Understanding Procurement Apps and Their Use Cases

Migrating key workflows such as contract management, supplier information tracking or spend analytics onto mobile procurement apps has been enabling procurement leaders to empower employees and business partners with on-demand access for maximized value delivery to the enterprise.

This blog post discusses the must-have phone/tablet-based use cases alongside current considerations for harnessing true mobility productivity without data fragmentation through a procurement software platform-driven approach.

Procurement Mobility Use Cases

Essentially procurement mobility effectiveness directly links to systematic change management, facilitating user acceptance of utilities to ease previous web-dependent activities that can now be executed at fingertips. Mobile procurement unlocks efficiencies through empowered decision-making and real-time collaboration, thereby accelerating enterprise competitiveness.

Let’s look at some of the use cases for procurement mobility through procurement apps.

Contract Digitization via Mobile Access

Proliferation of contract data across folders and emails traditionally limited contract visibility to managers. But now, mobile apps have added more power to contract management by centralizing documents for on-the-go access, thereby enabling approvers, suppliers and internal stakeholders to view permitted agreements using access credentials and understand commitment specifics any time from smartphones globally.

Dashboard Analytics on Key Metrics

Static reports limit operational insights, but dynamic on-the-move analytics dashboards powered by apps allow drilling into expenses, budget utilization trends and patterns by categories or business units for foresight. Data visualizations uncover bottlenecks and navigate staff to precisely where attention is required.

Managing Calendar and Travel Itineraries

Consolidated mobility platforms integrate payment systems data with travel profiles for comprehensive visibility into past and upcoming enterprise-wide corporate travel spend. Procurement apps allow configuring travel policies parameters for smart approvals routing while enabling pre-authorizations digitally.

Vendor Query and Profile Management

With a simple swipe, field personnel can immediately check supplier quality ratings, get contact info or clarify contractual service agreements before engaging vendors discovered on sites, eliminating admin dependencies. Updates also feed core systems that help prevent data dispersions.

In-Trip eSourcing and eProcurement

During business trips, the ability to digitally submit RFPs for hotel bidding, for localized construction material supplies and to further process POS transactions through apps, speeds up project work. Compliance controls still apply for bot deviation cases.

Off-Network Supply Tracking

Frontline teams are empowered to pre-qualify new indigenous material vendors lacking digital profiles by submitting site audits through pre-configured app forms. Backend workflows automatically trigger risk assessment reviews before provisional empanelment until the time the certification is complete.

Benefits of Enabling Procurement Mobility Through Apps

Procurement mobility brings in consistency and the ability for the management to tweak workflows remotely and downsize unnecessary administration expenses. The responsibility however lies with procurement software technology leaders to ensure mobility solutions to bring about the desired behavior change. Three key tenets include:

Integrated Platform Approach: Standalone apps increase app-hopping tendency, reducing stickiness for occasional users. Composite workplace solutions unify core tools.

Intuitive and Training: Simple interfaces surmount employee reluctance, especially among field officers that lack technology proactiveness.

Mandating Adoption Top-Down: Leadership direction aligning individual usage to performance scorecards and career growth incentivizes transition beyond manual legacy habits.

How GEP Procurement Software Can Make the Difference

GEP SOFTWARE^TM is a mobile-native AI-powered procurement and supply chain platform — enabling users to do what they need to do, wherever they are, irrespective of the device they are using. Users get the same power, flexibility, performance whether they are on a laptop, tablet, or smartphone. And with the same level of security!

The mobile-native platform comes with complete apps for iOS and Android devices. Users can — on the move — easily access all their dashboards and reports, participate in sourcing events, review and approve orders and invoices.

Intelligent Design

The mobile-native platform provides access to all the procurement and supply chain capabilities on the move. The intelligent platform enables users to manage all related operations with just a few taps on their mobile device.

Optimized for Touch

The touch-optimized system lets users, with a touch or tap across devices, to seamlessly navigate through reports, review invoices and approve orders.

Intuitive User Interface

The intuitive UI of the mobile platform enables users to cut down on training time, thereby boosting user adoption — on the field and across the procurement function.

What’s the Future of AI in Procurement?

Driving a mobile-first procurement management software ecosystem with an AI-first approach not only gives a competitive edge, but it also provides a strategic advantage to optimize operations, enhance decision-making and achieve sustainable success in an increasingly fast-paced and interconnected ecosystem. From AI-driven source-to-pay solutions to spend analysis to sourcing to supplier management to contract management, the next-generation technology is leveraging the integrity of unified data for greater efficiency to become an integral part of the procurement landscape.