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Jan 12
Premikati SAP Ariba 2023 Procurement Trends

2023 Procurement Trends

By Procurement No Comments

Procurement in 2023 

The procurement landscape is constantly changing, and the strategies that organizations employ to ensure their success in the future must evolve to meet the needs of the modern market. As we look at 2023 and beyond, it’s important to consider the trends that will shape the way companies manage their procurement operations. 

Technology and Automation  

The first trend is the increasing use of technology in procurement. Automation and artificial intelligence are becoming more prevalent in procurement processes, allowing companies to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and increase accuracy. Automation and AI will also help companies to better manage their supply chains and make smarter decisions when it comes to sourcing and purchasing materials.  

Sustainability 

Another trend is the increasing focus on sustainability. Companies will be looking for more sustainable suppliers and will be using the latest technologies to measure and optimize their sustainability efforts. Organizations will also need to pay more attention to their supplier relationships, as well as their own internal practices, to ensure that their procurement strategies are as sustainable as possible. 

AI Implementation 

One of the most significant procurement trends for 2023 will be the increased use of artificial intelligence (AI). AI will allow businesses to automate many of the mundane tasks involved in procurement, such as data entry, document management and order processing. This will free up valuable resources and allow companies to focus on more strategic activities. AI will also enable companies to better understand their customers’ needs, allowing them to make informed procurement decisions that are tailored to their customers.  

Procurement Digitization 

Another key trend will be the move towards digital procurement. This involves the use of online platforms to purchase goods and services, as well as manage supply chains and contracts. By taking advantage of digital tools, businesses will be able to streamline their procurement processes and reduce costs. In addition, digital procurement will enable businesses to better manage their supply chains and track their suppliers. This will allow them to identify opportunities for cost savings and ensure that their suppliers are meeting their expectations. 

Change in 2023 

As businesses become more competitive and the economy continues to change, companies must find new ways to stay ahead of the competition. One of the most effective ways to do this is through effective procurement strategies. By understanding the needs of the company, the market, and the competition, businesses can create a procurement strategy that will help them get the most out of their purchases.  

 

Jul 12

Contract Cubes for Private Equity

By Private Equity No Comments

Contract Cubes For Private Equity Firms

 

Contract Cubes Offer Powerful Advantages For Private Equity Firms

Successful private equity firms know that time is something you want to have on your side. When you’re looking at supplier contracts across multiple portfolio companies, then all of your procurement and contract management habits—whether time efficient or not—become greatly magnified.

PE firms that are able to compound on good contract management skills (and good software) have a massive competitive advantage over private equity firms that are still stuck in data siloes, spreadsheets, or, worse, completely analog procurement records.
SAP’s “contract cubes” are a game changer for data-centric PE firms because of their straightforward approach to accessing contract data near-instantaneously. Here are just a few of the powerful features of contract cubes that PEs can harness to supercharge the combined power of procurement across all of their portfolio companies: 

Use Keywords To Make Better Choices Spanning Your Entire Portfolio

Even disparate portfolio companies often have areas in which they can join forces to negotiate better deals with suppliers or, in some ideal scenarios, offer sourcing amongst themselves. It becomes exponentially easier to get discounts for quantity by combining orders or to find hidden gems amongst suppliers if your database of contracts is centralized and readily searchable. Find the things portcos are buying separately through a simple search and then turn that data into cost savings or even revenue generation while other firms are still flipping through file cabinets. 

Get All of The Numbers On The Table

Data transparency and visibility go a long way toward making better choices in both the short and long term. It’s impossible to capitalize on things that you don’t know are happening. With contract cube functions, you can get all of the numbers you need via simple commands. That can include time left until contract renewals, numbers of orders, financial ratios and other history and stats which can be transformed into even greater savings, revenue gen, and better supplier relationships.

The ability to know who your best-value suppliers are is priceless. Contract cubes can help you determine this based on your own metrics of value (and across a variety of metrics). Prioritize these suppliers during contract renewals, bring them additional business, set up data sharing, and make generally better choices that are data-led. 

Additionally, use data easily pulled via contract cubes to gain insight into long-term financial trends, even as portcos come and go, so you have a big-picture view that can lead big vision (and big money) moves while competitors are still taking a myopic and segregated approach to procurement, leaving you with a clear advantage. 

Handling procurement for a private equity firm is among the most difficult scenarios for even the most seasoned procurement expert who has been working with individual companies. That’s why we at Premikati offer BPO with managed services in procurement catering expressly to private equity firms. We understand how to navigate the complexities of cross-portfolio sourcing and we have the tools and expertise to fully manage this process to the great advantage of the firms who choose to outsource to us. Our specialized knowledge and toolsets bring value to the table that would go entirely unrealized by teams with less pointed expertise.

Reach out to us today to see how we can help you advance your procurement strategy.

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Jun 13

Managed Services for Private Equity

By Private Equity No Comments

Sourcing Via Managed Services In Procurement Is A Game Changer For Private Equity Firms

Managed services providers (MSPs) bring with them a suite of finely-tuned skillsets, knowledge, and tools to the companies they serve. In an arena such as procurement, this can mean massive savings and opportunities to scale that are not readily realized using non-specialist teams and archaic, clumsy processes that allow for valuable data to slip through the cracks.

