Case Study: ROLLOVER BID PROCESS
Challenge
Twice a year, Williams Foods faced a massive task: reviewing and updating thousands of pricing records and items in preparation for its rollover bid process for over 100 schools in its district service. The workflow required 8–10 staff members and 4–6 weeks to compare spreadsheets, reconcile changes, and manually update their ERP system.
“It was all hands on deck every six months,” said Danny. “We had people buried in spreadsheets for weeks trying to make sure every vendor’s pricing was accurate.”
Solution
Working with the SMRTR team, the district implemented a solution built on top of a platform product to automate, simplify, and accelerate the process.
The tool allows users to:
- Upload a master file and a customer file
- Enter a start and end date
- Automatically compare values for 1,000+ items
- Generate a clean Excel report
- Seamlessly import results into the ERP system
- Automatically reconcile and organize vendor folders for master recordkeeping
Results
The time and manpower savings were immediate and dramatic.
What once took 8–10 people six weeks now takes just a few people three to four days — with greater accuracy and consistency.
The ERP updates are now fully automated, reducing manual entry and ensuring data is always up to date.
ROI
The automation tool delivered a measurable return almost immediately, cutting a six-week manual process down to just a few days. By eliminating hundreds of hours of labor each cycle, the district recovered its investment in only 2.8 months. Beyond the rapid payback, the solution continues to generate ongoing savings through increased accuracy, faster updates, and dramatically reduced staff workload.
Customer Feedback
“We spitball ideas to SMRTR, and whatever idea we come up with, they come through. It makes me wonder what else can be done.” Danny Johnston
“The SMRTR team is super pleasant and super nice—I really enjoy working with them!” Bert Williams
Impact
By automating their semi-annual rollover bid process, the district not only saved hundreds of hours per year but also built confidence in their data accuracy and pricing management. Now, instead of scrambling twice a year, their team focuses on strategy and supplier relationships—knowing SMRTR has the process handled.
