Category Archives: Procurement Innovation

While You Were on Summer Vacation, Vendor Posts, Part III

While you were on summer vacation, SI was powering away with daily posts and continuing to cover some of the leading vendors in the space, presenting a number of deep dives on their technology platform. Here is a short recap of some of the coverage you might have missed!

Airclic

Designed to make 3PL deliveries click, Airclic’s Transport Perform solution, which is tightly integrated with their new Route Planning and Route Optimization solutions, incorporates support for simultaneous high-volume cross-docking and multi-driver cross-border routes in a new web portal that makes their platform as easy to use as a multi-tab spreadsheet. One of the highlights of their solution is a clear, easy to use, non-distracting, straight-to-the-point interface for dock workers and truck drivers, especially when all these people have is a small, primarily text based, mobile device. The application, which can be pre-configured with relevant supplier data, including whether the supplier is ASN-based or non-ASN-based (Advance Shipping Notice), allows the application to be customized to each supplier so that a dock worker or driver only has to enter the absolute minimal amount of information (which, for an ASN-based supplier, can be as little as scanning a barcode) and when additional data has to be collected, is presented with a minimal list of options to choose from.

PrimeRevenue

In our posts on how they are priming your financial supply chain for success (Part I and Part II), we introduced you to PrimeRevenue, a provider of Supply Chain Finance solutions that provides supply chain finance solutions to over 12,000 customers in 40 countries and that processes Billions of dollars of transactions each year. Like other providers of supply chain finance solutions, they provide a platform that helps suppliers access financing for their receivables when they need it from over 40 leading financial institutions. But that’s not the best part of their platform. The best part of the PrimeRevenue platform is a solution by the name of SciMap that provides a consolidated and classified analysis of your spend, enriched by insights from PrimeRevenue’s global database, based on detailed and updated market intelligence. This allows you to make better buying decisions as well as negotiate optimized payment terms, putting the power to improve your working capital in your hands.

iValua

In our four-part series on how they are proving their mettle with source to settle (Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV), we noted how iValua is one of the few providers tackling end-to-end sourcing and procurement in a single suite of integrated modules built on one common platform. With capabilities that, to some degree, address each of the core phases of the basic sourcing-and-procurement cycle except decision optimization and tax reclamation, the platform is one of the most extensive native source-to-settle platforms out there. Integration and implementation will take time, especially if your organization wants the full end-to-end capability, but could be worth it for a large organization that needs an extensive, integrated solution.

While You Were on Summer Vacation, Vendor Posts, Part II

While you were on summer vacation, SI was powering away with daily posts and continuing to cover some of the leading vendors in the space, presenting a number of deep dives on their technology platforms. Here is a short recap of some of the coverage you might have missed!

Trade Extensions

In our post on Trade Extensions (TE), where we noted that there is still no rest for the wickedly powerful, we told you that their coders never sleep (or at least not very often) and that, since SI’s last coverage in 2011, they have added more powerful fact sheets, enhanced browser-based reporting and visualization, and a formula analyzer – that pacts a much bigger punch than you’d expect. It’s often the case that a user has no clue why one model solves in a second and an almost identically sized similar model is still being processed an hour later. This is because the more complex the models get, the harder it is to pin down why they aren’t quite doing what they are supposed to be doing. The TE formula analyzer allows a user to analyze a formula and see how it is defined, how long it is taking to calculate with respect to the other formulas in the model, and what is affected by the formulas or changes to the formula. In addition, if they exist, it can suggest formula modifications that would allow the model to solve faster. However, just knowing where the problem lies is a great help if a model is solving slow.

Coupa

In our post about how it’s 24/7 for Robbie and the Coupa Factory, Part III, we noted that Coupa had completed Release 9, were on their way to finishing Release 10 (now available) by the end of the quarter, and had just released a new e-Sourcing module, which made them one of the first providers to offer an integrated end-to-end e-Sourcing and e-Procurement solution. Their new sourcing offering, which is e-Sourcing 1.0 with RFPs, RFQs, RFIs, basic reverse auctions, and basic project management and not much more than you’d find in any basic e-Sourcing suite, is still enough for an average mid-market company and impressive in that it’s as easy to use as the rest of the platform. It’s a quick way for a company using Coupa that does not have a sourcing solution to transition from Procurement to Sourcing. Plus, when you add the new expense management capabilities and catalog functionality, it’s a very quick way for a mid-market organization behind the sourcing and procurement curve to get closer to where they need to be quickly.