Many PE firms are now taking a closer look at existing supply contracts—on valuation, it is clear the direct link that exists between exceptional procurement capabilities and competitive advantage. 

Aided by seasoned experts, the procurement process in private equity firms can move away from limiting goals like capturing low-hanging opportunities in favor of more strategic and impactful approaches to value creation so that rapid sizing and added risk mitigation and transparency, the impacts of which will clearly converge on the bottom line.

These are some of the major benefits to managed services in procurement for private equity firms:

Sophisticated Procurement Functions Provide An Edge Over Clunky, Outdated Approaches

Procurement has matured from cost-reduction into value creation.

Procurement has been on oft-overlooked space that’s brimming with value potential. In order to get ahead, companies must leave behind old ideas about ruthlessly slashing costs and simple cost-saving actions like asking suppliers for deals. Rather, today’s procurement—when handled well, ideally via experts from an MSP—is more transformative and comprehensive.

Procurement today involves advanced spend analytics, process automations, predictive technology such as machine learning for demand planning, and a host of other intensive processes that were once reserved for Fortune 500 companies. Now, PE firms can use advanced technology and expertise to look beyond easy wins into all categories of spend to extract value that is far and beyond what could otherwise be achieved. 

Sustainable, Scalable Approach

Utilizing more sophisticated procurement strategies results in a more sustainable, scalable approach. With supply shortages hitting many industries, sustainability is a concern for all companies both in terms of classic factors like environmental sustainability, but also sustainability among suppliers. Will companies be able to get the goods they need when they need them? Is there too much reliance on one or two suppliers? 

Similarly, if a company achieves unprecedented growth, will current suppliers be able to scale accordingly or will they prove to be a bottleneck? 

Managed procurement services help PE firms navigate these types of questions—plus, they are able to see portfolios as a whole unit to achieve even deeper (and verifiable) scalability and sustainability than looking at each portfolio company’s supply strategy from within a vacuum. 

Risk Mitigation

To step back a moment to the question of whether or not a company relies too much on a small pool of suppliers for some critical product, it’s much easier to spot these sorts of risks while doing the deeper work provided by MSPs in procurement than it would be using a more scattered approach which can leave considerable risks entirely unknown.

Private equity firms are latching on to the value that mitigating supply risks provides over simply cutting costs. MSPs are also more likely to see ways to mitigate risk from amongst portfolio companies before having to turn externally.

Digitization, Transparency, and Value Optimization

Digitization is a major driver in the managed procurement renaissance. Technologies once reserved for only topmost companies are now readily available at SMB sizes. Digital systems that are nimble, agile, and simple to implement while retaining robust, enterprise-grade features—systems that come par for the course with a good MSP in procurement—are a staple of effective procurement strategies within private equity firms.

Using digital tools, managed services providers are able to aggregate data from all sources both within individual portfolio companies and across the entire portfolio and then clean and categorize this data to create a single source of truth that is free from the confines of data silos.

Then, using advanced spend analytics, machine learning, demand planning, and similar techniques, MSPs can quickly capture value for private equity firms. Electronic sourcing in particular is one arena of procurement that offers considerable benefits in terms of saving time and money.

Having the combination of transparent data and digital tools leads to value optimization that goes far deeper than what procurement pros could have expected to achieve in times past. 

Cross-Portfolio Collaboration

All of the benefits listed above become magnified multi-fold when considered from a cross-portfolio collaboration perspective. MSPs in procurement are more readily able to take on the task of cross-portfolio procurement strategies which can be among the most complex sourcing work a firm ever encounters.

MSPs can consolidate spend, look for strategic cross-portfolio opportunities to either supply each other or collaborate on sourcing and achieve economies of scale which can be achieved only through transparent data and accurate spend analytics. This collaborative approach offers unique challenges but can work to mitigate risk as well as spur exponential growth among symbiotic portfolio companies. 

Long-Game View

Rather than get bogged down in the details of any one new portfolio company, MSPs in procurement are able to help capture value in the long game by surfacing longer-term overall spend trends and executing long-term procurement strategies that can span multiple years and multiple portfolio companies. 

Managed services in procurement today is much more than outsourcing. It isn’t a replacement so much as an expansion of your team, working closely alongside the firm to understand, prioritize, and execute the most suitable strategies capture value, capture opportunity, and support rapid sizing with reduced risks, increased transparency, and far, far fewer headaches. 

See what Premikati’s managed services in procurement can do for your private equity firm. We will help you quickly see ROI through our white-glove expert team of procurement pros, advanced and agile toolsets, as well as a state-of-the-art (but simple to use!) procure-to-pay marketplace with bespoke options to onboard current favorite suppliers that are already adding value to your portfolio.

Reach out to us today to see how we can help you advance your procurement strategy.

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Dec 21

The Future of Work: Women in Procurement

By Procurement No Comments

The past 22-months have dramatically altered both how and where we work. And women have been disproportionately affected.

