Aggregation - form of consolidation of orders or invoices
AP - Advanced Procurement
APUC - Advanced Procurement for Universities and Colleges (Centre of Expertise)
BPI - Best Practice Indicators
BPR -Business Process Re-engineering
Cat A - Category A Commodities
Cat B - Category B Commodities
Cat C - Category C Commodities
CoE - Centre of Expertise
Collaboration - procurement staff from one organisation sharing information with staff from another. The term includes working with and sharing information with a long-term supplier to improve performance and minimise costs
Contract Management - process of monitoring the performance of a supplier to ensure they are complying with the terms of the contract
CRS - Constant Recovery Service
CSF - Critical Success Factor
CSGPD - Collaborative and Scottish Government Procurement Division
EDI - Electronic Data Interchange. Developed in the 1960s using an early principle of sending and receiving messages entirely electronically. Used predominantly by large companies with huge volumes of commercial traffic and, more often than not, involved in retail or production
Electronic Commerce - transfer of data in an electronic format
Electronic Invoice Presentment and Payment (EIPP) - order process where an eProcurement System is used to place the order and the Integrated/Embedded procurement card is used for payment. The transfer of data/financial information through Electronic Invoice Presentment (EIP) and payment made electronically. This combination constitutes detailed invoice level information in an electronic format. The transition from manually processed paper checks to electronic invoices and electronic payments.
Electronic Invoice Process - invoice process where receipt, reconciliation and match are all electronic
eAuction - online exercise in which suppliers compete against each other with open bids for the right to provide goods or services to the buyer
eCommerce - transfer of data in an electronic format
eProcurement - eProcurement applications deliver on-line Procurement services. Key features include: electronic catalogues, punch out to suppliers' websites for dynamic products, recurring requisitions, easy to use web access, workflow routings, electronic orders dispatched over the internet to suppliers, line item reporting capability (Elcom, Ariba). eProcurement provides a single standard platform to conduct business with suppliers.
eProcurement Order Process - order process where an eProcurement System is used to place the order
ePS - eProcurement Scotland
eSourcing - use of web-based technologies and electronic communications networks for the pre-contract phases of the purchasing process
ERP - Enterprise Resource Planning solution offers multiple modules that support major business processes: Production Planning, Finance, Sales, Human Resources, and Purchasing. ERPs can be expensive to implement (oracle, SAP) and develop
ERP Order Process - order process where an ERP is used to place the order
Government Procurement Card (GPC) - a commercial payment card available to all government departments and agencies (GDA). Embedded or 'virtual' GPC refers to the use of a GPC account number within an eProcurement system.
GSI - Government Secure Intranet
Indirect Goods - goods and services typically required to operate a GDA, often with little strategic value (also MRO).
Interface - simple data transfer between two systems
Integrated/Embedded Procurement Card - order process where an eprocurement system is used to place the order and the integrated/embedded procurement card is used for payment
Integration - two way, real-time data transfer between two systems
Invoice - demand from a supplier for payment detailing the goods or services provided their respective costs and the VAT due
ITT - Invitation to Tender
KPI - Key Performance Indicators
Leverage - aggregation of individual purchases to gain the benefits of bulk buying
Manual Order Process - order process where all steps are conducted manually
Matching - activity of comparing purchase orders, receipts, and invoices to ensure compliance
Maverick Spend - spend committed with a non-contracted supplier where a contract exists for the goods services required
MI - Management Information; purchasing data gathered by systems transformed into meaningful information by reporting applications
MIS - Management Information System
MIT - Management Information Tool
MRO - Maintenance, Repair and Operations (also indirect goods).
NP - National Procurement (NHSS Centre of Expertise)
Paper Invoice Process - invoice process where all steps are conducted manually
Pecos - Professional E-Commerce On-Line System (eProcurement system)
PQQ - Pre Qualification Questionnaire
Procurement - purchasing cycle from identification of requirement through to payment
Punch-Out - method by which a buyer interacts with a supplier's website and retrieves requisition content into a purchasing application for submission to internal processes
Purchase Order (PO) - legally binding document issued to a supplier for provision of goods or services
Receipt - document that quantifies the product or service received
Requisition - initial document listing the goods or services required
Reverse Auction - see eAuction
RFP - Request for Proposal
RFQ - Request for Quotation.ROI - Return on Investment. In eProcurement, the benefits achieved through use of the system over time minus the total cost of implementation and use.
Service Provider - contracted organisation providing your eProcurement solution. Generic term to include both system provider and/or service provider
SKU - Stock Key Unit, individual, unique item (in a catalogue)
SME - Small to Medium Enterprise (up to 250 headcount)
Specification - detailed explanation of what the client requires from a contractor
SRO - Senior Responsible Owner. The member of a GDA ultimately responsible for the delivery of a project to the business.
Strategic Items - goods and services that are relatively expensive and fundamental to an organisation
Three Way Match Process - invoice process where an order, receipt and invoice are matched before payment is made to a supplier
Two Way Match Process - invoice process where an order is matched against an invoice before payment is made to a supplier
UAT - User acceptance Testing. Process during implementation when users test that the system handles the business process as required
VFM - Value for Money, principle underpinning all public sector purchasing activity
Workflow - application by the eProcurement system of the GDA's business rules. Workflow defines the routing of data from one part of the procurement process to the next based on set rules
XML - eXtensible Mark-up Language - a meta or syntax language describing the data format of documents when they are transmitted electronically