Simply submit a request for quotation for anything that is not in the catalog.
Are requests for quotation required only above a certain value? Are they considered too costly and complicated for lower thresholds? With FUTURA Smart, you can change this.
Use requests for quotation not only for operational purchasing. And all this without any additional work for purchasers. The key to this lies in the ease of use of FUTURA, which, on the one hand, brings transparency to your operational purchasing and, at the same time, ensures more competition and thus better prices.
FUTURA is ideal for:
Globally sourcing medium-sized companies and corporations with heterogeneous SAP ERP environments
Flexibility to cover sourcing strategies – from single and multiple requirements through to CAPEX
If you still use e-mail & Excel and want to standardize your processes to ensure compliance
If you want to flexibilize and modernize your SAP and procurement systems
The best offer with AI
With FUTURA, consumers and purchasers receive smart support throughout the entire sourcing process. This starts with AI-supported classification of requirements and continues with the simple implementation of requests for quotations, selection of the best suppliers and evaluation of quotations, through to contract negotiations.
Requirement specification
The quality of a request for quotation depends to a large extent on the specification of the requirement. In many cases, clarity is lacking here. At the beginning of the sourcing process, an AI assistant significantly reduces the time-consuming back-and-forth between the purchaser and the consumer.
Automatically create RFQ
The consumer has received a quotation from a manufacturer or supplier. The AI “RFQ Maker” anonymizes the obtained specifications and automatically converts them into a free-text request – less effort due to the automation of operational purchasing.
Intelligent evaluation of quotations
Thanks to AI, FUTURA Smart now allows you to evaluate quotations not only via the price comparison list, but also to have them automatically analyzed statistically – including graphical evaluations.
Efficiency in tactical sourcing
Requisitions below a certain limit are mostly handled by strategic purchasing. If a quotation has already been submitted, it is usually converted into a purchase order immediately and not issued as a request for quotation. However, in the mass of requisitions for operational procurement, this means that relevant cost-saving opportunities are lost.
This is where FUTURA comes in, simplifying access to sourcing activities and tactical procurement management.
Bundling of requirements
You can easily bundle your purchase requisitions and thus your requirements via the purchase requisition cockpit. Filter your purchase requisitions by material group and include various items from your purchase requisitions in a request for quotation with just a few clicks.
Framework agreement quota
You can achieve the greatest degree of leverage and the highest level of efficiency for the procurement of operational requirements by using framework agreements. They are the link to Guided Buying for the consumers and thus reduce the workload of the operational purchasing department. FUTURA is the smart way to get your framework agreements set up in SAP.
Is the end of term of framework agreements approaching? With FUTURA Smart, you can extract framework agreements from SAP and easily convert them into a request for quotation and renew them.
Discounts in catalogs
Become flexible. Advetise your catalogs via requests for quotation and negotiate individual discounts with your suppliers. This is so easy that you no longer have to rely exclusively on punch-out catalogs from specific suppliers.
System-based compliance
A transparent procurement process in purchasing not only offers legal and ethical advantages, but also promotes efficiency, cost optimization and sustainability. It ensures that all suppliers are treated equally and have the same opportunity to respond to requests for quotation.
By including sustainability criteria in the awarding process, companies can also encourage suppliers to adopt environmentally and socially responsible practices.
Factoring in the C02 footprint
By including the CO2 footprint (PCF) in the procurement process, companies can ensure that they already meet future legal requirements regarding environmental standards and emission reduction. When creating a request for quotation, you can ask for CO2 emission values as an additional criterion and compare them in the price comparison list of the submitted quotations.
Documents requiring confirmation
By flagging documents as requiring confirmation, purchasers ensure that bidders must first confirm these documents before they can view the entire request for quotation. This ensures that only suppliers that meet the legal and regulatory requirements are allowed to participate in the request for quotation.
Communication and audit compliance
The digital documentation of all activities makes it possible to retrospectively trace decisions – all internal and external communication, questions and answers can be retraced. Clarifying issues with suppliers via e-mail is no longer necessary, as this is also covered by the system. Obtaining and comparing quotations systematically is good – but conducting the necessary communication via the same system is even better.
Easy Access for suppliers
The success of a request for quotation depends to a large extent on the acceptance of the suppliers. It must be as easy as it is user-friendly to receive requests for quotation and prepare quotations, especially in the case of small requests and one-time purchases that would otherwise be sent by e-mail. Easy Access removes the need for a time-consuming registration process and puts suppliers just a few clicks away from the quotation.
BENEFITS
- Real-time status in the RFQ process can be transparently tracked via status reports.
- Bundled communication of messages, e.g. centrally manage queries and quotations submitted by suppliers
- Access to 100,000 suppliers who are already registered and active in
FUTURA.
FEATURES
- Ad-hoc integration possible – company name and e-mail address are sufficient
- “Easy Access” – suppliers can also participate in requests for quotation without having to register
- Free use of the Supplier Portal for suppliers, including technical support
CAPEX sourcing projects
Requirements related to technically demanding sourcing projects, e. g. the purchase of capital goods (CAPEX), are particularly challenging in terms of performance and structures of the sourcing system. The advantages of integrated GAEB structures (item category “D”) in FUTURA are evident in requests for quotation and in service entries.
Strategic service procurement
Do you work with service contracts in SAP that you want to regularly update and use for requests for quotation? The easiest way to do this is to give purchasers direct access to all contracts with a full item list straight from the SAP launchpad, enabling them to extract the data for requests for quotation in FUTURA.
Transparency in billing and controlling
When placing a purchase order, the practice of creating an item in SAP with the total value of the quotation and 1 service unit, with the item list only attached as a PDF, has its pitfalls. Because: Like this, real project controlling is not possible in SAP. Real project controlling is only possible if the purchase order of services is mapped in SAP as an item type D or a service contract (value or quantity contract) with the entire item list.
Service entry as self-service
When placing a purchase order, the item list must be available in its entirety in the SAP system to ensure that billing or service entries can take place transparently at service line level or for it to be created as a contract in SAP. Of course, the item list must also be synchronized when a service provider accesses it. This simplifies and shortens billing processes.