SAP Ariba second quarter 2024 updates.

This article will discuss a few of the new functionalities unveiled by SAP Ariba in the second quarter of 2024, which were chosen for their appeal to users of the purchasing system.

News related to Guided Buying

Adding contract numbers in inquiries

When suppliers with purchasing contracts respond to requests for quotations (RFQs), they need to know the contract numbers in order to be able to provide better tailored quotes. With this new feature in Guided Buying, commodity-level contract numbers can now be included as early as during RFQ creation.

This means that the material contract numbers for preferred and qualified suppliers
in the request for proposal will be visible to both the buyer and the supplier. This feature not only improves the refinement of bids, but also optimizes the time and effort of all participants in the RFQ process.

Improved visibility in delegated purchasing demands

Previously, it was difficult for delegates to find the requisitions they had delegated and approved while they were away. Now, both the delegator and the delegate can find approved demands in the “Latest Approvals” section, and information about the delegator and the delegate is available in the approval flow.

With this update, you will notice an increase in transparency and acceleration of the purchasing process, The result is smoother collaboration.

Default costs at header level in the currency of the principal or preparer

This new functionality allows you to specify which user currency to use for header-level costs in purchase orders. If the principal and preparer used different currencies, the header-level costs displayed two different currencies. From now on, so-called “orders in name” can use the currency of the principal or preparer by default. This will ensure consistency and eliminate possible confusion that can result from displaying two different currencies.

Ability to create surveys in Guided Sourcing projects

This feature allows buyers using Guided Sourcing to create survey events in Guided Sourcing projects. A survey event, or survey in other words, can be created using the “Create Document” option or from a survey template in a project if the Guided Sourcing project includes a survey template.

The feature provides seamless access between the Guided Sourcing interface and the classic Sourcing interface, where the survey workflow, including creation
and monitoring.

When creating a survey using “Create Document,” you can select any of the
of the available survey templates. However, when creating from a survey template that is available here, you cannot change the template.

Ability to save filtering options for supplier search in Guided Sourcing

This feature allows you to save filter options for searching suppliers in Guided Sourcing. You can save any number of default filters, as well as those that are integrated with SAP Ariba Supplier Lifecycle and Performance as preferred filters.

Filter preferences are associated with users, and when a user accesses a supplier search, the saved filters, if any, are displayed by default. Values specified for default or integrated filters are not saved – only filter options are remembered.

SAP Ariba Sourcing and SAP Sustainability Footprint Management integration

The integration enables buyers to collect carbon footprint data from supplier responses and upload this data to SAP Sustainability Footprint Management. This gives efficiency gains through automated collection of product-level carbon footprint information from uploaded supplier responses, contributing to the achievement of sustainability goals.

Integration with Dun & Bradstreet using D&B Direct+

This capability adds the option to use the newer D&B Direct+ product to retrieve data for selected fields in supplier inquiries and registration questionnaires. We recommend that customers upgrade their D&B integrations to D&B Direct+, as it ensures continued business use with minimal configuration. What’s more, it ensures that customers stay up to date with the latest offers from D&B.

 Summary

In the above article many of the most interesting new functionalities that SAP Ariba has announced in version 2405 have been presented. If you want to learn more about them write to us!

Join the ranks of customers who work with us and benefit from the latest solutions and technologies in purchasing and supply chain management. In addition, our experts are ready to help you assess your needs and prepare a customized quote, if necessary.

By working with us, our clients receive not only access to technology and solutions, but also dedicated support and comprehensive knowledge of new functionalities.