Zycus’ New Approach for Procurement Software Due Diligence and Implementation

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, NOVEMBER 27, 2012 – Zycus, a world leader in Procurement Technology Solutions, has announced an innovative – and highly successful – new approach to developing procurement software pilot programs for businesses in Australia and New Zealand – a region where enterprises have shown increased awareness and willingness to invest in technology to improve procurement performance. This fact is also confirmed by Zycus’ recent success in implementing world-class procurement solutions in some of Australia and New Zealand’s leading companies.

“Testing software solutions using real company data in real situations has become the norm in the procurement solutions industry,” observes Zycus Senior Vice President of Global Marketing, Anurag Dixit. “But we wanted to take it a step further at Zycus. We wanted our customers to be able to see, in real time, not only how specific solutions might work for them, but also the real impacts those solutions and solution combinations can have on the business performance indicators that are most meaningful to their enterprises. Instead of being solution focused, our most successful pilot programs are now focusing on specific procurement objectives.”

Through the recent solution implementations, Zycus has focused on addressing some very specific procurement objectives which can also be tested on a company’s procurement setup before actual investment in the technology. These objectives are:

• Identify and track cost savings
• Identify and realize cost savings
• Improve relationships with critical suppliers
• Manage and mitigate supply-related risks
• Track contracts/contract performance with critical suppliers
• Collaborate with critical suppliers to identify and permanently reduce total supply-chain costs

“When we start thinking in terms of real procurement objectives,” Dixit says, “it becomes very clear that we would need to provide people with access and abilities to test multiple Zycus solutions in concert with one another. What is more, we would need to commit to facilitating that testing within aggressive timeframes that could support effective due diligence, internal business case development and decision making around solution selection and implementation planning. We will also help in formulating the internal business case to help achieve quick internal buy-in.”

The result of that thinking is a new set of solution test options that combine various Zycus solutions – or advanced solution features from Spend Analysis, e-Sourcing, Contract Management, Supplier Management and Financial Savings Management – and which can be completed in as little as two to three weeks, depending on size of company, volumes of procurement data, contracts and other variables. Zycus will engage with companies in this activity at no-charge.

“We have always understood,” Dixit says, “that the real power of procurement as a driver of business performance would emerge when procurement was empowered to address costs, supply-chain performance and risks holistically from end to end. Now that we offer a complete, integrated suite of procurement automation solutions, we will be doing everything in our power to see that vision come to fruition. These new pilot programs are a giant step in the right direction.”