LiveRamp transforms procurement operations with Zip

The challenge

LiveRamp’s data collaboration platform helps the world’s most innovative brands better market to their customers. 

But after a highly successful IPO and with a growing workforce of 1300+ in 14 countries, their ad hoc approach to sourcing and procurement could no longer keep up with the needs of the business.

Without clear processes to follow, employees were taking purchasing decisions into their own hands. “At times, employees weren’t sure who they should be working with,” said Matt Terry, Strategic Sourcing Manager at LiveRamp. “They would get an invoice from a supplier, send it to accounts payable, and say ‘Hey, can you go pay this?’” There was a clear need to develop a more streamlined process around contracting and reviews, especially with new vendors.”

Recognizing the need to bring consistency, clarity, and compliance to their purchasing practices, LiveRamp turned to Zip.

The solution

Zip quickly transformed LiveRamp’s financial operations. With a powerful, streamlined spend request process, Zip provided control and oversight across all stages of sourcing and procurement.


As Matt described it, “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.”

Another dramatic improvement area was sourcing. Despite the company’s intense growth, the sourcing team remained the same size. Each sourcing manager also had their own approach and process for finding and selecting vendors. “It was like the Wild Wild West if I needed to review contracts or find a master agreement with a supplier,” said Matt.

Thanks to Zip’s RFx functionality and built-in contract repository, Matt’s team no longer needs to battle chaotic processes and disorganized documentation with each sourcing event.

The result

By integrating LiveRamp’s sourcing and procurement operations into a single, transparent workflow, Zip helped Matt’s team cut cycle times, bring more spend under management, and take a strategic approach to sourcing.

The visibility that Zip has given us has really allowed our entire organization to collaborate much more effectively with regards to third party purchases and vendor selection decisions,” Matt said. “We’re running 99% of our transactions through Zip.

End users at LiveRamp are also enjoying a simpler, faster procurement process. After implementing Zip, LiveRamp’s average cycle time has fallen to just 33 days.

In addition to spend visibility and speed, Zip is also driving compliance and helping to lower risk by consolidating purchase data and surfacing it in whatever way it’s needed. “Our security team is 100% all in. We have significantly more collaboration between security and purchasing because of Zip.”

Once seen as paper-pushers, sourcing and procurement at LiveRamp are now recognized as strategic contributors to the business. As Matt puts it, “To support an organization as it grows, you've got to have the right tools and process in place. That's what Zip did for us.”