How digital is procurement in the social economy? What hurdles make everyday life difficult – and what do those responsible want from an ideal eProcurement solution? That’s exactly what we wanted to know – and we obtained insights directly from the industry via a survey. The results clearly show that there is a great need for professional, user-friendly and integrated eProcurement solutions – and the requirements are clearly defined.

Procurement without structure – digitalization still in its infancy

More than 55% of respondents stated that they do not have an explicit purchasing department. Purchasing is often carried out by employees in addition to their actual work – often without central control or clear processes. The average level of digitalization is only 2 out of 5 points. Excel spreadsheets, manual approvals and paper-based processes dominate day-to-day work in many places.

The biggest challenges

Three key problem areas emerge from the responses:

• Lack of cost transparency
• High manual effort
• No standardized workflows

These challenges lead to inefficiencies, sources of error and a high expenditure of time – especially with increasing complexity in procurement.

What does the industry want?

The answers to the question of the “perfect purchasing software” show what is important:

✅ End-to-end digitalization: paperless purchasing process from determining requirements to payment – with clear roles, approvals and authorizations.
✅ System integration: seamless connection to existing systems such as SAP, Medifox or Vivendi.
✅ Standardized workflows: Standardized processes across all facilities – with specific shopping baskets and clear approvals.
✅ Automation: Automatic invoice approval when order and goods receipt match.
✅ Condition management: Central negotiation of framework agreements and regional purchasing benefits.
✅ Usability: User-friendly application that clearly shows employees the added value.

Conclusion

The results of the survey in the social economy show: There is a great need for digital, end-to-end purchasing processes – the challenges are known and the wishes of the facilities are clearly formulated. It is therefore all the more pleasing that our existing CM Procure solution already meets all of these requirements.

From paperless workflows and individual approval processes to interfaces to industry systems such as Diamant – with ComfortMarket, we offer a system that combines all the necessary functions. This shows us that a new solution is not necessary – but rather a tailor-made alignment to the language, requirements and processes of the industry.

Our next step: together with selected partners from the social economy, we want to further adapt CM Procure to industry-specific terms, workflows and shopping baskets and visibly establish it as an industry solution. In this way, we will create a system that is not only efficient, but is also reflected in the language and needs of the facilities.

We would like to thank all participants for their openness and input – and look forward to working together to digitize purchasing in the social economy in the long term.