As one of only eight companies in North America that have the ability to implement SAP Ariba Snap solution that is targeted at mid-market companies, we at Premikati, Inc. have compiled a list of frequently asked questions and their answers to help you decide if your organization is ready to take the next steps into solving your procurement obstacles and meeting your business objectives.
Overview and Key Differentiators:
What exactly is SAP Ariba Snap and how does it differ from standard SAP Ariba?
Snap is an implementation of SAP Ariba Buying and Invoicing and encompasses the critical elements of a procurement foundation at a minimum of complexity.
What is the process of implementation?
Premikati, Inc. is able to take your business live with SAP Ariba Snap in under 12 weeks. You will get best practices on Day 1 out-of-the-box which can be adjusted during implementation and over time. In order to maximize the return on investment, we recommend that SAP Ariba’s Spot Buy marketplace be turned on immediately. We want you to be transacting in 2 weeks or less!
(See more about the incredible SAP Ariba Spot Buy Marketplace!)
Supplier enablement of the initially targeted suppliers are performed by Premikati. This is a critical aspect of the successful implementation and has been fully integrated into the implementation process. We train your team so you can be self-sufficient as you add suppliers over time.
Spot Buy:
Does the SAP Ariba Spot Buy Marketplace come with SAP Ariba Snap?
Yes, Spot Buy is included and can be ready for transacting early in the implementation process.
One great thing about Spot Buy is that you can control content by commodity. For example, the administrator has the ability to toggle on and toggle off what content your users are allowed to see. In addition, approval workflows and cost center information can be added to any purchase. These are unique value props to Ariba Marketplace. You choose the content for your users, no matter the number or location – a feature that NO competitor has.
Do users in countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, UK, Germany, and Australia have access to Spot Buy content immediately or is that limited to the US only?
The marketplace is growing fast! SAP Ariba Snap has up to 60 million SKU`s from sustainable, and vetted suppliers. It is available for users in US, Canada, UK, and Germany today. Mercateo is the marketplace provider for EMEA. Recently, SAP Ariba signed agreements with Mercado Libre that will make the marketplace available in Latin America.
Guided Buying:
Does Guided Buying come with SAP Ariba Snap, and if so, can you configure other categories to the guided buying landing page?
Yes, Guided Buying is included. While you can easily add additional categories that are specific for your business, with Snap you get pre-built categories with content and forms for:
- IT & IT Services
- Office Supplies
- Advertising & Printing
- Marketing Services
- Financial Services
- Legal & HR Services
- Facilities / Maintenance
- Travel
(See more about SAP Ariba’s Guided Buying)
Technical:
How do approval processes work? What do they look like?
You will receive SAP Ariba’s best practice approval workflow out-of-the box. You can approve via the application, via email, or by mobile device. Approval workflows have tons of flexibility. There are parallel approvals to accelerate process. There is a concept of a watcher, and user approval groups. Out of the box approvals include role, dollar value, special situation. This helps to minimize the need to build customizations.
How does Ariba & ERP’s integrate? Is there a standard set of integration scenarios for each process within Procure-to-Pay that no special development is needed if SAP best practices are followed?
Perhaps the most valuable aspect of Snap is the pre-determined flows, processes, and approvals out of the box. The structure is both robust and complete, essentially eliminating the need for customized integration. There are few instances where the custom integration justifies both the up front and ongoing maintenance costs. With SAP software, there are 170 native integration points. The number of integrations is 8x of any competitor and covers the entire Source-to-Settle process.
Does this apply to non-SAP customers as well?
Yes. Ariba Snap is ERP Agnostic and will deploy in <12 weeks. 42% of Ariba customers are non-SAP.
Essentially all ERP systems can now be integrated to Ariba.
Are analytics provided? If so, how is reporting presented and managed?
Yes, analytics are provided which are focused on the P2P lifecycle. As part of Snap, SAP Ariba has provided end to end capabilities to support the entire procure to pay process. All of the basics are reported on (approvals, spend by categories, invoices exceptions, accruals, etc.) It is possible to set it up to have a weekly report sent to your stakeholders directly from the tool, or you may download in Excel. Additionally, any data element captured can be reported with an unlimited number of customized reports that your team can create easily.
Upgrades:
If our company outgrows SAP Ariba Snap, do we have to redeploy/repurchase SAP Ariba?
Absolutely not! SAP Ariba Snap is the same full Buying and Invoicing solution deployed at Large Enterprise customers but the focus is on the features and functionality that are critical to growing businesses and deploy only those features. If you need additional features in the future, these are already included in your license and you can toggle them on at any time.
The beauty of SAP Ariba Snap is that it is a solution that is built to grow in complexity as your business matures. With implementation, we start with the key foundations that will give you the fastest time to value in key spend categories. Once the foundation is set you can add those features and functionalities that best meet your needs while minimizing cost and operational risk.
What does SAP Ariba Snap cost? Is the price determined by Spend Volume? by PO? Or transactions? Or connections?
Pricing is done by volume of Spend and the of the number of documents (PO and Invoices per year). Unlimited users are allowed so everybody in your company to have flexibility to access the tool without additional cost.
My Suppliers:
What is the process for suppliers to join the Ariba Network?
Suppliers can join the network at discovery.ariba.com but they are also invited to the Ariba Network from the buyer in their Ariba site. This can be done as an invitation or when a PO is sent to supplier prompting the invitation. Suppliers are considered customers too. SAP Ariba has used many UX principles to dramatically ease supplier interaction on the network.
What are the fees for Suppliers with SAP Ariba Snap?
Your suppliers can transact for free on the Ariba Network. They have the ability to send PO`s, Invoices, Order Confirmations, Ship Notices, and more. (Learn more about Light Enablement from SAP Ariba)
Why should we buy SAP Ariba instead of a competitor’s product? Here are a few highlights:
- Fast time to value (<12 weeks)
- Best practices built in
- Access to Spot Buy marketplace (content engine) that you control by commodity
- UPGRADE Path without having to “upgrade”!!!
- Local Resources – local language support and real-delivery expertise
- Integration is simple and easy
- Commercial flexibility i.e. Unlimited users and low subscription price
- Suppliers can transact for free on the Ariba Network via Light Enablement
About PREMIKATI
Founded in 2009, Premikati, Inc. is a WBENC certified woman-owned Supply Chain Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) firm, providing cost savings and financial, contractual and supplier risk mitigation services to purchasing organizations for mid and large enterprises while leveraging best-in-class purchasing processes and technology. Premikati has partnered with SAP and is one of only five companies globally to have been granted the most exclusive partnership level with SAP Ariba, as a BPO Partner.
