Articles and guides on purchase order data extraction, PO-to-Excel conversion, AP three-way matching, ERP import, and procurement automation.
An EDI 856, or Advance Ship Notice, tells a buyer what shipped and how it is packed before it arrives. Here is the ASN structure, the HL loop, SSCC labels, and why retailers require it.
Read articleA purchase order becomes a legally binding contract when the seller accepts it, by acknowledgment or by shipping. No signature is required. Here is exactly when a PO binds you.
Read articleA spot buy is a one-off purchase with no contract behind it. What separates it from tail spend and maverick spend, why it costs more, and the role the PO plays.
Read articleThe 15 procurement KPIs worth tracking, each with the correct formula and the exact data fields it requires. Includes which ones are impossible without PO line items.
Read articleRFQ vs RFP vs RFI explained: what each document asks for, which one comes first, whether a quote is legally binding (it is not), and how the purchase order fits in.
Read articleA vendor scorecard rates supplier performance on a few weighted metrics so renewal and award decisions rest on data instead of impressions. Here are the metrics that actually matter, how to weight them, and where the data comes from.
Read articleA punchout catalog lets a buyer leave their procurement system, shop on the supplier's own website, and return with a filled cart that becomes a requisition. Here is how cXML PunchOut works, what it costs to set up, and when it is worth it.
Read articleThe vendor onboarding process adds a new supplier safely: collect tax, banking, and insurance documents, verify them, screen for risk, agree terms, and set up one clean record. The five steps, the documents you need, and how long it takes.
Read articleTail spend is the ~20% of spend across the ~80% of suppliers you buy from least: small, one-off, unmanaged purchases where savings leak. What tail spend is, why it matters in procurement, and five ways to bring it under control.
Read articleA purchase order authorizes and commits spend; a statement of work defines the scope, deliverables, and acceptance criteria for a services engagement. The difference, when to use each, and how the PO, SOW, and master agreement work together.
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