How will this change as we begin to emerge from the pandemic? How can we build a networked economy and create new opportunities for women?

Join Dawn Tiura, President & CEO of the Sourcing Industry Group, in conversation with Marisol Buczynski Buchanan, President & CEO of Premikati, and Elizabeth Lizotte-Brown, Sr Director for Channel Partnerships, The Mom Project, for a discussion on these topics and their perspectives.

Dec 07
premikati marketplace

2 Things Your Business Needs To Do ASAP

By Procurement No Comments

Do you need to take a serious assessment of your business right now?

For months, we’ve seen how COVID-19 has affected our personal lives, businesses, and the way our society functions in general. And if you haven’t taken the time to really dive into how your business is functioning from the ground up, I challenge you to make this your top priority.

The impact that COVID-19 has had on business is emphasizing what has always been true: The future is filled with unforeseen circumstances, and the world is changing fast. Businesses need to be smart, agile, and innovative, but it’s hard to do this if you don’t have a solid foundation in place.

Many businesses are experiencing budget cuts and a reduced workforce. Now is the time to become more strategic with your game plan and fix or improve current processes.

Plain and simple, if you haven’t already, you need to:

1. Cut costs.
2. Make sure time is used efficiently as possible.

Of course, while this may be simple, it is frequently not easy. Here are ways you can approach making these essential assessments:

You Need to Dial In Your Spending.
We want our businesses to not just survive—we want them to thrive. However, especially in the last several months, many companies have shifted into survival mode.

Companies in many industries are having to take a hard look at their expenses, and there have been significant cuts across the board. It’s essential to stay lean and mean, and you need to be bold, proactive, and smart when evaluating where you can cut back.

Part of successfully cutting costs begins with asking the right questions. I encourage businesses to consider:

  • What do you actually NEED for your business to operate right now? Are you actually accumulating things you don’t need? How have your needs changed with more employees working from home?
  • How are purchases approved? Who is in charge of approving purchases? Are they able to review and approve in a timely manner? Are inefficient processes causing your business to miss out on important opportunities that could have been? Who is spending money on what, and how can you find out this information?
  • Are you actually buying from the BEST supplier for your specific needs? Are you getting the very best deals on items you truly need? Are the products you’re using high quality? Does your supplier provide a top-notch shopping experience so you don’t waste time? Does your supplier provide excellent customer service?

Not only do you need to simplify your procurement process, but you need to make sure you’re also getting the most out of it.

Is Valuable Time Being Wasted?

While working from home can have its perks, there is an added layer of complexity due to the unique challenges of COVID-19. People are not simply “working from home”; they are doing everything from home. And with budget cuts, employees may be working harder and longer hours than ever.

Your goal here is to let your employees spend time on the things that really sustain and grow your business. Again, identifying how to fix and improve processes begins with asking the right questions:

  • Are your employees wasting valuable hours on easy-to-solve procurement issues? For example, how many hours do they spend manually reconciling purchase orders with invoices? (How many hours or days does this add up to each year?)
  • How long do employees spend researching the suppliers with the lowest costs? After investing in hours researching suppliers, have you ended up actually saving money? Are the suppliers reputable? Do they offer white glove customer support where you can talk to a real person right away?
  • How much time does it take to get set up with each new supplier? Is it worth the investment? How long until you’ll need to find a new supplier to grow with your business? How long will it take you to figure out if it’s the best fit for your needs?

Don’t waste time doing things that have simple, elegant solutions already available.

***

No matter what your unique challenges may be during this time, every business can benefit from taking a hard look at how time and money are being used.

If you read this and felt slightly panicked or overwhelmed, you’re not alone. This stuff is hard. It can be time-consuming to figure out, and sometimes it can feel easier to let things get done the way they always have, instead of making the investment in a potential solution that may or may not work out. You need to figure out a way to make big changes… without wasting even more money and time.

Premikati Marketplace has you covered. How can you know for sure? We know from experience exactly what businesses (like yours!) struggle with the most.

Premikati Marketplace helps your business:

  • Cut costs. Companies that use Premikati Marketplace save up to 35% due to pre-negotiated pricing on millions of items, efficiencies, and spend visibility.
  • Use time efficiently. Set up Premikati Marketplace in less than 24 hours. You don’t need any IT or technical admin support, either.

Click here to learn more about the Premikati Marketplace

Jul 12
Premikati Marketplace best Procurement Software for SMBs

Don’t Let These 8 Things Happen To Your Procurement Team

By Procurement No Comments

Is your purchasing software pulling its weight? Poorly executed purchasing platforms not only cost you time and money, they put your company at legal and reputational risk. If any of the following sound like you, it might be time to kick your lazy procurement software to the curb and trade up for a real man—uh, business marketplace. We meant business marketplace. 

Spending 19 hours reconciling invoices

PO recon—while it sounds like some cool Navy SEAL mission, the reality is far less glamorous. In 2020, there is literally no reason to manually reconcile purchase orders with invoices or your accounts. Process automation here saves time and prevents costly mistakes, so you can focus on what really matters in your business instead of putting out fires or wasting time using outdated methods. Automated reconciliation ensures that everything matches up all of the time, without you ever needing to think about it. 

