A new year brings with it personal and professional assessments of objectives for the coming 12 months. Those initial efforts also result in identifying key metrics to track achievement related to those objectives. Here in 2022, SAP Procurement seeks to provide paths to success in Intelligent Spend and Business Network efforts for our customers. This first product release for 2022 responds to customer requests for added capabilities and begins our journey for the year ahead. For 2022 addressing customer needs and driving the best possible outcomes for our SAP Procurement community is top of mind! Read on to learn more about the key innovations moving us all forward towards our collective objectives for 2022!
In response to customer demand, we are pleased to introduce Amazon for Business as a Spot Buy purchasing option, an improved user interface for contract line item management, redesigned buy on behalf of experience, and an expansion to guided sourcing to include Japanese auctions. All in, the 2202 release is packed with numerous customer-driven improvements. Read on to learn more about key focus feature areas being delivered.
The 2202 (Q1 2022) release delivers over 100 features across the entire SAP Procurement product portfolio. Please review the complete list of features arranged by functional area planned for delivery to production on 18 February. All are encouraged to register for or review at a later time the Early Release Series sessions that go in-depth to key features planned for delivery.
Highlights of the SAP Procurement 2202 Release
Spot Buy – Amazon Business
This important addition to Spot Buy adds one of the most popular business marketplaces to SAP Ariba Buying (and Invoicing) with Amazon Business support. The seamless integration of item information and overall buying experience between Spot Buy and Amazon Business delivers on a number of customer feedback scenarios presented in the development cycle with the SAP Procurement team.
Guided buying shopping experience with Amazon Business
Expanded options for buyers when executing spot buy activities means a wider range of available catalog items, easier content enablement, and increased adoption. Catalog content is the single most effective way to drive compliant spend.
Fully integrated Amazon Business information with the guided buying user experience
Take a tour of this new innovation involving guided buying here.
Contracts – New user experience for contract line item management
The new user experience for contract line item document (CLID) facilitates the creation of contract line item documents for materials that can be distributed to more than one contract in a single ERP system. The ease of using the available functionalities like search, bulk edit/delete and distribution of the contract line items seeks to enhance the user experience and enables improved adoption of managing contract line items within SAP Ariba Contracts.
Multiple contract distribution of CLIDs
This innovation involved considerable customer interaction and feedback cycles and can be seen in action via a recorded demonstration here.
Guided Buying – Redesigned buy on behalf of user experience
Adding the ability for users to update purchase context data such as company code, purchasing unit, plant, and more while utilizing the buy on behalf of capability reduces the chance for errors on the checkout screen. Validate users are presented with the correct items and suppliers within the buy on behalf of purchasing context and drive improved accuracy in purchasing activities.
The recently introduced buy on behalf of capability for SAP Procurement Mobile users has now been extended to include the browser-based user experience. See the guided buying buy on behalf of experience in action here.
Buy on behalf of another user for business continuity
Sourcing – Japanese auctions in guided sourcing
With the Q4 2021 (2111) release auctions expanded in the guided sourcing area to include English and Dutch versions support. Continuing the growth in the auction space delivered as part of the guided sourcing capability, we start 2022 with Japanese reverse auction support. Having a variety of negotiation paths available provides buyers/sourcing experts with a solid toolbox to execute sourcing and purchasing efforts. Customers engaged us requesting auction support and we have answered that call with a solid solution for guided sourcing.
Visualize supplier engagement in Japanese auctions
See an overview of this key guided buying capability online here.
For more information on SAP Procurement efforts, please visit:
- Early Release Webcast Series here
- Feature information portal (SAP Ariba Connect) available here
- Help Portal Product Page for Procurement and Network
- SAP Procurement Community: here
- What’s New here
- SAP S/4HANA Cloud release info here
- Latest SAP S/4HANA Cloud Release Blogs here and previous release highlights here
- Product videos on our SAP S/4HANA Cloud and SAP S/4HANA YouTube playlist
