Source: https://procurementmag.com/news/liveramp-streamlines-procurement-with-zip

Following a successful IPO and workforce expansion to over 1,300 employees, San Francisco-based data collaboration company LiveRamp recognized that its informal procurement approach could no longer support its growth trajectory. The company partnered with procurement orchestration specialist Zip to establish structured processes and position procurement as a strategic business function.

LiveRamp’s previous procurement model relied on individual employees making purchasing decisions without clear guidelines or oversight. This ad hoc approach created confusion around vendor relationships and left gaps in contracting procedures, particularly problematic as the company scaled rapidly following its public offering.

“At times, employees weren’t sure who they should be working with,” explains Mark Zafra, Chief of Procurement at LiveRamp. “There was a clear need to develop a more streamlined process around contracting and reviews, especially with new vendors.”

Zip’s implementation provided LiveRamp with comprehensive control and oversight across all sourcing and procurement stages through a powerful spend request process. The transformation eliminated previous inefficiencies where invoices were randomly distributed to employees unfamiliar with proper contract execution timelines, forcing accounts payable teams to scramble to catch up.

“Before Zip, invoices would most often get sent to one-off employees who weren’t knowledgeable about the proper timelines for contract execution. Then AP would have to rush to catch up. That is all completely solved today,” Zafra noted.

The partnership demonstrates how rapidly growing companies can leverage procurement technology to establish structured processes that support both operational efficiency and strategic business objectives as they scale from startup operations to enterprise-level procurement requirements.