At a glance
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The decision to implement Zip was closely aligned with a value that's very important to Datadog, and that is always to break down silos.
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- Scattered requests across multiple systems with no integration, forcing the team to have to manually transfer data
- Unmeasurable cycle times with no reliable tracking, KPIs, or ability to identify bottlenecks
- Procurement seen as a roadblock across the organization
- Single front door for all procurement types with centralized approvals, communication, and out-of-the-box integrations
- Precise cycle times of 4.9 days for purchases, 8.7 days for software, and 19 days for vendor onboarding, reducing times by over 75%
- Procurement seen as strategic function with team members focused on category management and supplier strategy
Michelle Vita, Vice President, Procurement & Strategic Sourcing at Datadog, recently spoke about the company’s procurement transformation at Zip Forward 2025. Below is a summary of the incredible work the team has accomplished.
The challenge
When Michelle Vita joined Datadog as the company's first procurement hire, she was tasked to support 1,200 employees with zero procurement processes in place. The company faced a fragmented workflow spanning multiple disconnected systems including Coupa, JIRA, and various payment platforms, with no integration between them.
End users navigated a maze of Confluence pages trying to "choose their own adventure" through different workflows, while the procurement team functioned as a "human API," manually transferring information between systems. With no way to measure cycle times or KPIs, a makeshift dashboard suggested requests could take somewhere between 30-60 days.
The results? Frustrated stakeholders who viewed procurement as a roadblock, not a partner, and a team stuck between compliance and process optimization.
The solution
Datadog partnered with Zip to implement a three-phase transformation.
- Phase 1 centralized all procurement entry points into one intake, unified approvals and communication, and automated manual processes through out-of-the-box integrations
- Phase 2 Ripped and replaced Coupa with Zip’s Procure-to-Pay, moving purchase orders and invoice processing directly into Zip and reducing integration points from three systems to one
- Phase 3 drove business innovation by rebranding the function as "Source-to-Pay," unifying strategic sourcing, procurement operations, accounts payable, and T&E under a single spend policy.
This transformation aligned with Datadog's core values of breaking down silos and maintaining a growth mindset, treating internal stakeholders as customers whose experience directly impacts procurement's success.
The results
The transformation delivered dramatic improvements. Procurement cycle times dropped from 30-60 days to 4.9 days for purchases, 8.7 days for software, and 19 days for vendor onboarding. The team grew from one person to over 20 professionals managing strategic sourcing and finance functions, while stakeholders shifted from avoiding procurement to willingly engaging with the now-simplified processes.
Most importantly, procurement advanced from a reactive, tactical function to a strategic business partner with reliable consolidated data enabling proactive category management and supplier strategy.
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