My first analysis in this series of posts breaking out the areas that Gartner recently evaluated collectively in its “Strategic Sourcing” Magic Quadrant will focus on e-sourcing suites. I’ve divided this analysis into two parts. Today, I’ll examine what I term “full-capability e-sourcing suites.” In Part 2, I’ll look at specialists (e.g., those providers who focus primarily on advanced negotiations or optimization) as well as alternative solutions (e.g., free or very inexpensive tools). As I’m basing these posts on my own knowledge of the market, which clearly doesn’t include a full snapshot of every single provider, I would encourage others to chime in. If I miss a vendor or solution that you think is mention-worthy, by all means, post a comment. As further background on what I’m basing my shortlists on, I’m limiting my commentary to the solutions that I have seen, recommended or tried out myself.
First, let’s start with the e-sourcing (non-specialist) shortlist. The vendors I always think about these days first when it comes to e-sourcing include: AECSoft, Ariba, BravoSolution, Emptoris, Global eProcure, Ketera, Iasta, Ivalua, Oracle, SAP and Zycus. Among these, for companies wanting premium capabilities in all of the e-sourcing areas — e.g., category management, basic supplier management, RFI, RFX, auctions, optimization (at least basic) — I would always put Ariba, BravoSolution, Emptoris and Iasta at the top of my shortlist. Each have their own strengths. For example, Ariba’s broader suite integration, low price points, workflow, templates and related capabilities bring it to the top. In comparison, Iasta’s intuitive design, relatively advanced optimization capabilities and overall ease of doing business (based on customer feedback) all contribute to their strengths. Emptoris and BravoSolution bring their own strengths as well, including integrated suite capabilities with strong supplier performance management, optimization and configurability. In short, you can’t go wrong with any of these four providers and your ultimate decision criteria come down to what you value most…
