Using an e-Procurement platform provides undoubted advantages to companies and public bodies, which thanks to such a tool can reduce their costs, increase efficiency, simplify the tasks to be performed and work better, obtaining goods and services at more advantageous prices. Tools of this type are extremely useful and effective, but choosing among the various software available on the market is not always easy, since the parameters to be taken into account are many and vary depending on the size, needs and organization of the entity that will have to use the tool.
Our experience in this area has enabled us to define what are the indispensable features that turn an e-Procurement platform into a tool that can really make a difference. A software, in order to be truly effective and provide a concrete benefit to those who use it, must:
- Enable full automation and digitization of processes: a digital tool, to be truly useful, must minimize the need for operator intervention and must therefore be able to automatically generate documents and templates. The e-Procurement platform, moreover, must help companies and entities to truly digitize their procedures: the software must not function as a simple repository in which to store and retain documents, but as an entirely digital tool, encouraging the dematerialization of processes.
- Ensure access to advanced functionality: the e-Procurement platform must facilitate the performance of activities that would be manually impossible and enable users to improve their performance and make more informed and beneficial purchasing choices. The ability, for example, to operate an advanced vendor rating system is a great opportunity for those using a digital tool, since it allows them to keep track of the quality of services offered by suppliers and to keep a record in which the level of satisfaction at previous orders and any critical issues that have arisen are stored.
- Provide ample possibilities for customization: since all customers are not the same, it is important that an e-Procurement platform knows how to adapt to the characteristics of the institution or company that will use it. For this reason, it is important that the software can be customized and that, alongside some basic modules (such as, for example, the module for managing the Suppliers’ Register and the one related to the conduct of tenders), there is the possibility of adding ancillary modules, to be activated at the customer’s request to meet specific needs. However, customization should not stop only at the configuration phase of the tool: a good e-Procurement platform should also allow for the modification and customization of the forms automatically generated by the system, allowing specific fields to be added at the request of the contracting station. In addition, the software must be able to provide support in the implementation of tenders of different types, allowing the contracting station to set-via the “administrator” panel of the platform-rules that the software will be able to apply automatically in different situations, to automate individual procedures and respond to different documentary requests.
- Get down to the organizational reality of the contracting station: the software must allow optimal management of internal users, establishing precise levels of access that vary according to the role and qualification of those operating on the platform. Permits must be able to be easily assigned and modified to facilitate the operations of the institution even during temporary replacements or staff rotations, while always ensuring a high level of security in the handling of sensitive data.
- Always be up to date: Procurement regulations are constantly evolving, and it is essential that the e-Procurement platform keeps up with these changes, updating quickly and helping users to stay compliant with all legal requirements.
- Facilitate the management of the Supplier Register: all the data related to the master records of the various suppliers and to the orders concluded must be easily retrievable through the use of special filters, to simplify the activities of the Purchasing Department and allow it to go back at any time to all the information needed to carry out the various activities.
- Be user friendly: Finally, an e-Procurement platform must be an agile, easy-to-use tool for those who will need to interact with the tool. For this reason, you should prefer software that allows you to use a control panel that is at the same time intuitive but articulate, which can truly facilitate the digitization of the purchasing process.
Venicecom’s PRO-Q platform was developed to integrate all these features and provide customers with an advanced yet easy-to-use tool that can adapt to various needs and is highly customizable. In addition, the support of our consultants allows PRO-Q users to constantly receive professional assistance and to never be alone when faced with technical or regulatory issues.
If you want to know more about the potential of PRO-Q, please contact us and explain your needs: we will show you how the platform can effectively meet your needs!
