Procure-to-pay is a term used in the software industry to designate a specific subdivision of the procurement process.
The procure-to-pay systems enable the integration of the purchasing department with the accounts payable (AP) department. Some of the largest players of the software industry agree on a common definition of procure-to-pay, linking the procurement process and financial department. The steps usually included are:
- Supply management
- Cart or requisition
- Purchase order
- Receiving
- Invoice reconciliation
- Accounts payable
Unlike source-to-pay systems, procure-to-pay systems do not include the function of sourcing. Also, notions of production planning and forecasting will be excluded from this definition since it relates to the supply chain management.
Benefits
Procure-to-pay systems are designed to provide organizations with control and visibility over the entire life-cycle of a transaction – from the way an item – providing full insight into cash-flow and financial commitments. Most of the companies using these systems look for a centralization of their procurement department, or to set up a shared services organization for the same purpose.
Despite the availability of technology which can dramatically reduce the mountains of paperwork and inefficiencies plaguing accounts payable, few companies have addressed AP transformation like other processes essential to the business.
Risks
As with any system that touches a significant number of users, implementing a procure-to-pay system requires significant knowledge of the as-is business processes as well as the to-be. Change management is a key component in implementing a procure-to-pay solution.
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