E-Procurement

When purchasing goods, industrial firms distinguish goods according to their share of the total purchased goods. Articles with a smaller share normally make up the bulk of the buying positions. These articles are described as C parts (screws, paper, ink, etc.) and are responsible for high processing costs during purchasing phases. E-Procurement defines electronic buying as purchasing through the Internet or buying supported by information technology. New interactive functions that run on a standard Internet platform lead to savings in time and therefore a dramatic reduction in the processing costs. This ensures extra flexibility and freedom during the requirement planning phase.

The advantages of electronic purchasing are applied on a wider basis with the E-Procurement-System from i2dm: Suppliers can showcase themselves on a standard platform and place their article catalogues online. The complete administration of the data takes place either over a web browser, or through an available import interface (XML, Access, Excel, CSV). All the data are administered according to the BMEcat-Standard and classified according to the eCl@ss. Furthermore, external catalogues/shops may be integrated over their own self-defined XML interfaces. In close cooperation with the purchasers, requests will be made, quotes submitted and following negotiation, framework agreements established. Existing business relations between suppliers and buyers may be reproduced optimally.

Orders are activated with the consideration of assigned budgets and clearance rules. Optionally, the order data is transferred to a connected ERP system. Revenues may be analysed with an emphasis on cost position, account assignment, product group, time period or customer.