
• Health Affairs Office of Contract Management

Prior to joining Wayne State, Ken spent 15 years in the Purchasing Department at Comerica Bank. Ken rose through the ranks from Assistant Buyer to Buyer and then to Senior Buyer. His primary responsibility was in the management and replenishment of the inventory forms and supplies which supported branch and main office banking departments. Back in those days... banks ran primarily on paper.

Ken first earned an Associate Degree from Macomb Community College, followed by a degree in Management and Human Resources at Spring Arbor College, and finally a Masters in Interdisciplinary Studies at Wayne State. He is a Lifetime C.P.M., and also received his Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM) certification in 2010, and a Certified Professional in Supplier Diversity (CPSD) certification in 2011.  Both certifications are current.