{"id":3342,"date":"2014-07-02T15:14:00","date_gmt":"2014-07-02T15:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.certitrek.com\/nlpa\/2014\/07\/02\/procurement-software-solutions-never-assume-you-know-what-you-want-before-you-start-looking\/"},"modified":"2023-06-05T06:33:16","modified_gmt":"2023-06-05T10:33:16","slug":"procurement-software-solutions-never","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.certitrek.com\/nlpa\/blog\/procurement-software-solutions-never\/","title":{"rendered":"Procurement Software Solutions: Never Assume You Know What You Want Before You Start Looking"},"content":{"rendered":"

I hope that you enjoyed the article, \u201c10 Types of Procurement Software, Part II.\u201d<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t miss updates on Procurement & Supply Chain, Subscribe here!<\/p>\n

In preparing to write this two-part series and taking a fresh look at the offerings of software providers, one distinction between providers became clear:\u00a0 there are two types of \u201ccombination solutions\u201d and \u201ccomplete suites.\u201d\u00a0 One type is the solution\/suite that has one really strong module and is weak in all other modules.\u00a0 The other type is the solution\/suite that is solid in all modules.<\/p>\n

So, many times, software buyers will assume that they should go with one provider who \u201cdoes it all.\u201d\u00a0 The risk is that they will sell themselves short and not get the quality of capabilities they really need by allowing this self-imposed constraint to guide their selections.\u00a0 If they would let themselves deploy, say, a best-of-breed contract management solution from one provider along side a sourcing solution from a different provider, they could really get the best of both worlds.<\/p>\n

Of course, there are suites that have strength across the board.\u00a0 But you may find that the cost of these power suites is more than you can handle.\u00a0 Or you may not.<\/p>\n

In my mind, the key is to go into the software buy with an open mind.\u00a0 Cast a wide net.\u00a0 Then, whittle down your options as you compare capabilities, cost, provider stability, and more.\u00a0 Don\u2019t block yourself from even seeing options that you may learn to like.<\/p>\n

Recommended Reading<\/strong><\/p>\n

NLPA \u201cConference Preview\u201d Webinar \u2013 June 30<\/a><\/p>\n

The Evolution of Procurement Software<\/a><\/p>\n

Buyers Now Have More Excel Training Options Than Ever!<\/a><\/p>\n

Sourcing Innovation Sponsors NLPA\u2019s 2014 Purchasing & Supply Management Salary Report<\/a><\/p>\n

Seeking Out the Best Procurement Systems<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I hope that you enjoyed the article, \u201c10 Types of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":4044,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-procurement"],"yoast_head":"\nProcurement Software Solutions: Never Assume You Know What You Want Before You Start Looking - Next Level Purchasing Association (NLPA)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.certitrek.com\/nlpa\/blog\/procurement-software-solutions-never\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Procurement Software Solutions: Never Assume You Know What You Want Before You Start Looking\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I hope that you enjoyed the article, \u201c10 Types of […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.certitrek.com\/nlpa\/blog\/procurement-software-solutions-never\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next Level Purchasing Association (NLPA)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NextLevelPurchasing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-07-02T15:14:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-06-05T10:33:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.certitrek.com\/nlpa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/11\/nlpa-images-054.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1067\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Galo Matagay\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@nextlevelpurch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@nextlevelpurch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Galo Matagay\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.certitrek.com\/nlpa\/blog\/procurement-software-solutions-never\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.certitrek.com\/nlpa\/blog\/procurement-software-solutions-never\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Galo Matagay\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.certitrek.com\/nlpa\/#\/schema\/person\/72d094fab77892483dfa6e061cb27eaa\"},\"headline\":\"Procurement Software Solutions: Never Assume You Know What You Want Before You Start Looking\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-07-02T15:14:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-06-05T10:33:16+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.certitrek.com\/nlpa\/blog\/procurement-software-solutions-never\/\"},\"wordCount\":301,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.certitrek.com\/nlpa\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Procurement\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.certitrek.com\/nlpa\/blog\/procurement-software-solutions-never\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.certitrek.com\/nlpa\/blog\/procurement-software-solutions-never\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.certitrek.com\/nlpa\/blog\/procurement-software-solutions-never\/\",\"name\":\"Procurement Software Solutions: Never Assume You Know What You Want Before You Start Looking - 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