Buying from the wrong supplier

Your purchase order is a legally binding contract—so what happens when you buy from the wrong supplier? Not only might you have to adjust the purchase to show the correct supplier (which is going to be a real doozy if you’re manually reconciling invoices and it’s already been reconciled) to keep a proper audit trail, you may also face legal repercussions. 

Alternatively, you may be buying from a supplier that’s wrong for you. Perhaps you could reduce costs by using a supplier for multiple types of purchases in order to facilitate a loyal working relationship. Or, maybe you just picked the supplier that costs way more than the rest. The Premikati Marketplace can help you cut costs by offering new sources of savings via a list of high quality, trusted suppliers—many of which offer up to 35% discounts on frequently purchased products. The right supplier is waiting for you at Premikati Marketplace. Already have a couple of the right suppliers? We can add your own suppliers too!

… Or a supplier you don’t even have a contract with

Maybe your contract has expired. Maybe it was never a valid contract at all because its still sitting in a pile on someone’s desk, waiting to be signed and faxed and filed. Do you know which contracts are active and valid? 

Don’t subject yourself to the legal risks that come with doing business without valid contracts. 

“On average, 94% of tail spend comes from uncontracted suppliers.” —Premikati Marketplace

With Premikati Marketplace, you can automate old, analog systems and see which suppliers you’re working with—with the click of a button—in order to gain both efficiency and visibility.

Buying a mountain of stuff you don’t need

Would your warehouse and office closet make Marie Kondo giggle with maniacal glee? Space is a precious commodity especially as consumers and other businesses expect faster and more personalized experiences with every passing day. Every dollar spent on useless things that you don’t need is a dollar you can’t invest in moving forward with your business or keeping an edge on your competitors. 

With good B2B procurement software, you can easily see what you’ve already bought so you don’t double (or triple!) up on what you need.

Buying things that are probably illegal

You want a supply chain that is socially responsible and legal at every link. The Premikati Marketplace is underpinned by SAP, a world-renowned company that is a leader in sustainability.

Shipping your orders to your house

There’s nothing else to say about this. You know who you are. Prevent it with a good procurement platform like Premikati Marketplace. 

Tight budget with no approvals

Especially if you’re a startup or you’re maximizing growth or perhaps if you’re using a zero-based budget, money can be tight. Competition can be stiff. And sometimes, to make the move that will really help your revenue, differentiate you from a competitor, or skyrocket your growth, you have to make swift decisions. If your purchasing processes are bogged down by archaic methods and you’re waiting by the telegraph—err, email—for your PO approval, guess what? Your opportunity may have already passed. If you were making hand sanitizer in January 2020, you better bet you needed to scale and scale fast before the supplies were gone. 

With a good procurement platform, you can control your spend to the cent but also implement automated purchase approvals. Stop leaky spend and without slowing progress… that’s the dream, eh? 

Multiple logins

How many users and passwords do you really need to fulfill your procurement needs? Stop sacrificing security because Lilly is keeping her password taped to the bottom of her keyboard because she has too many to remember. Free up your tech support from endless verifications and password changes. Keep your purchasing processes safe and efficient by reducing the number of accounts you need for purchases.  With the Premikati Marketplace, each member of your procurement team will only need one login total, not one login for EACH supplier portal.  One and done – quite a nightmare saver for your tech support team.

About Premikati

Get what you really want from your purchasing software. The Premikati Marketplace offers procurement that is as intuitive as online shopping with the robust data of Fortune 100 companies and extensive customization options, all with no IT required and no commitment. 

You can order what you want—where, when, and how you want it. Diversity filtering? Sure thing. Support local? Absolutely. We even support custom catalogs and customer-specific vendors.

Merge that with full spend control and visibility, real-time reporting and analytics, custom approval flows and automation, and you’ll find a best-in-class software that’s tailor-made for small- and medium-sized enterprise businesses. 

Premikati scales seamlessly with your business with no impact to end-users and no additional training required. We have prices to fit every budget, and we can have you up and running in hours. 

All of this with white-glove customer service included at no charge, so you can always trust you can talk to a real person when you need them. 

Don’t settle for anything less. Contact us today!

 

Jun 18
outsourcing

All You Need to Know About Impact Sourcing

By Procurement No Comments

There isn’t any question that inclusive corporate practices and business shared values have been highlighted in recent years as customers increase their search for companies who induce rich social impact throughout their supply chain and workflows. In fact, contemporary organizations risk falling behind the curve if they don’t adopt impact sourcing in their processes.

For several years, companies looked at deploying “social good” policies as a type of afterthought or even icing on the cake. The main focus was profit. Now, things are changing. Many millennials, and gen Z’ers, actively search for businesses who have long-term strategies around social impact.

Today, embracing and embedding social impact into business processes is no longer an option – it is mandatory. Even prospective employees only want to work for companies that have infused social good practices into their overarching policies.

Not to mention, in an increasingly competitive marketplace, consumers have countless options right at their fingertips. In the end, they will choose to patronize a business with values that align with theirs. Now, let’s talk a bit more about impact sourcing.

