Ahmad Farhad Taneen

Professor Shoaib Rahim

Procurement (MGT-445)
Chapter Four Assignment
October 7, 2020

Comparing three best E-Procurement Platforms

1. Supplier GATEWAY: is leading cloud-based software that is programmed that automates and
simplifies vendor management. SupplierGATEWAY can easily be integrated with (Account
payable/ Enterprise Resource Planning, AP/ERP) infrastructure and this application has the
capability to individually or in combination. The main capabilities of the application are;
enablement faster + cost-effective, compliance risk  protection,  sourcing procurement  manage
the process, Vetting screen suppliers,  Diversity improved economic impact,  and
Credentialing personal registering. The advantage of the software is that every organization can
use it very simply and this software has the capabilities to install on a personal computer or on a
personal mobile phone that enable the users every – time onboard. In addition, there two options
for pricing; Basic and Premium, with basic option users are enabled to see and read the
solicitations in limited access but in premium option this software provide opportunity and
optimally place the company in front of potential customers who use this platform. Finally, all
solicitations saved in this software with all companies profile and notify all users about new
opportunities/procurement stall.

2. Prokuria: is cloud-based software for automating, supply management, and sourcing to save
time and deliver cost significant. This software main capability for sourcing and supplier
management are FTIs, RFPs & RFQs, auctions & Dynamic Allocations, Requisitions &
approvals, Supplier Management, Supplier Onboarding, and contracts Repository. This software
easily brings out both the procurement team and vendors to see the suppliers and request &
reverse auctions. Three options are available for users which are a standard option that charges 50
euros, a premium 150 euros, and an enterprise option that need to be in touch with a related team
to make a contract. Prokuria support organizations with three key areas

 Faster and optimal supplier selection

 Efficiently manage supplier and contracts life cycles
 Boost collaboration, alignment with stakeholders and the speed of commerce
Thus, this software enables the procurement process to save time and cost-efficacy.
 3.  based on cloud intended to play an effective role in supplier and financial activities related to
procurement department management. The software can do the purchasing workflow (e.g.
“request, purchase, approve, receive, purchase order generation, and three-way matching when
needed” (Prufiy)), and customizable approvals that are managed through software in hands of
responsible people. Further, the software enables supplier management by enabling the
organization to create and send purchase orders, see if the supply has been received, payment to
suppliers, and review supplier performance. Most importantly the software creates a great
financial record of all the expenditures related to the procurement of goods/services. The software
has online QuickBooks where all the data is being recorded. 

4. Procurement Express: this software works using the internet and its related data is stored on the
cloud. The software work perfectly on giving immediate perspective on budget and make
procurement budget management easy. The software is easy to use and does not require prior
knowledge and training. It also works fine on mobile phones as in computers. This app is
designed to bring eases in the procurement process by reducing the lengthy processes and
paperwork as the manager and procurement department members can raise the purchase orders
and communicate faster. On the other hand, Procurement Expresses work equally well in bringing
fairness to procurement accounts as Online QuickBooks are integrated into this software. All of
the data is being recorded in online quick books and the accountant can view it as a check. 

Comparison of the Best E-Accounting Software

The above software programs can be compared to each other from different perspectives. I
compared them in terms of integrity and transparency, procurement planning, and procurement strategy
making.

Integrity and transparency: one main way to bring transparency is to have unimpeded visibility
of the procurement process. Prokuria is enabling the organizations to hold the RFP, RFI, and RFQ online
that limit the probability of coercion and corruption. All the interested suppliers with the required
qualification can submit RFP, RFI, and RFQ. Transparency in place is helping guarantee integrity
because in a transparent process there would be less room for individuals to favors specific suppliers for
personal gain. Also, holding the process of bidding and selecting a supplier is both costly and creates
room for corruption. With Prokuria software, not only the room for corruption would get limited, but it
would also help cut a lot of additional costs. On the contrary, Procurify and Procurement Express are not
helpful in ensuring integrity and transparency.
 Procurement Planning: as mentioned in the book instead of doing demand reactive management
the organizations should shift to proactive procurement management. To plan well for procurement,
specific information about future needs, and past purchases data should be available. All of the software
programs are providing the specific cost data from past purchases that are essentially helping in cost
estimation for procurement planning. Further, this cost data usage for procurement planning is helping a
lot in reducing the chances of corruption in the prices of the goods/services. Procurement planning with
specific cost estimations also helps categorize different products/services, and arrange them in one
contract or different contracts. It is important to arrange similar products in one contract because it would
help save time and resources.

Procurement Strategy Making: the most significant step in strategy making is the first step. E-
procurement software programs through having different data stored can help significantly to completing
this step. The first step of strategy making is ‘analyzing the organization’s procurement function and
spend. Although E-procurement software programs are beneficial for analyzing procurement function, in
terms of analyzing spend they are more beneficial. The spend analysis has four parts that are procurement
profiling, supply chain risk analysis, supply market research, and agency impact on the industry. Bellow I
shortly describe how and which of the above three software programs are helping the most in spend
analysis:

 Procurement profiling: all of the three software programs can answer the questions of what
goods and services purchases, how and from they are purchased by whom, how much was the
costs, and how much was the life cycle cost related to them.
 Supply risk analysis: again all of the above software programs can help answer the questions of
what goods/services are the most essential for organization and how much is the procurement
task complexity. The software can answer to these questions because there are specific purchase
records.
 Supply market research: Prokuria is the only software among the above software programs that
can help in this process because with this software organizations can hold the bidding process,
RFI, RFQ, and RFP. This quality enables the software to save enough data about the suppliers in
the market.

Which Software is the Best Choice for Afghanistan’s Public Sector?

Before recommending any of the above three software programs, first, the problems with
Afghanistan’s Public procurement should be clear. Firstly, the lengthy process of procurement is the main
problem in Afghanistan’s Public Procurement as a simple purchase can take months due to a lot of
paperwork. This problem can be solved by all of the above software programs. Further, there is numerous
corruption in the process of procuring goods/services, and it is the main reason why most of the public
entities still don’t go public when it comes to RFPs. They know that going public is leading to
transparency and transparency limits the chances of corruption. Therefore, one of the main problems with
Afghanistan’s public procurement is lack of transparency that has led to numerous additional costs, low
quality, reduced competitiveness, and economic problems to the suppliers that deserved the contract.
From this perspective, Afghanistan’s public sector needs to become transparent in all processes. The only
software that ensures transparency in auctions is Prokuria. As a result, I recommend Prokuria for our
public procurement.