4 Best Procure-to-pay Solutions to Consider in 2024

What is a Procure-to-Pay solution?

Procure-to-pay solutions support an end-to-end procurement process that starts with requisitioning goods and services and ends with payment. A comprehensive procure-to-pay software usually comprises multiple modules - eProcurement, Supplier management, Contract management, Invoicing, Inventory management, and Contracts. They help you streamline your procurement process.

Procurement has evolved considerably over the past decade. It is no longer a service-centric function carried out with spreadsheets and paper forms. Procurement management has started to take an extremely strategic role, and technology is at the heart of this evolution.

These technology-powered purchase-to-pay solutions offer organizations more insights than ever helping them take data-driven purchasing decisions. Gartner predicts that over 50% of organizations will have deployed cloud-based procure-to-pay solutions by 2025. Over the past-decade, SaaS-based Procure to pay solutions have taken over their on-premise counterparts.

Organizations have started to embrace cloud-based procure to pay software solutions as they automate and streamline the source-to-settle process rapidly. There are a number of Procure to pay platforms that cater to organizations of all sizes. But the best procure-to-pay solution for any organization is very specific to the organizational requirements and potential.

So, in order to help you figure out which procure-to-pay software are most suited to your business needs, we have put together this list of the top 4 procure-to-pay software solutions that will drive efficiency in procurement management. Included in our list are software solutions ranging from purchase requisitions apps to contract approval and document matching systems.

The top 4 procure-to-pay solutions

Initially, procure-to-pay solution were just an extension of archaic ERP tools and accounting systems. In the early 1990s, they were primarily on-premise solutions with only a handful of features that provided the “ease of use”. Listed below are the best procure-to-pay software solutions that belong to the cloud-delivery model relevant to procurement today.

1. Purchase requisition solution

Purchase requisition solutions help organizations raise and process purchase requisitions, obtain necessary approvals, and dispatch PRs to the procurement department.

Purchase requisition solutions make it easy for organizations to track the status of a purchase requisition throughout the procure-to-pay cycle. This is done through features like fluid forms, which help you capture, approve, and keep track of purchase requests.

2. Purchase order solution

Purchase order solutions help organizations process purchase requisitions, create purchase orders, obtain PO approvals, and dispatch POs to the vendors. You can issue POs and generate orders automatically from approved purchase requests.

Purchase order solutions make it easy for organizations to track the status of a purchase order throughout the procure-to-pay cycle.

At any given point of time, businesses can instantly find out:

• Purchase requisitions and POs under process
• List of orders placed with vendors
• The agreed-upon cost and purchasing terms
• Order status
• The approximate time of delivery

Cloud-based procure to pay software like Kissflow Procurement Cloud let stakeholders manage their procurement process even when they are on the go.

3. Vendor management

Vendor management solutions transform the way organizations work with suppliers. They prevent the exposure of confidential supplier information and offer a great depth of visibility into vendor data and performance. This consistent and accurate vendor data can be analyzed to take strategic sourcing and procurement decisions.

Procurement teams can onboard, maintain, and manage vendors in an easy-to-use, comprehensive tool.

Additionally, purchase-to-pay solutions track every aspect of vendor performance and contractual obligations like delivery timeline, quality of the product/service, and more. Automated workflows and rule-based process flow ensure compliance and raise red flags if there are any issues with policy adherence.

4. Invoicing management

Invoice management solutions process, approve, and store invoices securely. Rule-based processing takes care of routing and matching invoices with related order receipts and purchase orders. You can approve your invoices on the go and perform quick three-way matching.

Modern procure-to-pay software vendors are capable of managing exceptions like shipping costs and taxes that aren’t represented in a PO. In case purchase orders and requisitions were not issued or some information doesn’t match the pre-approved PO, the system sends a notification to all important stakeholders in the process.

Why you need an all-in-one procure-to-pay solution?

Why do you need a comprehensive procurement solution? Why not individual apps for specific purchasing functions?

The answer is that having a strong procure-to-pay system to monitor and manage procurement processes is vital.

There are many procure to pay software vendors, but an all-in-one solution like Kissflow Procurement Cloud help organizations keep track of their inventory, supplies, and overall operational expense effectively in one place. The key is data siloes: huge pieces of procurement data from (say) your PO management app and others, all incapable of interacting with similar data from other procurement functions. A comprehensive procurement system keeps things fluid and seamless–an approved purchase requisition automatically triggers a PO with the right details already entered, and so on. With Kissflow, you won’t have to worry about redundant tools either: it can work seamlessly with other software you may be using, even your accounting or ERP tool.

Other than these key advantages, you can also take care of the 6 benefits in the following illustration:

Key features your purchase-to-pay solution should offer

Procure-to-pay solutions are no longer the archaic, disparate systems they used to be. They are embracing procure-to-pay digitization at a rapid pace to replicate and replace the functionalities in traditional systems. Here’s a list of features you need to look for in your digital procure-to-pay software solution:

1. Smart dashboards

Customize the content of a dashboard based on a user’s role or profile

2. Three-way matching

Match invoices with related POs and purchase requisitions automatically

3. Real-time analytics

Extract valuable insights from the available data using visual reports

4. Dynamic workflows

Route documents to specific steps or users based on pre-defined rules

5. Mobile compatibility

Allow stakeholders to manage their purchase-to-pay processes on the go

6. Integrations

Connect your procurement cloud with other essential finance software systems.

Simplify your procure-to-pay process using Kissflow Procurement Cloud

To find the right procure-to-pay solution, organizations need to determine and understand their process requirements and then find a solution that will match it. Cloud-based procure-to-pay platforms let businesses to automate and streamline purchasing activities across multiple industry verticals.

Kissflow Procurement Cloud is a digital procure-to-pay solution that lets organizations take control of essential procurement functions. It can be connected with a number of other apps and software through API integration.

Depending on your needs, Kissflow can be used to basic stuff like capturing organizational spend, managing contracts, etc. or do something extensive like spend analysis, sourcing optimization, risk mitigation, vendor management, and more.

Are you on the lookout for a procure-to-pay solution that will help you stay on top of purchases and cost? Take the Kissflow Procurement Cloud demo for a spin today.