What is impact sourcing?

Many industries are in the position to improve their business practices. Impact sourcing simply means employing individuals who come from a disadvantaged background, and providing them with opportunities they might not have otherwise received. 

There are billions of people who just can’t access professional business opportunities because they also don’t have access to higher education. For instance, Africa may have the largest workforce on this planet, but they certainly don’t have enough jobs for their populations. Impact sourcing offers employment to people who live in locations with persistently high rates of unemployment. 

Further, these are people who may live in rural areas, or even slums, and don’t have access to secondary education. So then, as these types of people receive better career opportunities – and higher wages – they can actually go to college and be better able to help their family members who are in need.

Impact sourcing is gaining traction

Led by organizations such as the Rockefeller Foundation and Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), impact sourcing is also proving advantageous for companies who adopt this particular business practice. According to BSR, “Impact sourcing is not philanthropy; it is a business practice that seeks to maximize societal and business outcomes.” There are also some practical applications you can implement within your company. 

  • Focus on the people 

A successful impact sourcing program should not be about the numbers, or even the algorithm, it should be about the people. These are not automated robots, but every employee has unique gifts and talents they can bring to your organization. And, through their tenure with your business, they can spread the benefits throughout their communities. Not to mention, you are accessing a talent pool inundated with motivated individuals. Moreover, you don’t have to change your organization’s values simply because you are hiring in another country or working with a supplier in a disadvantaged area.

  • Business improves through long-term relationships

It always helps to remember that, when it comes to business, the bottom line is still critical. You certainly want to be known as a company who prioritizes social impact. Yet, that shouldn’t be the end all and be all. Your business should still ensure your customers get the quality they’re accustomed to along with the right price and the right customer experience.

Invariably, happy employees are much more productive and they are much more loyal to a company. As a result, they have the potential to become more skilled at their roles which leads to getting a larger amount of work done in less time. The best way to improve happiness and motivation is to offer an opportunity to someone who – under normal circumstances – would not have received such an offer.

Turn your company into a force for good

There is still limited understanding about the various populations – throughout the world – who need more help. In this regard, it takes time and research to determine where your impact sourcing program can make the most impact.

Participate in conversations with people from disadvantaged communities to gain a better understanding of their experiences and challenges. Partner with organizations such as the Global Impact Sourcing Coalition (GISC). Currently, the GISC is challenging its member companies to start hiring at least 100,000 workers before the end of 2020. The GISC also offers toolkits for download which include case studies and best practices. Now, you can design your impact sourcing strategy. 

Next, host job fairs in disadvantaged areas. If your company can’t be there physically, then partner with local organizations. Other ways to help include offering guest lectures, online training, and mentorships. Change people’s lives with training and education.

Remember that disadvantaged communities aren’t only found in developing countries. There are disadvantaged individuals in developed countries, as well. 

Final thought

There is no greater feeling than knowing your company can help disadvantaged individuals out of poverty all around the globe. Impact sourcing can provide some stability in war-torn regions when opportunities for career, education, and training increase. When a person feels secure, they also gain a feeling of peace. Just take a look at the change in formerly war-torn regions of southeastern Europe where many citizens now work remotely for companies all over the world. As the global skills gap continues to grow, it’s time to consider the talent outside of the traditional pools.

 

Jun 09
Premikati Procurement Software

Picking the Right Technology Partner

By Procurement No Comments

Not all technology partners are created equal. The best run companies attract and retain top-notch talent and the on-staff management team knows how to see a project through to success. Lesser companies simply want to cash checks.

By following the eight considerations when selecting a partner below, however, you’ll greatly increase your chances of finding a high-quality technology partner that can deliver.

1. What needs to be done?

First, make sure you understand your project. Many companies and executives have a vague idea of what they are looking for. However, you want more certainty when writing an RFP and reviewing potential partners. Breakdown as many details, features, and functionalities as possible. Consider the user journey, integrations, and future needs as well. Make sure you include all of the above in your RFP. Loop in your on-staff technology and software experts to source their feedback.

2. Put forward a clear and comprehensive RFP

For many companies, the journey to finding an excellent technology partner starts with the Request-for-Proposal (RFP). This document outlines what you need and who you are as a company. You want to provide enough details to give companies a clear sense of the project and scope without bogging potential partners down with unnecessary or redundant information.

3. Price is just one factor

Price is an important consideration but one of many. Make sure you examine other aspects and ensure that no matter the price you pay, you’re getting a good value. Also, make sure you know the “true cost.” Some vendors quote a given price but end up going well over budget, and you may have to pick up the tab. Others tack on costs, like implementation and support. Understand the total costs of the project before signing anything.

4. Deadlines and timelines

Ask the business for a reasonable estimate of the timeline. Don’t simply take their word for it, however, and also ask about projects in similar scope and how long they took to complete it. Further, inquire about projects that went over initial timelines and what happened. What caused the delays and how did they resolve it? Remember, however, quality is often more important than speed. A hasty project may result in poor software that you have to grapple with for years.

5. Ensure that potential vendors are transparent

You want to work with vendors who are honest about their resources, time management, and capacities. Additionally, ask for a clear roadmap with deliverables and goals that the partner feels is reasonable. On your end, the roadmap should be clear and easy to decipher.

