New tech streamlines Denver’s purchasing process

The City and County of Denver has launched a new digital system to overhaul its procurement processes, marking a significant step in its wider drive to modernise city operations through technology and data.

Workday Strategic Sourcing, which went live in February 2025 following a project that began in July 2024, centralises purchasing activities that were previously handled through a patchwork of systems.

The tool is now being used by procurement teams in General Services, Denver Public Library, and the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, with 146 active users and 45 solicitation requests already processed.

“The introduction of Workday Strategic Sourcing simplifies our procurement processes by modernising and streamlining sourcing activities, improving supplier collaboration, and driving cost savings,” said Lance Jay, Denver’s Chief Procurement Officer. “This enables efficient collaboration within the platform which in turn produces consistency amongst projects.”

Before the launch, departments across Denver used different, often manual systems for managing procurement. The new platform standardises procedures across participating agencies, allowing them to follow the same steps when issuing Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Invitations for Bids (IFBs), and Documented Quotes (DQs). It also offers live updates on the status of solicitations, in-system chat to reduce reliance on email, and robust ad hoc reporting to improve insight and decision-making.

“This project is a great example of digital transformation in the public sector, showcasing how technology can enable process improvement and human efficiency,” said Suma Nallapati, Denver’s Chief Information Officer. “While we are currently serving a limited number of users, our vision is to expand this project citywide to further streamline our procurement processes and empower teams with greater visibility and collaboration capabilities which will ultimately lead to more efficient and effective city operations.”

The launch builds on a series of recent technology-led initiatives in Denver. As previously reported by Cities Today, in late 2024, the city issued a Request for Proposals for AI-powered city solutions, seeking tools to enhance service delivery and civic operations. Around the same time, it appointed its first Chief Data Officer to lead a push for data-driven innovation across departments.

In a statement, Denver said that the successful implementation marks a significant step forward in the city’s commitment to utilising technology to help modernise operations, improve efficiency, and foster greater transparency.

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