Our Approach to Process Design
Not all procurement is the same, and a well-designed S2P process acknowledges this. A catalog order for office supplies requires a completely different ordering channel than a complex service contract or a strategic supplier relationship. Organizations that fail to make this distinction create processes that are either too cumbersome for simple transactions or too lenient for purchases where genuine risk management is essential.
Our starting point is clear: every purchase fundamentally leads to a purchase order, unless policy dictates otherwise. That sounds simple, but in practice, it requires a well-thought-out design for each procurement type. User-friendliness, efficiency, and organizational control must be balanced. This balance differs for every organization.
What we also know from experience: suppliers are an underestimated factor in process design. The best procurement processes are not only internally efficient but also aligned with how your key suppliers operate. This requires collaboration, not just design.
What You Get From Us
Concrete process designs that your employees understand, your suppliers can follow, and truly advance your organization.
- Detailed Process per Procurement Type and Ordering Channel
Together with your organization's employees, we map out which procurement process best suits each type of purchase. For this, we use our S2P Metro Map Method: a visual and practical tool that provides insight into the entire procurement flow. From request to payment, per channel and per procurement type. Not abstract process diagrams, but a working model that can be directly applied internally.
- Balance Between User-Friendliness, Efficiency, and Control
The biggest pitfall in process design is overshooting to one extreme. You either opt for maximum control at the expense of user-friendliness, or maximum simplicity at the expense of spend control and compliance. We make this trade-off explicit and build processes that work for the buyer, the controller, and the end-user simultaneously.
- Supplier integration as part of process design
An S2P process designed only internally rarely works optimally in practice. We actively involve your strategic suppliers in the process design. We answer questions such as: what order forms do they support? What are the possibilities for catalog integration, e-invoicing, or punchout? This way, you create an end-to-end process that runs smoothly from both sides.
- Implementation guidance and embedding
A well-designed process is only valuable if it is also used. We guide the implementation, handle communication to users, and ensure the new process is embedded within your organization. Naturally, this includes the necessary training, work instructions, and management structure.