6. Review customer testimonies

Great partners can usually offer a lot of testimonies. Past clients, employers, and partners can vouch for their skill and success. Ask for a portfolio and a list of past clients you can contact. When you contact clients, dig deep and inquire about short-comings, hiccups, and more.

7. Check for a warranty or guarantee

Great companies often stand behind their products as a point of pride. It’s a good sign if a company offers extensive warranties, guarantees, or other assurances. On the other hand, if a company offers no guarantee, be wary.

8. Look for social good

This is about converging profit and purpose. At Premikati, we believe every business should be engaged in creating social value. Do we believe we can accomplish both our business goals while empowering society’s goals? The answer is yes, and this is one of the reasons why we partner with SAP.

Invariably, every industry must decide whether to put values over profit. As a female-owned business, Premikati wants to add values and ideals to every choice we make to ensure socially responsible decisions. As the saying goes, “Birds of a feather, flock together.” SAP continues to make a commitment in service of local and global communities. SAP believes every individual brings a unique set of skills, talents, and experiences to induce a truly dynamic workforce. In fact, they have pioneered the effort to promote neurodiversity in the workplace by starting their Autism in the Workplace program in 2013. This program has had major success in hiring employees on the autism spectrum, with a 90% retention rate, to help ensure a much more inclusive workplace for all.

Moreover, SAP supports communities in many ways by contributing to a wide variety of organizations, by supporting employee volunteerism throughout the year, and by partnering with non-governmental organizations (NGOs). For instance, SAP offers a “Dollars for Doers” program with matching gift grants, dollar for dollar, for active employee volunteers to the organization of their choice.

Take-Away: Diligent effort now can prevent future mistakes

There’s no way to guarantee that you’ll find the perfect technology partner. Still, by considering all of the above, you can greatly increase your chances of success. Choosing the right partner is a vital step to ensuring a good project outcome, so take your time, examine things closely, and find the partner who aligns with your values and objectives.

May 12
Procure to Pay Premikati

A Day in the Life in the Procure to Pay Cycle

By Procurement No Comments

Even with advanced solutions available, many businesses still try to make do with their legacy systems – and manual tools –  when managing their procure-to pay process. Even if work is getting done, it is often prone to error, redundant, inefficient, and slow.

It’s really just a matter of time before countless issues arise and cause damage to a company’s procurement strategy, especially in these current economic conditions where companies need to be agile most of all.

So what does the procure-to-pay process entail?

The procure-to-pay workflow is a coordinated set of actions based on the objective of acquiring goods and services at a reasonable cost and in a timely fashion.  It begins with need identification and moves on to invoicing and payments.  There are several steps, and they need to be executed in order.

Invariably, the procure-to-pay process is one component of supply chain management.  Once the required goods or services are obtained, the supply chain department will make sure these goods or services reach the right destinations.  Of course, a day in the life is never ordinary.  Keep reading to learn more.

Market analysis

Most people will research a company’s goods or services before making a purchase.  The same is true for the procurement-to-pay process. The initial step is to perform a market analysis.  The goal is to get the best deal possible. In addition, the company’s budget is met.

Often, a procurement manager will look at how a fluctuating market may affect prices.  Further, they will also review prices from a list of suppliers.  After the comparisons, the procurement manager may send a request for quotation (RFQ) to help make the final decision.

Compliance checks

In the digital era, compliance is one of many areas a company must adhere to based on their industry and location.  There are federal, state, local, and global regulations to follow.  As a result, the procurement manager must ensure all contracts are in compliance with legal mandates.   Moreover, the procurement manager must remain apprised of any legislation updates and revise company policies around procurement-to-pay when needed.

Compare the suppliers

Each supplier has their pros and cons. What’s most important is working with a supplier/s who can meet a majority of the company’s needs.  A supplier usually isn’t signed on to a contract without a careful review.  Plus, the supplier must demonstrate they can deliver the necessary goods and services as needed and that they are of the desired quality.

Get team members on the same page

Planning out schedules for employees is part of the process with the intent of meeting deadlines.  Not to mention, any issues with goods or services need to be addressed immediately.  Sometimes this means holding weekly, or daily, meetings to get the team and suppliers on the same page.

Determine the need

For starters, the initial step is to figure out a valid need and the associated business requirements.  Then, the procurement team starts work on the terms of reference (TOR) and statements of work (SOW).

Create a formal purchase requisition

Once the TOR and SOW are completed, then the procurement team will fill out and submit the requisition form.  The form can vary in procurement whether it be for consignments, purchases, or something else.

Obtain requisition approval

The procurement manager usually approves or rejects a purchase requisition based on whether it meets the need and budgetary guidelines.  Not to mention, incomplete requisitions are automatically rejected.  This is about focusing on best practices to ensure the company saves money without sacrificing on quality.

Complete a purchase order

The purchase order will be based on a negotiation around payment terms, price, and delivery time.  A spot buy may also be executed for unique purchases or unmanaged category buys.  The purchase orders will also come from the purchase requisitions.

