Purchase to Pay Process
05 Sep In defense of accounts payable
I have sometimes described purchase to pay as sitting at the least glamorous end of the business spectrum. At one end is the sex, drug and rock 'n' roll world of PR, marketing and sales - life at the coal face where business really happens - and then at the other end there's the back office functions like purchasing, finance, internal audit. And if we take a closer look at the back office, sitting quietly right at the wrong end of the glamour spectrum is accounts payable. A colleague once described accounts payable as "the spinsters department". Jason Busch doesn't spare his vitriol in his criticism of AP suggesting that "most companies would likely be better off blowing up their AP function". To be fair he does suggest a more constructive fate for AP by describing how they might transform into a high value add supply chain finance operation - something I would strongly endorse. But for the time being, I want to defend AP. Why? Because much of the criticism is unfair and especially when it comes from purchasing.03 Aug Purchasing at its best – why great customer experience makes it easy to part with cash
I love the Apple Store - they make it so easy to part with your cash and the pleasure is only accentuated when you contrast it to the level of customer service that the banks offer.11 Jul Can purchase to pay vendors really add value across the full spectrum?
Posted at 14:23h
in Ariba Buyer, Financial Supply Chain Management, Procurement Process, Purchase to Pay, Purchase to Pay Process
There are few that would disagree that Ariba sits firmly amongst the best in class procurement vendors. Its heritage goes back to the pioneering days of e-procurement and it has continued to innovate successfully ever since, diversifying its portfolio of solutions across the P2P spectrum. But while its procurement credentials are impeccable - the first P - how credible is Ariba at addressing the second P at the payment end of the spectrum?
08 Jun Delivering synergy by taking a step back
Holistic P2P delivers synergy but you need to take a step back to see how. By embracing the whole of the end to end process across finance, procurement and the supplier’s organisation, benefits can be unlocked that remain hidden when these elements operate in isolation. Apparently unconnected projects within the purchase to pay spectrum can be joined together to deliver better results. The following examples illustrate the point.08 Jun The Power of the Purchase to Pay Audit
The correct steps to take to implement holistic P2P very much depend on the starting point. An immature organisation may have to work hard simple to get to the starting line. Others may already have reached a high level of maturity, but whatever the starting point, it is worth going back to basics and beginning with a high level audit assessing your level of P2P maturity.07 Jun Holistic Purchase to Pay
Posted at 14:29h
in e-Procurement, Electronic Invoicing, Financial Supply Chain Management, Purchase to Pay, Purchase to Pay Process
It doesn’t take a mathematical genius to understand the business case for some purchase to pay initiatives. Dynamic discounting - exchanging a discount in return for early payment - can give a return on capital of over 30%. Reverse factoring and other supply chain finance methods can substantially increase DPO and AP automation can reduce costs by 50%. But despite the compelling business case, most organisations remain firmly in the 20th century when it comes to purchase to pay optimisation. If the benefits are so great, why are more businesses not grasping the opportunity?