DIY or makeshift solutions for your procurement intake process — like Google Sheets, Excel, Forms, and emails — might have worked in the past when organizations were smaller and procurement processes were simpler. However, as companies scale and buying becomes more complex, managing procurement with these tools quickly becomes inefficient and unsustainable. The lack of automation, centralization, and visibility often leads to missed deadlines, manual errors, and frustration with procurement processes.
This is why procurement policies are often skirted, with team members bypassing a complicated, manual process. Without a specialized platform, procurement becomes a bottleneck, leading to duplicate purchases, unmanaged vendor relationships, and siloed data across departments. As outlined in our blog post, Build vs. Buy: Why Buying Your Procurement Orchestration Platform is a No-Brainer, scaling organizations need a purpose-built procurement orchestration platform to stay efficient and proactive.
How Opstream Outperforms DIY Solutions (Google Sheets, Excel, and Forms)
Spreadsheets and forms are useful for simple data entry, but they lack the sophistication needed for modern procurement processes. Here’s how Opstream offers a more complete and efficient solution:
- Hard to Maintain: Spreadsheets and forms require constant manual updates and dedicated admin support to manage changes. Opstream automates procurement processes, eliminating the need for manual updates.
- No Document Repository: Google Sheets and Excel don’t offer centralized document storage or document management software capabilities. With Opstream, you have a secure document repository where all procurement-related documents — like contracts, SOC2 reports, W9s — are stored, easily accessible, and organized.
- No Vendor Interaction: DIY tools don’t provide ways to manage vendor relationships effectively. Opstream enables vendor management, allowing you to send out vendor questionnaires, track vendor performance, and set reminders for contract renewals and compliance updates.
- Siloed Data: Information in spreadsheets and emails often stays isolated, leading to fragmented communication. Opstream centralizes procurement activities in one platform, ensuring visibility for all stakeholders and eliminating siloed data.
- Lack of Scalability: As your organization grows, managing procurement through spreadsheets becomes cumbersome and unsustainable. Opstream scales with your business, automating workflows and adapting to your evolving procurement needs.
- No Best Practices: DIY solutions don’t offer built-in procurement best practices. Opstream provides ready-made workflows based on industry standards, allowing you to optimize processes without building them from scratch.
- No ERP Integration: Spreadsheets don’t integrate with your existing platforms like ERPs. Opstream integrates seamlessly with ERP systems (like Netsuite and Workday), ensuring smooth data flow and collaboration between finance and procurement.
Opstream’s Key Benefits
1. Automation and Efficiency
Opstream automates procurement processes, eliminating the need for constant manual updates and admin oversight. This ensures that procurement activities move seamlessly from intake to approval, without bottlenecks or delays.
2. Document Repositories
Opstream offers a secure document repository to store all important procurement documents, such as contracts, SOC2 reports, W9s, and other vendor agreements. This eliminates the need to search through emails or drives, keeping everything organized and easy to access.
3. Vendor Management
DIY solutions can’t effectively manage vendor relationships. Opstream provides robust vendor management features, allowing you to send out vendor questionnaires, track vendor performance, and set up reminders for contract renewals and compliance checks.
4. Centralized Data, No More Silos
With Opstream, all procurement data is centralized in one platform, preventing siloed information across departments. This ensures that stakeholders have real-time access to procurement information and updates.
5. Time for Strategic Tasks
As Sam Hou, VP FP&A at Exegy, said after using Opstream: “We now have time for more strategic tasks.” By automating routine procurement processes and eliminating manual work, Opstream allows teams to focus on high-value activities that drive business outcomes.
Why Companies Choose Opstream
Organizations looking to move beyond DIY solutions like Google Sheets, Excel, and Forms choose Opstream for its automation, centralization, and comprehensive vendor management. With Opstream, procurement becomes a strategic function that drives efficiency and cost savings.
Proactive and Comprehensive Procurement Management
Opstream offers a complete procurement orchestration platform, automating routine tasks, connecting departments, and eliminating siloed data. By replacing manual systems like spreadsheets and emails, Opstream transforms procurement into a streamlined, strategic function.
