Where Does the Money Go? SAP and Oxford Economics Research Reveals Issues with Managing Spend Across the Enterprise

Rhea-AI Summary

According to a recent study by SAP and Oxford Economics, only 23% of procurement executives can view overall spend in real time, with 49% still relying on manual data analysis. The survey included 1,000 executives and highlights significant gaps in digital adoption. Notably, leaders in procurement achieve better operational efficiency and supplier performance through technology investments. However, 38% of executives still use manual processes. The study emphasizes the need for organizations to digitalize spend management and improve supplier collaboration for better business results.

Positive

• Leaders investing in procurement digital transformation see improved operational efficiency and supplier performance.
• The study highlights the strategic value of procurement in driving business agility and resilience.

Negative

• Only 23% of procurement executives have a real-time view of overall spend.
• 38% of executives report manual processes in procurement.
• Only 54% of procurement technologies support data-driven decision-making.

WALLDORF, Germany, Feb. 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Only 23% of procurement and supply chain executives can gain a clear view of overall spend automatically, in real time, according to Agile Procurement Insights Research conducted by SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) in collaboration with Oxford Economics. Furthermore, 49% still manually analyze data to inform decision-making.

The research is built on a survey of 1,000 procurement and supply chain executives responsible for direct and indirect goods, services and external workforce spend. It was designed to help understand procurement's influence on an organization, the current state of supplier collaboration and the impact of technology and process digitalization in the procurement function.

A subset of surveyed executives — the leaders — are realizing stronger business results. Leaders are investing in technology and process digitalization to help anticipate the unexpected, fueling business agility and resilience, and elevating the strategic value of procurement to the business.

The research is distilled into five reports that examine key areas of spend management and discuss what leaders do that set them apart.

Leaders Outshine the Rest
"Leaders Aim Higher: Elevating Procurement's Strategic Value to the Business" focuses on the leaders, around 10% of executives who have made greater investments in procurement digital transformation and are realizing greater benefits. To qualify as a leader, companies had to meet criteria in four areas: high degree of process automation, frequent use of data to inform decision-making, use of technology to influence the business and fewer challenges in managing procurement than other respondents. They achieve better results compared with other respondents in operational efficiency, supplier performance, compliance, risk management and cost reduction, but even leaders have room to improve.

Digitalized Procurement Pays Off
"Procurement-Powered Performance: How Digital Transformation Is Elevating Procurement" shows that while organizations are reaping benefits from digitalizing procurement, challenges remain. For example, 38% of executives surveyed said most or all of their procurement processes are still manual. Just 54% said their procurement technologies enable them to make decisions that are data-driven. According to the report, companies that have embraced data and analytics, tapped into the power of AI and embraced new technologies are realizing better results.

Supplier Risk Management Shows Progress, But Ample Room for Improvement
"Getting Closer to See Further: Procurement Can Embrace Advanced Analytics to Predict and Manage Supplier Risk" reveals widespread vulnerabilities in supplier risk management, including poor visibility and overreliance on too few suppliers. Only 49% of executives said they regularly refresh risk mitigation plans to address potential disruptions, and a mere 32% said their supplier risk management is highly effective. Organizations underutilize advanced analytics and need to take bolder steps to help increase visibility into supplier performance and make greater use of third-party data to help anticipate and mitigate potential disruptions, the report said.

Supplier Collaboration Key to Direct Spend
"Close Collaboration That Goes Beyond Transactions: Direct Spend Leaders Engage with Essential Suppliers to Improve Performance" illustrates that direct spend leaders who embrace automation and treat suppliers as partners drive superior business results. For instance, 92% of leaders said they use a network to collaborate with suppliers, compared with 69% of other respondents. Additionally, 76% of leaders said they provide critical suppliers visibility into future demand for their goods, compared with 44% of other respondents.

Significantly Undermanaged Spend Category: External Workforce
"Agility Isn't Always on the Payroll: Gain Full Visibility of Your External Workforce to Help You Drive Better Business Outcomes" highlights that just 35% of executives said they use technology to help manage their contingent workforce and 70% said they use technology for services procurement. Given the external workforce is a large, strategic spend category fueling business agility, broader adoption of vendor management systems can help organizations use preferred suppliers, support various pricing models, enforce negotiated rates, track work quality and equipment usage, and manage security access.

"Business leaders increasingly understand the value of procurement goes beyond cost reduction," said John Wookey, president, SAP Intelligent Spend and Business Network. "Procurement is central to productivity and innovation, but its potential is only fully realized through digitalizing end-to-end spend management processes on a single platform in the cloud. Putting organizations in a position to align spend decisions to business strategy in today's networked economy — this is what intelligent spend management is all about."

For information on how to accelerate procurement digital transformation and to download the reports, visit www.ariba.com/roadtoready.

Visit the SAP News Center. Follow SAP on Twitter at @SAPNews.

About SAP
SAP's strategy is to help every business run as an intelligent enterprise. As a market leader in enterprise application software, we help companies of all sizes and in all industries run at their best: 77% of the world's transaction revenue touches an SAP® system. Our machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics technologies help turn customers' businesses into intelligent enterprises. SAP helps give people and organizations deep business insight and fosters collaboration that helps them stay ahead of their competition. We simplify technology for companies so they can consume our software the way they want — without disruption. Our end-to-end suite of applications and services enables business and public customers across 25 industries globally to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and make a difference. With a global network of customers, partners, employees, and thought leaders, SAP helps the world run better and improve people's lives. For more information, visit www.sap.com.

Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "should" and "will" and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.

© 2021 SAP SE. All rights reserved.

SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE in Germany and other countries. Please see https://www.sap.com/copyright for additional trademark information and notices.

For customers interested in learning more about SAP products:
Global Customer Center: +49 180 534-34-24
United States Only: 1 (800) 872-1SAP (1-800-872-1727)

Please consider our privacy policy. If you received this press release in your e-mail and you wish to unsubscribe to our mailing list please contact press@sap.com and write Unsubscribe in the subject line.

 

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/where-does-the-money-go-sap-and-oxford-economics-research-reveals-issues-with-managing-spend-across-the-enterprise-301233350.html

SOURCE SAP SE

FAQ

What percentage of procurement executives can see overall spend in real-time as per SAP's research?

Only 23% of procurement executives can view overall spend in real time according to SAP's recent study.

What is the impact of digital transformation on procurement performance according to SAP?

SAP's research indicates that organizations that invest in digital transformation see improved operational efficiency and supplier performance.

What challenges do procurement executives face according to SAP's findings?

SAP's study reveals that 38% of procurement processes are still manual and only 54% of technologies enable data-driven decision-making.

When was the SAP and Oxford Economics research published?

The research was published on February 23, 2021.

How many executives were surveyed in the SAP procurement research?

A total of 1,000 procurement and supply chain executives were surveyed in the research.