Kinaxis

In our posts about Kinaxis and their new paradigm for real-time end-to-end supply chain management (Part I, Part II, and Part III), we described how this extremely unique Supply Management vendor offers a single platform to take your Supply Management Operations to the next level once you have implemented e-Procurement and put your spend under management, optimized your strategic sourcing, mastered e-Transportation and Trade Management, achieved e-Visibility to manage your risk, and optimized your network design. This platform, which is successfully used by product, risk, and change managers in Supply Management to manage demand, do S&OP, undertake supply & capacity planning, do production benchmarking and scheduling, manage inventory, handle new product introduction (NPI), perform order analysis and planning, manage supply, improve profitability, and collaborate with suppliers, among other things, is designed to allow supply management professionals to get answers to strategic planning questions like the following in real time:

  • what is the impact of a supplier shutdown due to a fire in the plant?
  • how can I launch a new product a quarter early?
  • what if a user mistakenly changes an inventory parameter?
  • what would happen to our ability to fulfill demand to our other customers if we accelerate fulfilment of an emergency order for a preferred customer?
  • how can we effectively reengineer our planning processes

The Kinaxis solution supports very complex, but easily generated, what-if scenarios that will allow a user to ask these questions and get an answer in a few hours, as compared to the days, or weeks, it would have taken them in the past.

Come back Monday and we’ll tell you about three more recently covered companies you might have missed!

While You Were on Summer Vacation, Vendor Posts, Part I

While you were on summer vacation, SI was powering away with daily posts and continuing to cover some of the leading vendors in the space, presenting a number of deep dives on their respective technology platforms. Here is a short recap of some of the coverage you might have missed!

Ecovadis-Powered E-TASC

In our post on Ecovadis-Powered E-TASC, we reported that Ecovadis is now powering the new, and greatly improved, version of the Electronic Tool for Accountable Supply Chains. Launched by the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GESI), the new platform had over 20 ITC companies and over 1000 ICT suppliers registered, subscribed, and deployed within a month and, according to the E-TASC site, now has over 1,400 facilities in the system. By (re)launching on Ecovadis, a buyer has immediate access to deep sustainability, business practice, labour practice, human rights, and environmental assessments in one comprehensive, audited, third party verified report. (More information on Ecovadis can be found in this classic SI post on how they are Ecovating the Globe.)

Nipendo

In our posts on Nipendo, which is Bringing O2P and P2P to the Mainstream and Streamlined Invoice Management for Even the Largest Organization, we noted how Nipendo, a provider of order-to-payment automation software, recently released a new version of its order-to-payment (O2P) platform that includes automated rules-based end-to-end invoice reconciliation — which also supports automatic data normalization, completion, and matching — that allows even the largest Global 3000 to not only reach the point where 98%+ of invoices are processed electronically, but where 90%+ are processed without human intervention. Their largest customer reached this point within two years, and their average customer sees over 80% of invoices being processed electronically within one year due to Nipendo’s multi-faceted supplier onboarding process. Realizing that the necessary data is going to come from a variety of systems, Nipendo integrates with all the major ERP vendors, a large number of third party supply management platforms, and provides suppliers with a number of options to submit invoices, including a web-portal and a print-to-cloud solution that allows a supplier to install a plug-in that will allow them to print their invoice from their billing system directly into the Nipendo platform.

Fieldglass

In our post about Fieldglass, and how they are adapting to every contingency (Part I, Part II, and Part III), we noted how Fieldglass has been hard at work evolving their platform since SI last covered them in 2010 and, in addition to improving its rate guidance and extending its rate structure capability, has streamlined its job posting capability, implemented e-mail approvals, developed an “Ask- An-Expert” recommendation engine, built a powerful timesheet manager, and added extensive Statement of Work Support. The rate structure capability is one of the hidden gems of the platform. With deployments in over 80 countries, Fieldglass has a deep insight into the many varied, complex, and strange rate structures around the world that can include per diems, special bonuses, hazard and isolation pay, vacation pay, etc., with each component separately (not) taxable by multiple state (and federal) agencies – and has built a platform with enough flexibility and configurability to handle it all. Another hidden gem is e-mail approvals. While very simple in theory, and relatively simple in implementation, this simple functionality reduced the cycle time to fill a position by 66% in the customers that implemented it! And the timesheet and Statement of Work modules are just cool.

Come back tomorrow and we’ll tell you about three more recently covered companies you might have missed!

iValua: Proving Their Mettle with Source to Settle, Part IV

In Parts I through III, we noted that when we last covered iValua in 2010, they were one of the few providers tackling end-to-end sourcing and procurement in a single suite of integrated modules built on one common platform. We noted in Tackling End-to-End Sourcing and Procurement, Part I that this French company had capabilities that, at least to some degree, addressed each of the core phases of the basic sourcing-and-procurement cycle except decision optimization and tax reclamation. Since then, they have added advanced tax tracking capability, and a boatload of other features that include SIM/SPM, Risk Management, Project Management, Enhanced Analytics, and Extensive UI customization. Today, we will continue our coverage of the platform, which includes modules for Supplier Management, Sourcing, Contract Management, Catalog Management Procurement, Invoice Management, Expense Management, and Reporting that were covered in Parts I through III; and Administration that will be covered today as we wrap up the series.

