Procurement + IT
Sourcing Force is a third-party application specialising in class C purchases and tail spend. Your ERP or S2P remains the system of record for rules, approvals, commitments and orders.
Sourcing Force + Buy Made Easy
Small suppliers and off-catalogue purchases multiply manual hand-offs and data re-entry.
Sourcing Force acts as the specialist application between local requests, suppliers and your ERP/S2P system of record.
The model can include Buy Made Easy as the single supplier to consolidate the commercial handling of assigned transactions.
The starting point
Procurement ERP integration organises the necessary exchanges between the specialist application and the client's management system. It defines objects, their origin, access rights and exception handling. The scope depends on the chosen workflow and existing environment.
Start with a specific situation: preparing a request from a quote, returning a cart to the purchasing workflow or using client master data. Then determine what information each step needs, without assuming that one exchange covers every object.
Procurement defines business rules; IT and application owners assess system constraints. Sourcing Force complements this setup. BME Consulting delivers assigned operational services when that option is chosen.
Functional scoping diagram
Each exchange connects a business object, a reference system and a recipient. Procurement and IT teams organise this workflow together.
Selected master data →From the system of record to the agreed configuration or data flow
← Prepared request or cartInto the client's approval workflow
Statuses: define the directionIdentify the source and recipient of each object
Indirect purchases · structured data · trackingTracking data alone does not constitute a commitment or an order. The client's rules and system of record determine the events that trigger those actions.
The data flow matrix
| Object | Reference responsibility | Scoping decision |
|---|---|---|
| Cost centres, projects, categories | Client master data; configuration or API depending on scope. | Identifiers, required fields, rights, updates and handling inactive values. |
| Request or cart | Preparation in the specialist workflow; approval in the client's process. | Transmitted data, attachments, return point and request identification. |
| Order and receipt | ERP/S2P controls commitments and orders; the client retains receipt responsibilities. | Information needed for tracking and the owner of each event. |
| Invoice and payment status | Client financial rules and systems; tracking is distinct from bank payment execution. | Authorised information, source of the status and handling discrepancies. |
Document the format, frequency, errors, rights and recovery procedure for each exchange. This gives procurement and IT a common operational framework.
Your tools, one connected workflow
Connect indirect purchases within the agreed scope to your procurement and finance environment.
ERP · finance · procurement suites
Your teams keep their working environment. The class C workflow is organised around your rules and data.
Choose the exchange method
PunchOut provides access to supplier offerings and returns the cart to the agreed workflow. Consider cXML or OCI arrangements appropriate to the environment, without treating them as synchronisation of the entire purchasing cycle.
Understand the PunchOut catalogue workflow ↗Selected objects may require an API or file exchange. Specify the format, fields, frequency and rights for the chosen scenario. Exchange frequency and direction follow the workflow's operational needs.
Some operational exchanges take place through a portal or email. Distinguish communication between participants from data transfer into the system of record so that responsibilities remain clear.
PunchOut, APIs and structured files serve different needs. Choose the exchange method according to the user workflow, required data and rules of the system of record.
Prepare useful acceptance tests
Choose a workflow, data scope and authorised contacts. Identify reference systems and access conditions.
Define the field dictionary and mappings. Specify identifiers, permitted documents and responsibility for corrections.
Prepare anonymised examples: a complete request, missing data, an unknown value, a duplicate and a rejection. Check the expected recovery and traceability.
Record what was tested, discrepancies and the accepted scope. Link each result to its scenario and data flow.
A documented example
Since 2021, the Accor head office setup has connected catalogue item selection with the ordering system. Integration aims to preserve cart information within the chosen workflow and coordinate exchanges with the outsourcing service.
Read the BME customer story (French) ↗Software and services
Sourcing Force structures workflows and tracking. BME Consulting provides outsourcing services. They can be used together or separately; integration alone does not transfer the client's responsibilities.
BME outsourcing: define responsibilities ↗To start with procurement needs, the free Tail Spend Assessment can support scoping. To examine the application with IT, request a demo based on a specific scenario.
Prepare your project
Not necessarily. First define the data objects you need, their system of record and the direction of each exchange. Two-way synchronisation should address a documented need and scenario rather than be assumed.
The owner named in the data flow matrix acts according to the data's origin and the reason for rejection. Define where to correct the value, who restarts processing and how to keep a record of the recovery.
Procurement defines the workflow, rules and useful information. IT organises data objects, access and processing. A shared matrix connects each data item with its system of record, recipient and owner.
Your next step
Let's discuss your class C purchases and how your organisation works.
Request your free assessment.