Open supplier databases are the near future
Developments in the supply chain suggest that procurement urgently needs to take new steps and devise a new strategy towards suppliers with an emphasis on the supply chain. This is especially important for companies that have applied the principle of consolidation of suppliers, ie reducing the number of suppliers with whom they cooperate. All the dangers of this strategy surfaced last year, not only in terms of delivery deadlines, but also a drastic rise in prices. According to the Financial Times, the price of transporting goods from China to Europe increased three times last year compared to 2019, and the biggest reason for this are large crowds in ports. Waits and unforeseen disturbances significantly affect global supply chains.
Digital tools contribute to building a reliable and secure supply chain
The classic Google search for products and services by indexing WEB pages and paid ads cannot be compared to the quality of data from a specialized database of suppliers. The development of specialized procurement software has made it possible to build large supplier databases that facilitate procurement in times of the pandemic and any closures. They enable quick response and instantaneous finding of alternative suppliers by offering to procure a set of up-to-date information in one place. Supplier reactions are positive because they recognize these solutions as a new sales channel that gives them the possibility of direct contact with procurement.
The negative aspect of existing supplier databases is their closed nature, ie that information is only available to a small circle of companies that use solutions such as Ensolva. The matter is further complicated by the fact that many providers of smart procurement management systems still charge suppliers for enrollment in databases.
For the time being, only purchases that use Ensolva have access to supplier data, but registration on the Supplier Portal and participation in tenders for suppliers in Ensolva is free of charge.
There comes a time when databases on suppliers and their products and services will be open and publicly available.
Procurement wants to know the experiences of working with suppliers
Existing databases contain general information on the designation of the supplier as a legal entity: company name, OIB, size, address, description, contact information in sales. An accurate description of products and services is important. Each supplier independently and freely enters the key terms by which his product or service will be identified and found (broader product description or just keywords). The supplier selects items from the standard classification of activities according to national and international criteria such as CPV and NKD, which allows searching for suppliers by standard codebooks.
When a customer requests a specific service or product, the system finds all the suppliers who have marked the requested product or service, in the supplier database. The buyer can easily contact them and ask for an offer. With each procurement, new appliers will appear, and procurement may involve new suppliers giving them a share of the procurement to reduce risk and estimate the long-term benefits of alternative suppliers.
Ensolva Supplier Portal
Achieving this goal, building a common database of suppliers for procurement needs based on user experiences, without WEB software tools is not possible.
The Ensolva Supplier Portal introduces the beginning of a unique supplier database based on user experience.
Whether you plan to use the system as a procurement tool by registering on the portal, you will allow all users of Ensolva’s WEB software to send you a request for an offer, when they need your product or service.
Soon, every sale will be able to find its new suppliers in Ensolva’s open supplier database and find the most important information about them, including the most important one: experience and evaluations of other purchases.
