Häufig gestellte Fragen
What is the difference between supplier management (SRM) and purchasing?
Purchasing primarily refers to the operational procurement process — requests for quotation, orders, goods receipt and invoice verification for specific requirements. Supplier management (SRM) sits one level above and steers the supplier relationship strategically: qualification, classification, ongoing performance evaluation and targeted supplier development. While purchasing focuses transactionally on individual transactions, SRM views the supplier as a long-term relationship with history, risk and development potential. In ERP systems, operational purchasing is usually part of materials management, while SRM adds the evaluative and relationship-oriented management layer.
Which KPIs are used to evaluate suppliers?
Supplier evaluation typically rests on four dimensions: quality, delivery reliability, costs, and service and collaboration. Common metrics are on-time and in-quantity delivery performance (on-time delivery), the complaint or defect rate — often expressed in PPM (parts per million) in quality management —, price development and the response time to enquiries. These values are usually condensed into a supplier score via a weighted scorecard, whose weighting varies by industry. In the automotive industry, for example, quality dominates, while in retail costs and delivery reliability carry more weight.
What role does the German Supply Chain Act play in supplier management?
The German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG) requires verifiable processes for identifying risks along the supply chain and has applied since 1 January 2024 to companies with 1,000 or more employees. Since affected companies pass their due diligence obligations on to their suppliers, many mid-sized suppliers are in effect indirectly affected as well. Well-maintained supplier management provides the necessary documentation of origin, certifications and risk classifications. In the medium term, the LkSG is expected to be replaced by the EU supply chain directive CSDDD, which after the omnibus adjustments will only apply to companies with 5,000 or more employees and more than 1.5 billion euros in turnover; member states must transpose it into national law by July 2028, and it will apply from mid-2029.
How does the onboarding of a new supplier work?
Supplier onboarding is a multi-stage process from registration through qualification to inclusion in the vendor master. First, the supplier submits its master data and bank details, followed by a self-disclosure and a document review — such as questionnaires, code-of-conduct declarations and certificates like ISO 9001 or ISO 14001. Only after a positive review and approval does the supplier become eligible for procurement. The elapsed time ranges from a few days to several weeks depending on complexity, with waiting times for responses on evidence or bank details often accounting for the largest share.
Is a standalone SRM tool worthwhile for mid-sized companies?
Whether a separate SRM solution pays off depends above all on the number of suppliers and the degree of regulatory exposure. For many mid-sized companies with a manageable supplier base, the procurement and evaluation module integrated into the ERP is sufficient. With several hundred active suppliers, high procurement complexity or LkSG obligations, however, a specialised tool with a supplier portal, automated onboarding and risk monitoring can pay off. In both cases it is important that common interface standards such as REST API, EDIFACT, OData and ZUGFeRD are supported in order to avoid expensive custom development.
How much does SRM software cost?
Costs vary greatly with functional scope and company size. Cloud-based SRM solutions for mid-sized companies often start at a low two- to three-digit euro amount per user per month, while large enterprise platforms such as SAP Ariba, Coupa, Jaggaer or Ivalua can reach six-figure annual sums depending on module scope and number of users. Note that pure licence fees often account for only a smaller share of total costs. Experience shows that the bulk of project costs goes to implementation, customising, data migration and training, which is why looking at the total cost of ownership makes more sense than a pure licence price comparison.