Obtain another approval

As you can see, there are many approval procedures to go through during the procure-to-pay process.  The purchase orders are reviewed for accuracy and legitimacy.  Suppliers also have the option to reject, approve, or renegotiate.  Usually, POs are sent electronically – they can be entered right into the supplier’s PO system.  And once a PO is approved, then a legal contract ensues.

Apply a goods receipt

Now is the time to take stock of the goods or services.  Were they delivered on schedule?  Are they of the quality promised by the supplier?  Do they comply with the contract?  There may be other policies in place before creating the goods receipt.  Additionally, the goods receipt can be rejected and the process restarts.

Rate the supplier

It is crucial to have reliable suppliers.  Based on the goods receipt, performance can be assessed.  Again, the procurement team will look for quality, budget, compliance, timely delivery, and several other factors.  Any negative ratings will be stored for future reference.

Approve the invoice

Once a goods receipt is approved, a three-way match between the purchase order, the vendor invoice, and the goods receipt is performed.  If there are no discrepancies found, the invoice is approved and forwarded to the finance team for payment disbursement.  The goods or services are matched against the line items published on the invoice.  In the case of inaccuracies, the invoice is rejected back to the vendor with a reason for rejection.

Send the payment

Once the invoice is approved, it is submitted to the accounting/finance department for approval.  Payments are then sent based on the terms of the agreed-upon contract.  Unquestionably, the payments will be made as one of these types:  Final, advance, partial, installment, holdback. Other stipulations accounted for may occur, for instance, when a supplier offers a discount for payments made 10 days after a goods receipt.

Weekly or monthly responsibilities

Outside of the strict procure-to-pay workflow, procurement managers will consistently review purchase orders and potential suppliers for other needs.  In fact, needs can evolve and demands will change – as we have seen directly during the COVID-19 crisis.  Bid awards will also be created, subject to final approval.  Sometimes, procurement managers may also handle the responsibility of creating bid specifications.

Analyze spend

Again, the procurement-to-pay workflow was designed to get the most cost-effective goods and services possible with the required quality.  Therefore, the procurement manager will continuously monitor spend – searching for any potential areas of concern such as a supplier changing or raising their pricing structure.  Keeping an eye on all purchases helps to conserve resources while meeting the company’s budget initiatives.

Final thought

As you can see, the procure-to-pay process requires a strict adherence to specific actions, guidelines, and regulations.  The workflow is ripe for incremental improvement as the world becomes more digitized.

To ensure value development, and success in a post-pandemic world, innovative companies are transitioning to Procure-to-Pay software as a means for addressing inefficiencies and creating an agile environment.  Are you ready to streamline your entire procurement-to-pay process?

Experience the Premikati difference.

Apr 28
Future Proof your Supply Chain

Future Proof your Supply Chain

By Procurement No Comments

Future Proof Your Supply Chain

Over the past two months, every government and healthcare facility around the world has worked tirelessly to learn more about COVID-19, to treat afflicted patients and most of all, to stop the spread. At the same time, global importers and exporters have also struggled with the pandemic’s unprecedented impact on their supply chains.

Even with the lessons we have learned from the SARS outbreak, or the Swine Flu outbreak, or the 2011 Fukushima tsunami, the logistics concerns and risk management strategies have been put to the test by COVID-19.

Given the scale of the pandemic, it is difficult to rush into the creation of a methodical supply chain. Nonetheless, staying ahead means taking the lessons learned and planning for a future with the possibility of similar incidents.

Invariably, toilet paper has been the one commercial product which everyone can tie to the global panic surrounding the coronavirus. You would think people would be buying pallets of hand wash, but it was oddly toilet paper. We’ve never seen so many news headlines about toilet paper in modern history.

Despite the illogical rush, many manufacturers did not halt their production and distribution of toilet paper. Yet, there are many other products with halted production due to supply chain disruptions. Now, toilet paper is widely available once again.

Still, with a deeply linked global supply chain, operating in tight margins, this is prime time for a significant reordering. The tissue hoarding is just one example.

As a result, it is never too soon to start planning for the next potential crisis. Not to mention, global economies will be in recovery mode for the foreseeable future. Even as nations open back up, things won’t bounce back to pre-pandemic levels just yet. If the recovery period is protracted, then it will require increased levels of coordination and orchestration.

The uncertainty is still here. But, with planning, you can help facilitate a more significant bounce back. In addition, the actions you take now will set the stage for sustained performance and growth once the pandemic is fully mitigated.

Implement risk management systems

Regardless of how great the current implications are, risk management is still a priority. The tools which should be in place include credit risk and supply risk. Think of the lessons you learned from the Great Recession in 2008 to get a sense of how to address client and supply-side credit risks. Keep things in balance without any overlap.

Increase visibility

One of the keys to supply chain recovery is by increasing visibility so that you can make data-driven decisions on a timely basis using real-time data. To achieve this, look at deploying control towers to send alerts, insights, and data. If you can put these types of control towers together quickly, even better. Utilize control towers powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning which provide advanced analytics.

