The business world in real-life is quite different from what you see in the movies. High-level executives are more often calm, calculated, and experience-driven individuals rather than self-proclaimed badasses who relish in the execution of swashbuckling gestures of rebellion. In other words, the business world is not devoid of entertainment, but its essence rests in foundational concepts like efficiency, scalability, and customer relations. The crux of the matter is that a clearly-defined set of instructions dictates a major chunk of business activities. Seasoned businessmen do their best to take actions that are aimed at decreasing the entropy inherent to the business ecosystem instead of aggravating the unpredictability of business-operations even further. Procurement processes are no different. Teams involved with taking care of a company’s procurement needs follow strict-methodologies. Even the evaluation of bids that buyers receive during the tendering process follows a systematic approach. In the corporate world, Request to Tender documents layout clear-cut rules for the evaluation of bids. Since the tenderers get their first-contact with procurement processes in the form of RTF documents, they are also made privy to the scoring systems that will dictate their fate in the long run. The RTF document also contains many other details that make it easier for tenderers to put in their best foot forward. However, these intricacies are relevant to traditional tendering processes. In today’s day-and-age, e-procurement companies provide different roadmaps altogether. Regardless, both tendering mediums share many similarities. For starters, the competitiveness inherent to the success of tendering is present in both mediums. In certain instances, online mediums even take this competitiveness to a notch higher than their traditional counterparts. Furthermore, at the end of the day, both tendering mediums share the same motivations.

What advantages do e-procurement companies offer?

The business world is not oblivious to the benefits that online procurement processes have. Many sources on the internet detail about those advantages in long-form essays. However, resources rooting for organisations that facilitate e-procurement tenders online are comparatively hard to find. Our discussion intends to remedy this predicament. Thus, let’s dive into 3 clear-cut benefits that e-procurement systems provide:-

1. Affordability:-Organisations that offer e-procurement services typically function on yearly subscription-based models. If companies compare these subscriptions with the cost of setting up their own online procurements environments, the former takes the title of being the cheaper alternative. Furthermore, tendering processes are conducted by organizations of various scales. Mid-sized to big enterprises can afford to build their online tendering platforms since procurement is an activity they are heavily engaged in. But, even for such organizations, availing the services of e-procurement service-providers does come in handy from time-to-time. For instance, if in a given business year, a big enterprise has a scarce number of non-capital-intensive tenders that it needs to assign, setting up its pilot program for procurement will not be a sound business decision. Instead, signing up for the services of an online procurement platform will render a much higher return on investment. As far as small enterprises are concerned, online procurement platforms are often their first choice. Since a patented procurement tool is not a must-have resource for businesses in their baby-years, they outsource this need. At the end of the day, online procurement platforms turn out to be affordable options for organizations of all shapes and sizes.

2. Seamless Implementation:- e-procurement tenders online are implemented in a much easier manner when buyers avail the services of already-established service-providers in the industry. Since e-procurement platforms also offer niche-specific procurement services, they rarely pose any implementation difficulties. On the other hand, if an organization were to set up its online procurement-focused solution, weeks or even months would be spent in its creation. Furthermore, even after the creation of such tools, companies still need buffer periods to test out their efficiency. Contacting companies that provide e-procurement tools is a better choice. Even if you can afford to burn cash for fun, time is something that all business entities value. The time saved by entering a subscription-plan of an e-procurement system can be utilized in defining the accepted performance standards for the project you’re tendering. Furthermore, companies that provide online procurement tools have a readily-accessible customer-care department. In case of any problems, you have the option to gain access to instant resolutions. Once the procurement team of your company familiarises itself with outsourced tendering platforms, it can also devise workflows that prove to be useful in all future procurement needs. All in all, online service providers who specialize in the provision of procurement portals make the implementation of tendering processes a breezy affair.

3. Flexibility:- Given the availability of multiple options to choose from, you’ll never run into a lock-in situation if a certain service provider doesn’t deliver on its promises. Companies can access product demos before paying for yearly subscriptions. Thus, they can test out multiple service-providers before coming to a decision. Furthermore, procurement needs are not something that companies do not encounter consistently. Year after year, businesses look for external aid to take care of certain requirements. Thus, a year-long lock-in period is not as long as it seems. Furthermore, the subscription models of all e-procurement systems are not the same. Companies have the flexibility to scout the market for service-providers that suit their needs the best. Moreover, enterprises do not need to use just one e-procurement system. Based on their budget as well as procurement needs, companies can also sign up for the services of multiple platforms that implement e-procurement.

Online tendering is the new-age procurement methodology that is here to stay. Despite its imperfect nature, it does provide some significant benefits over its traditional counterpart. Thus, the only plausible choice that companies need to make is that of the e-procurement company that blends with their requirements. Gauging the extent to which the above-mentioned parameters are present in an online tendering solution can help in making this decision.

James Montano