e-Procurement Software Overview
The Discus e-Procurement Software Portal solves the problem of communication between Buyers (Purchasers) and Vendors (Sellers). The e-Procurement portal offers a chain of solutions. This is explained below.
Purchase Requisition or PRs (also called Indents)
A Purchase Requisition is an intent to purchase. It contains one or more items to be procured. The specifications of items are also defined within a PR. Items in a PR can be spread across RFQs. Often, this helps with negotiations.
Request for Quotations or RFQs (also called Bid Requests)
RFQs are sent out to vendors. Vendors use this information to prepare & submit bids. RFQs contain a number of Items (products & services) that are defined as a template.
Templates for RFQs
Templates are comparable to spreadsheet-based forms. Each item requires a different set of data. Some templates also require calculations. The e-Procurement portal offers a smart template development engine. You can read about it here: How to configure templates.
RFQ Submissions (also called Bids)
Vendors submit bids against the RFQs they have received. Vendors are provided with login credentials to the eProcurement Vendor Portal. Vendors can see all bid requests and their status on the dashboard of this portal.
Vendors can submit bids, register a regret and also change their bids. Up until the time the RFQ time is still open. More information on this here: eProcurement RFQs: How to create & submit an RFQ.
Bid comparison
Buyers will receive a number of templates submitted for each RFQ. The eProcurement bid comparison tool provides unparalleled flexibility in comparing the bids that have been received.
The comparison tool allows selection of partial quantities across vendors. You can also select items across multiple vendors. Find out more on this here: eProcurement Bid Comparison: How to optimize procurement using the comparison tool
Procurement finalization
The final stage is getting the purchase decision finalized. The comparison tool prepares a detailed & easy to read comparison report. The report is
Workflows and approval matrices
Approval workflows are an integral part of the eProcurement solution. The workflow module is highly configurable & easy to use. It is linked to configurable dynamic forms as well.
Workflows are also equipped with smart routing. Smart rules can be configured Location, amount, item group and other parameters. Read more about Workflows here: eProcurement Workflows: How to configure basic & smart workflows