Administration

Administration is very extensive in the iValua platform. Administrative users can manage users, tables, workflows, reporting indicators, units of measure, currency, alerts, menu options, content, templates (for RFX and Auctions), import, scheduled processes, notifications, (re)assignments, and information sources (as the platform can pull in RSS and XML feeds from various web sources for display on the dashboard).

The ability to define arbitrary data tables and import the data for analysis into the system is quite powerful. It makes the built-in analytics capability much more useful as the data can be augmented and enriched to also include data from the payment platform, third party supplier assessments, and optimization events conducted external to the iValua system. A classic limitation of many Sourcing and Procurement systems was the inability to import arbitrary data not accounted for in the existing schema. The iValua platform took a best practice from leading spend analysis platforms and made sure a user could import whatever data she needed anywhere in the supported source-to-settle process. The ETL screen is comparable to an advanced version of Microsoft Excel import (familiar to every Microsoft Office User) that allows the user to define the first line index and last import row, column and line separators, text qualifiers, encodings, and field template (that defines the fields and their names). The user can also define how long the data should be kept (and throw-away one-time analysis data or archive payment data indefinitely), who can see it, and what modules, plans, or anomalies the data should be associated with.

Design Mode

Design Mode is a new capability in the iValua platform that allows a user to dynamically redesign the layout of their menus, screens, and dashboard widgets. Each user can customize the look and feel of the application in a way that makes them most productive using simple drag-and-drop and checklist-based / mouse-click component and option selection. It is quite slick. It also allows iValua to customize a configuration for a new client extremely rapidly based upon the particular needs of the different users of the application.

In summary, the iValua is a very extensive Source-To-Settle platform and an extremely viable option for a mid-size or large organization that is looking to update their sourcing and procurement capabilities in an integrated end-to-end source to settle platform. It is especially suited to a multi-national that has to operate in a significant number of countries and languages as iValua, which already supports 15 different languages, is used daily by more than 150K users and 500K suppliers in over 70 countries.

iValua: Proving Their Mettle with Source to Settle, Part III

In Parts I and II, we noted that when we last covered iValua in 2010, they were one of the few providers tackling end-to-end sourcing and procurement in a single suite of integrated modules built on one common platform. We noted in Tackling End-to-End Sourcing and Procurement, Part I that this French company had capabilities that, at least to some degree, addressed each of the core phases of the basic sourcing-and-procurement cycle except decision optimization and tax reclamation. Since then, they have added advanced tax tracking capability, and a boatload of other features that include SIM/SPM, Risk Management, Project Management, Enhanced Analytics, and Extensive UI customization. Today, we will continue our coverage of the platform, which includes modules for Supplier Management, Sourcing, Contract Management, and Catalog Management that were covered in Parts I and II; Procurement, Invoice Management, Expense Management, and Reporting that will be covered today; and Administration that will be covered tomorrow in the series finale.

Procurement

Procurement, in the iValua suite, is the process of creating requisitions (and having them approved), managing the resulting orders, managing budgets, managing receipts, and managing services deliverables. Requisition management, order management, and budget management are standard fare for Procurement platforms and work as you would expect, but the ability to create and mange receipts and manage service deliverables is a more unique offering for a Procurement platform. This allows for m-way matching in the platform, which is key to ensuring that not only are negotiated savings realized, but that overpayments, and more importantly, fraudulent payments, are not made.

Invoice Management

Invoice Management revolves around invoice creation, management, and reconciliation to receipts. It all works as you would expect, and there is nothing fancy here. Just a well-designed platform designed to make the process as smooth as possible.

Expense Management

Expense Management is the process of requesting cash advances, managing requests, creating expense reports, reviewing expense reports, rejecting lines or entire reports, and approving lines or entire reports. The expense management process is fully defined, and consists of creation, validation, accountant validation, threshold checking, finance or external department approval, (final) accounting approval, and settlement. As with invoice management, the process, and the application, works as you would expect.

Reporting

Reporting is the process of creating analysis reports, browsing them, creating queries, managing them, and then, as a result of the analyses, creating strategic action plans. The analysis capability is quite good. Users can create their own cross-tabs and pivot tables in the browser by dragging-and-dropping dimensions into chosen row and column positions. The analysis can be on any type of data stored in the system — surveys, questionnaires, RFX bid events, e-auctions, budgets, invoices, etc. But the most unique capability is the ability to create strategic action plans, which can serve as the foundation for future sourcing events. Like improvement plans, they can be quite detailed and are generally setup to support savings initiatives.

Each strategic action plan / savings project has a breakdown that allows a user to quickly access the definition data, the team and associated tasks, the financial overview, and detailed analysis through a sequence of tabs. The definition data will indicate the current status, related sourcing projects, and notes added by the team. The financial overview will capture the budgeted savings when the project was approved, the planned savings at project initiation, the current savings forecast, and the amount of savings captured to date. The actual savings (and forecast) will come from the data gathered during Procurement and be calculated using a user-defined formula (which could be as simple as $1 per unit, based upon negotiated rates).

Come back tomorrow when we’ll cover Administration and wrap-up the series!