E-procurement as basis for a B2B platform
E-procurement in the case of companies with complex structures is an irreplaceable tool. This concept is closely related to the electronic ordering and procurement process. The solution aims to support this process in various areas of the company’s operations, such as monitoring the purchasing process, standardizing the range of suppliers and recipients, planning of resources and collecting electronic documentation. In Poland, it turns out that this concept is often unknown or disregarded, but the role of a properly implemented system is crucial for every enterprise.
BASIC BENEFITS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THE E-PROCUREMENT SYSTEM
Automation of the purchasing process – e-procurement covers the entire procurement process in the organization at all its levels,
More effective control of purchases through proper allocation of roles, authorizations and purchase amounts – thanks to the system, there is no need to manually write emails for each order, but every person in the company can execute orders within the allocated resources. As a result, the purchasing department is released, which can concentrate on strategic selection of suppliers and monitoring of cooperation.
Standardizing the assortment – the implementation of e-procurement makes it easier to verify the purchased assortment and the portfolio of suppliers, thus improving the purchase planning and cooperation with suppliers.
Easier monitoring of the purchase process – thanks to an easy overview at every stage of the order process and a single e-procurement system, it allows capturing all irregularities and preventing them.
HOW TO USE THE E-PROCUREMENT SYSTEM IN PRACTICE
The system supports various areas of the company’s operations. Under the system, each user can manage their own lists of favorite products, it is possible to determine who and for how much in the company can order articles. It also allows for easy identification of what and in what quantities is ordered by a given department of the enterprise. Thanks to this, it is possible to identify all cost centers in a quick and easy way and to determine responsibility for individual purchases.
As part of e-procurement, it is possible to assign appropriate budgets for individual cost centers, which facilitates shopping planning. It is also possible to automate approvals to purchase a specific assortment and move within a given budget.
Properly implemented e-procurement should also allow you to give your own numbers for a particular assortment, which streamlines the process of ordering products. In addition to assigning numbers, it should also be possible to search the assortment on the assigned numbers.
A frequently used function within the functioning of the e-procurement system is also the ability to read codes by means of a scanner, thus eliminating potential errors when creating EAN codes when placing a bulk order in the system.
A well-implemented e-procurement system should also allow for placing orders directly from the ordering party’s ERP system, e.g. by exchanging XML or CSV files. This way, the time necessary to complete the contract is shortened.
SHOULD YOU IMPLEMENT THE E-PROCUREMENT SYSTEM?
To sum up, the implementation of the e-procurement system for the B2B platform brings a number of unique benefits with it. The implementation of this type of system should always be considered in the case of enterprises with complex organizational structures.
