Tenders from different sources of reference result in different workflows in SAP and Ariba. This places tight constraints on requirements for revision security, transparency, and ultimately sourcing productivity. The remedy is a consistent adherence to SAP as the single point of truth. All documents, records, and communications with bidders and suppliers must be accessible through one single location: Your SAP Launchpad.
Purchasing processes must not only be internally consistent, but also interlinked across systems. Connecting isolated applications to SAP is only half the battle when it comes to improving sourcing productivity.
Purchase requisitions, material master files or contracts: To create tenders, you need to access different sources of reference. It is still common practice for purchasers to call up different SAP transactions and select individual items – the layouts for the purchaser are different in each case and therefore completely heterogeneous. A common starting point for the sourcing process that applies to all sources of reference will make the workflow much easier and help you to make significant progress.
Usability above system limitations: A streamlined and uniform purchasing process also guides you through one and the same workflow for a tender, with interfaces that are always familiar – regardless of which requisitions the shopping cart is filled with. This not only means less training effort, but also gives you the opportunity to start, control and evaluate all your tenders in one place.
To be able to react quickly to procurement bottlenecks or to find alternative suppliers, it is important to be able to expand the supplier pool easily – and to just as easily integrate new suppliers into your procurement processes online, with all associated documents and communications, but without hurdles for onboarding or chargeable services for your suppliers. By the way, within the FUTURA Network you have access to over 60,000 suppliers from the German-speaking region.
Managing tenders by e-mail and maintaining an overview of the current status is time-consuming and difficult to keep track of due to media discontinuities. Only a tender platform can provide (revision) security and an overview: track the status and activities of your suppliers in the tender process. Who has read the tender, who is already processing a quotation, and which supplier has already submitted it? Each individual step of your suppliers is displayed in the form of status messages, so that you can keep track at all times.
It is not only in the case of extensive tenders that queries from suppliers are the order of the day. It is important that all messages exchanged with suppliers are stored in a central location – where they can also be viewed transparently by other persons in charge, e.g., in the event of a stand-in. This ensures that queries are clarified promptly and comprehensibly in order to obtain the best possible offers.
The price comparison list is the central and most important element in purchasing and makes it possible to compare individual bids in a structured manner. If this is automated and offers a number of options for individual configuration according to your needs, it is the perfect starting point for negotiations. Based on any price deviations, you can develop target scenarios for your purchasing strategy – even across different tender cycles.
Changes often occur during the processing of purchase orders. For example, the supplier cannot deliver the ordered materials in full on the agreed delivery date or the packaging units are different from those specified in the tender. If the purchaser can identify possible deviations regarding the ordered quantity or the delivery times in the order confirmation, this helps them to react immediately, e.g., to change the purchase order in SAP or to purchase missing deliveries from other suppliers.
