Knowledge base

Procurement in transition: What the social economy really expects from digitalization

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, leading to inefficiencies, sources of error and a high expenditure of time:

💰

Lack of Cost Transparency

Without centralized tracking systems, maintaining a real-time overview of expenditures and budgets remains a hurdle.

⏳

High Manual Effort

Repetitive manual data inputs consume valuable time that employees could spend on core facility workflows instead.

🔄

No Standardized Workflows

The absence of uniform workflows makes managing procurement increasingly complex as requirements expand.

What Does the Industry Want?

The answers to the question of the “perfect purchasing software” show exactly what matters most:

✅

End-to-End Digitalization

Paperless purchasing process from determining requirements to payment – with clear roles, approvals and authorizations.

✅

System Integration

Seamless connection to existing industry ERP/care 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 the purchase order and incoming goods receipt match perfectly.

✅

Condition Management

Central negotiation of framework agreements and making the most of regional purchasing benefits.

✅

Usability

A user-friendly application layout that clearly demonstrates tangible added value to employees from day one.

Conclusion & Next Steps

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

Ready for Action: CM Procure & ComfortMarket

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.