Opstream vs. DIY Procurement Solutions (Google Sheets, Excel, Forms, and Emails)
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. 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.