Local e-Procurement platform provider MWEB CommerceZone has launched an innovatove solution that makes the arduous task of implementing and driving preferential procurement easier and faster.
The company developed a “BEE pop-up tool” within its hosted e-Procurement platform. “This gives individuals placing an order “at-a-glance” insight into the precise BEE status of every sourced supplier, making it easier for purchasers to choose suppliers that align closely with the company’s preferential procurement policy.”
Approvers also have access to the pop-up tool and so can view the details of the suppliers of the orders they are approving. All a purchaser has to do is hold the computer cursor over the supplier’s name – and a pop-up containing the supplier’s BEE percentage score will appear on their computer screen.
“The facility to access a suppliers’ BEE score is not new,” Arthur Benting, IT manager at MWEB CommerceZone tells Smart Procurement. “What is new is the extent of detail that is available to users at the click of a mouse.”
Drill down into supplier detail
In addition to the supplier’s BEE percentage score appearing on the shopping basket screen, a link allows the purchaser to drill down into more detailed information relating to the supplier’s BEE rating – information that could influence the purchasing decision.
“For example, the purchasing policy of a company may be to favour companies that have a high emphasis on BEE equity, while another company may favour suppliers that invest heavily in CSR or training. The purchaser – and everyone involved in the approval process – will quickly be able to determine these nuances,” Benting explains.
“Effectively, what this new tool does is give the purchasing company more control over where it spends its money, and more control over how it aligns its BEE strategy to this decision,” he says.
