Procurement technology selection and implementation
Procurement software fails for the same reason most enterprise software fails. It is chosen on a feature matrix, implemented as a technical project, and handed to a team that was never asked what would make them use it.
The problem this solves
Selection is run as a scoring exercise against a requirements list that was assembled from vendor marketing, so every platform scores well and the decision defaults to price or to whoever presented last.
Implementation is scoped as configuration and integration, with adoption treated as a training session in the final week. The system goes live and usage sits at a fraction of what the business case assumed.
Two years later the organisation is paying enterprise licence fees for a system used as an expensive requisition form, and the savings in the business case were never tracked, let alone realised.
What we actually do
The steps, in the order we run them.
Define what you actually need
We start from your process and spend profile, not a feature list. The requirement is written in terms of what has to be true after go-live, which makes it testable rather than aspirational.
Run an independent selection
Shortlisting, structured demonstrations against your own scenarios and data rather than vendor scripts, reference calls with clients like you, and commercial negotiation on licence and implementation terms.
Implement with adoption designed in
Configuration, integration to your ERP and finance systems, supplier onboarding, and a change plan built from the start rather than bolted on. We deliver Onventis source-to-pay directly in the region.
Onboard the supply base
The platform is worthless if suppliers will not transact on it. Supplier onboarding is planned, sequenced by spend and readiness, and run as its own workstream with its own owner.
Track the business case
The savings and efficiency assumptions that justified the spend are instrumented and reported, so you know within two quarters whether the investment is paying back.
What you get
- A requirements definition written from your process, not a vendor template
- An evaluated shortlist with scored, scenario-based demonstrations
- Negotiated licence and implementation commercials
- A configured, integrated platform with your supply base onboarded
- Adoption metrics and business case tracking against the original assumptions
We are an Onventis partner delivering source-to-pay across the region, and we run selections where the answer is a different platform, or no new platform at all. Independence on selection is the reason our implementation advice is worth having.
Questions we get asked
You partner with Onventis. Are you really independent on selection?
We tell clients about the partnership before any selection work begins, and we run selections that conclude with a different vendor. If your requirement is better served elsewhere, saying so protects a client relationship worth considerably more than one implementation fee.
Do we need a full source-to-pay suite?
Often not. Many organisations get most of the available value from spend visibility and contract management, and would be better served fixing process and data first. We will tell you when the honest answer is that your volume does not justify the licence.
How long does an implementation take?
Three to six months for a focused source-to-pay deployment in a single entity, longer for multi-entity groups or where ERP integration is complex. Supplier onboarding usually determines the real timeline, not the software configuration.
What happens if adoption stalls after go-live?
That is the failure mode we design against, which is why adoption is a workstream from day one rather than training in the last week. We track usage by user and by category after go-live and intervene where it is not landing.
Where to start
Run the free procurement maturity diagnostic for a scored view of where the gaps are, or talk to a consultant about this specific problem. Both take less time than a meeting about having a meeting.
Talk to a consultant