Next, you want to look at your direct and indirect supplier base and identify areas with increased levels of supply chain risk. Review your KPIs throughout your extended supply network, contracts, bottlenecks, stock-outs, and overall performance with the objective of working towards better synchronization.

Then, improve real-time visibility around order fulfillment while looking for areas prime for improvement such as better delivery estimates or improving expectations around product availability to even accessing inventory outside of primary fulfillment centers.

It’s also extremely important to have better visibility around the logistics infrastructure, backlogs, delays, capacity constraints, inventory levels, and the material flows. Figure out where you can improve customer service through these processes.

Further, take a look at your factories and expectations around any supplier constraints of inbound materials along with the quality of materials. How are asset utilization and labor scheduling affected by COVID-19? What is production like across various facilities? Are their quality control issues? Can you make use of advanced algorithms to address inbound quality issues, as well as finished goods quality issues moving forward?

Analyze your supply chain infrastructure and design

Before the pandemic, most organizations worked with the assumption that raw materials were always readily available and accessible for global production. It seemed a one-size-fits-all supply chain perspective. Although, COVID-19 has thrown a wrench in this philosophy.

So then, instead of continuing to use static operational systems, look at dynamic distribution capacity. Find local supply sources in all of your major markets. Stop relying on single sourcing. Even if single sourcing has kept costs low, we are living and will live in a different world after the pandemic.

Research suppliers in local markets in the event you need to have a secondary source. As a result, you can diversify your supply chain and rely on more dynamic distribution.

As you can see, the only thing you can rely on is change.

Break up your supply chain. If your supply chain is too long, you can expect larger issues. Take the toilet paper example again. Production has continued, but store shelves remained empty because brand owners were not getting replenishment alerts fast enough even though they normally sit on at least two weeks of inventory. If there are a larger number of nodes affected, then the bullwhip effect comes into play with distorted signals and an increase in demand error.

Separate fact from fiction

Right now, your supply chain may be experiencing the bullwhip effect of unpredictable buyer behavior, such as the run on toilet paper and related products such as flushable wipes. Or, the panic-buying of staple items such as rice and beans, disinfectants, and medicines. There is a known-unknown matrix in the pandemic scenario. But, it’s still vital to separate fact from fiction, don’t make assumptions.

Increase agility around evolving customer demands

Manufacturers could not immediately respond to the toilet tissue shortages because they do not rely on shelf signals. At the same time, demand for luxury items tumbled. The COVID-19 pandemic has made the estimation of final customer demand more challenging but also more significant.

Figure out if the demand signals you get are coming from your direct customers, and if they reflect the pandemic uncertainties. Create a demand-planning team, using analytical tools, to ensure you have a dependable demand signal to ensure you are providing adequate supply.

In addition, use marketing insights, databases, and customer communication platforms to better understand the demand straight from your client’s customers. If data sources are limited, then use direct communication channels to plug the discrepancies. Furthermore, use stringent processes that can quickly adapt to evolving scenarios. Remember to do the following:

  • Create an accurate demand-forecast strategy
  • Incorporate market intelligence
  • Use analytical forecasting tools
  • Create a dynamic monitoring system that facilitates quick mitigation of forecasting errors

Many customers were buying based on shortage predictions. If needed, decrease the size of the orders, but make them more frequent to ensure a higher level of agility when needed and the ability to manage the highs and lows of varying demand.

Optimize both production and distribution

It’s crucial to employ scenario analysis to detect various production scenarios for understanding their operational and financial implications. And then, production should begin by making sure your employees are safe, offering the option for remote work if possible, and listening to your employees’ concerns.

Plus, scenario planning is crucial to determine the implications of a long-term shutdown. How will this affect available capacity and current inventory levels? Figure out which products are the highest in demand – strategically – taking into consideration that health and human safety are at the forefront of customers’ minds.

Further, how will these current implications impact future recovery? Draw a more comprehensive analysis with input from strategy staff, marketing, sales, and operations to contribute to macroeconomic forecasts. By taking these types of actions, you can better align production and supply chain with the expected demand – depending on the circumstances.

Improve deployment of dynamic inventory

For the most part, companies often have a primary distribution center to serve its customers. Then, historical demand data is used to optimize the network. So then, customers get the products they want, when they want them. But, the pandemic environment is anything but normal with much higher supply-side volatility and surging demand for certain types of products.

As the economy rebounds, there will be inventory imbalances present throughout the network. As a result, consider alternative routes to secure your logistics capacity. Regions will emerge from quarantine piecemeal, which means that there will be an irregular supply chain for an extended period of time. Think of how you can diversify your distribution networks and how to address regional availability. Create alternative distribution centers now.

In conclusion

Take notes from corporate investors who have been working on reducing their stock portfolio volatility and re-evaluate cumbersome overseas supply chains. Whether we are facing a pandemic, or a trade war, organizations in every sector must work at improving supply chain risk.

The only way to mitigate the impact of unpredictable pandemics is with thorough preparation. Even before the next crisis occurs, your contingencies should already be in place. The recovery may be V-shaped, or it could take longer and resemble a L-or-U shape. Still, recovery is coming. In the meantime, this is the word of the day: Diversification.

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