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The Ultimate Guide to a Truly Effective
Procure-to-Pay Process
Shivasankari Bhuvaneswaran
January 8th, 2019 • Procurement Process
Siloed, fragmented procurement software complicates the procure-to-pay process. Outdated procurement solutions are expensive,
inflexible, and inefficient. Still, most organizations continue to ‘make do’ with their old-fashioned procurement software.
According to a Paystream 2018 Procurement Insights report, 80% of organizations still use manual or semi-digital tools to manage
their procure-to-pay cycle. Most organizations are using the procurement module integrated with their ERP or accounting software. This
is similar to using a flashlight to crack a nut. Although it gets the work done, it is still not the right tool.
Before long, this misapplication will stir up trouble. The consequences of using archaic procure-to-pay software, or worse, no solution at
all, will ultimately damage an organization’s bottom line. In order to survive the competition, organizations need to move away from
their traditional approach and embrace the right procurement technology.
Here’s all you need to know about choosing the right procure-to-pay solution, to make your procure-to-pay process truly effective.
What is a procure-to-pay process?
The procure-to-pay process is the coordinated and integrated action taken to fulfill a requirement for goods or services in a timely
manner at a reasonable price. It involves a number of sequential stages, ranging from need identification to invoice approval and vendor
payment. Steps in a procure-to-pay cycle need to be executed in a strict order.
The procure-to-pay process flow
Based on organizational practice and the requirement in question, procurement leaders choose to complete the most relevant stages of a
procure-to-pay process. Here are nine logical steps of an ideal procure-to-pay cycle.
Step 1: Identify needs
The first step of a procure-to-pay process is to determine and define the business requirements with the help of cross-functional
stakeholders. Once a valid need is identified, procurement teams sketch out high-level specifications for goods/products and terms of
reference (TOR) for services, and statements of work (SOW).
Step 2: Create requisitions
After finalizing the specifications/TOR/SOW, a formal purchase requisition is created. A requester submits the filled out purchase
requisition form after ensuring that all necessary administrative requirements are met. Requisitions can be created for any type of
procurement from standard purchases to subcontracts and consignments.
Step 3: Purchase requisition approval
Submitted purchase requisitions are then reviewed by department heads or procurement officers. Approvers can either approve or reject
a purchase requisition after evaluating the need, verifying the available budget, and validating the purchase requisition form. Incomplete
purchase requisitions are rejected back to the initiator for correction and resubmission.
Step 4: Create a PO/spot buy
If the requested goods/products have characteristics such as unmanaged category buys, one-time unique purchases, or low-value
commodities, then a spot buy can be performed. Else, purchase orders are created from approved purchase requisitions.
Step 5: Purchase order approval
Purchase orders are now sent through an approval loop to ensure legitimacy and accuracy of specifications. Approved purchase orders
are then dispatched to vendors. After reviewing the purchase order vendors can either approve, reject, or start a negotiation. When an
officer approves a purchase order, a legally binding contract is activated.
Step 6: Goods receipt
Once the supplier delivers the promised goods/services, the buyer inspects the delivered products or services to ensure that it complies
with the contract terms. The goods receipt is then approved or rejected based on the standards specified in the purchasing contract or
purchase order.
Step 7: Supplier performance
Based on the data obtained from the previous step, the supplier performance is evaluated. A number of factors like quality, on-time
delivery, service, contract compliance, responsiveness, and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). Non-performance is flagged in existing
rosters and information systems for future reference.
Step 8: Invoice approval
Once a goods receipt is approved, a three-way match between the purchase order, the vendor invoice, and the goods receipt is performed.
If there are no discrepancies found, the invoice is approved and forwarded to the finance team for payment disbursement. In the case of
inaccuracies, the invoice is rejected back to the vendor with a reason for rejection.
Step 9: Vendor payment
Upon receiving an approved invoice, the finance team will process payments according to the contract terms. Any contract changes or
reviews liquidated financial security will be taken into account. A payment made to a supplier will fall into one of the following five
types: advance, partial, progress or installment, final, and holdback/retention payments.
