Mostly Harmless, Part III
In the last post, the requisition was defined as well as the information requirements that were associated with the requisition. This post will address some of the associated challenges of the requisitioning process, some associated best practices, and the benefits that could be expected from an appropriate e-Procurement solution.
Common Challenges
- Creation Time
It can take a considerable amount of time to create a multiple line item requisition when a user has to manually look up vendor codes, ERP/MRP codes, product codes, prices, etc.
- Statement(s) of Work
If the requisition is for temporary / contract labor, it can be a time-consuming and challenging process to construct the right SOW that will enable the vendor to identify the right resource.
- Routing
If the correct department / budget / product codes aren’t used, it can be difficult to route the requisition to the appropriate approvers.
Best Practices
- Integration with core data systems
ERP, Vendor Master, Catalogs, Punch-Outs, Marketplaces, and Networks.
- Templates
For standard BOMs, SOWs, and other regular purchases that can be quickly completed simply by filling in quantities, hours, and the few bits of information that vary from order to order.
- Budget-Based Approval Process
Requisitions are automatically routed to the appropriate budget manager if the request is beyond or outside of the budget.
Potential Benefits
- Reduced Man-Hours
Which frees up buyers to focus on more strategic cost-reduction tasks.
- Faster Processing
The right information not only gets the requisition to the right approver faster, but provides the approver with all of the information she needs to make a decision the first time.
- Better Specifications and Statements of Work
The use of templates written by experts will standardize and improve the requisitioning process.
Once the requisition is finalized, it begins the approval process, which is the subject of the next post.
Next Post: Approvals, Part I