Beyond Cost Savings: Key Benefits of Online Procurement Software

Streamlining procurement operations, especially through automation, significantly reduces tail spend and maverick spend and improves the bottom line. But there’s more to the benefits of digitizing procurement than costs. 

Procurement software solutions help successfully achieve business outcomes while freeing teams from the burden of repetitive manual work. They streamline processes by allowing your company to purchase products, approve orders and automate vendor payments all from a centralized space. They centralize your data — for seamless supplier collaboration and boost compliance. They also allow for more scalability. 

This blog dives into the benefits of online procurement software that go beyond costs. 

1. Leveraging AI:

 A leading procurement software leverages AI to offer next-gen capabilities to procurement teams. An AI-powered software automates sourcing tasks like supplier selection, contract management and vendor relations—allowing your team to focus on strategic initiatives. 

With AI-driven spend analysis, businesses can scan invoices and contracts—improving visibility and ensuring compliance automatically. The software also simplifies data access, making retrieving supplier and pricing data quick and easy without needing advanced analytical skills. It also helps you proactively manage risks, offering early warnings and suggesting alternative suppliers in case of disruptions. Additionally, the software processes unstructured data to make sense of complex supplier performance and spending patterns. 

Read More: 2024 GEP Procurement & Supply Chain Tech Trends Report 

2. Reduced Errors in Data Entry: 

When using manual systems procurement teams might input the wrong item information or choose the wrong line. This is especially true when businesses are complex with multiple budget categories. Tools like Excel or Google Sheets do not offer sophisticated data checking which leads to data misalignment and inaccuracies. Search errors result in incorrect orders and duplicate purchases—increasing procurement costs. 

Fixing these errors also requires a lot of time for accounts payable and procurement teams. Procurement software helps here by automating much of the data entry process. It pulls accurate information from centralized systems, significantly reducing the chance of errors. It accurately inputs predefined item catalogs, supplier details, and approved budget allocations. As a result, this helps companies boost accurate procurement records and experience fewer order discrepancies. 

3. Enhanced Visibility and Control: 

In manual processes, procurement data is scattered across different departments. Such fragmentation makes it difficult to easily view supplier performance order statuses or other metrics. It also increases inefficiency overall. 

For example, requesters may place orders for items already in the inventory. They might also have to frequently follow up with approvers for updates due to no visibility in order status. However, they can get real-time access to data for all stakeholders using procurement software. 

It can also help them check item availability instantly. 

Approvers can also see accurate budget allocations. This improved visibility streamlines communication and decision-making—benefiting the entire procurement process. 

4. Improved Compliance and Governance: 

Ensuring compliance to procurement policies and regulations becomes a challenge by using manual procurement processes. Without a structured system in place, procurement teams might bypass proper procedures and make purchases from unauthorized suppliers. There might also be verbal approvals and informal communications exacerbating compliance issues. 

Digital procurement software establishes automated workflows on every purchase ensuring compliance with policies and regulations. Employees are guided through established channels— which ensures selection of pre-approved suppliers. The software also generates a digital audit trail— logging each step of the procurement process. This not only improves compliance but also reduces the risk of fraud — ensuring that procurement processes align with regulatory requirements and organizational standards. 

5. Scalability for Growing Businesses: 

As businesses grow, procurement needs become complex as well. A higher volume of orders, more suppliers, and more stakeholders make manual processing difficult. This causes delays in placing orders and processing payments. 

Leading procurement software is designed for scalability. It efficiently handles large volumes of data and automate all routine tasks. This frees up procurement teams to focus on more strategic business-building relationships. The software also allows seamless communication and approvals regardless of the number of stakeholders involved. Overall, the software helps manage a growing supplier base and complex approval workflows. 

6. Lower Risk of Fraud: 

Fraud prevention is a critical benefit of online procurement software. Manual systems often lack the internal controls necessary to prevent fraudulent activities, such as fake invoices or unauthorized purchases. Accounts payable teams struggle to verify the legitimacy of invoices, especially if they have to manually reconcile them with purchase orders. This process increases the risk of fraud slipping through unnoticed. 

Online procurement software mitigates this risk by automating invoice reconciliation. The system matches invoices with relevant purchase orders and flags discrepancies for review. This ensures that only valid invoices are paid. 

The software also enforces proper approval workflows, requiring rigorous vetting of new suppliers before they are added to the system. This level of control enhances transparency and reduces the risk of unauthorized purchases, providing organizations with a stronger defense against fraud. 

Automating Procurement Processes 

Online procurement software offers significant advantages by automating and streamlining the procurement process. It reduces data entry errors, enhances visibility and control, and improves compliance and governance. Additionally, it scales efficiently with growing businesses and lowers the risk of fraud, ultimately optimizing procurement for greater efficiency and security. 

Learn how GEP can help.