You can search vendor catalogues, issue purchase orders, track the status of your orders, authorize payments to your vendors and handle many more functions electronically. Among the benefits of purchasing electronically:

1. Greater efficiency. You can more quickly identify the products and services that meet your specifications.
2. Reduced costs. It's easy to pinpoint the best prices. e-Procurement can also reduce the administrative costs associated with purchasing. A study by Gartner Group concluded that companies can slash purchasing costs by up to 30 percent by using Web-based e-Procurement solutions
3. More control of your inventories of materials and supplies.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• Before investing in an e-Procurement system, look at your current purchasing system and analyze what works and what doesn't. That will help you select an e-Procurement solution that suits your needs.
• The transition from hard copy to electronic procurement can frustrate employees. Take care to organize the catalog content from your suppliers so that employees can easily find the parts and supplies they're looking for.
• Give all employees who are involved in purchasing ample warning that you are changing the system. Reassure them that they will have plenty of time to train on the new system. Get help from your e-Procurement vendor if you can't train them in-house.