General Questions

Solution Questions

Security Questions

Implementation Questions

General Questions

What is e-Procurement?

E-procurement, also known as on-demand procurement, enables organizations to leverage web-based technologies to purchase goods and services, manage supplier relationships and enable smarter spending.
With e-Procurement, organizations are able to efficiently manage the end-to-end procure-to-pay process – from requisition and approvals to receipt and invoicing. e-Procurement applications help streamline and automate labor-intensive procurement processes to reduce overhead costs, decrease cycle times and eliminate off-contract spending.

How does e-Procurement differ from other procurement solutions?

With e-Procurement, the software vendor assumes much more responsibility. There is no installation process, no computer equipment to buy and manage, and no ongoing maintenance. It is available without having to buy a “copy” of the software for an up-front fee. Instead, an all-inclusive monthly subscription covers the cost of the procurement software, as well as the cost to manage, maintain and support the solution.

Why are so many organizations focused on this – now?

Cutting costs and saving money is always a priority for organizations.  And in tough economic times – where credit is hard to come by and every dollar must be stretched – these priorities become increasingly important to business survival.  Those responsible for managing spend must find ways to regain visibility and control to maximize spend and eliminate waste.

Why are companies choosing Coupa e-Procurement?

While there are many procurement solutions available, more and more companies are turning to Coupa e-Procurement because it is the easiest to use, fastest to deploy and most cost effective solution available today.

How is Coupa e-Procurement priced?

Coupa is a subscription-based service with no additional costs beyond the standard subscription fee.   To request a price quote, please contact us.

Does Coupa provide a free trial?

Absolutely, Coupa provides free 30-day trial for organizations to “try before they buy”.  Through the trial, organizations can:

  • Access a fully loaded version of Coupa – complete with demo users, catalogs, punch-out enabled sites, workflow rules and more
  • See how Coupa can work in your environment – load your own users, suppliers, rules and accounting information
  • Test the entire application – from creating requisitions and setting approval rules to managing invoices and receipts

Sign up to give Coupa a try: http://www.coupa.com/e-procurement-next-steps/start-your-30-day-free-trial/

Do I need to install software to use Coupa?

No, all you need is a web browser.  Coupa e-Procurement is delivered through a SaaS (”software as a service”) model that requires no software to download or hardware to configure.  Customers are provided with a login and password to access the system from anywhere at anytime, providing customers with a convenient scalable solution that can be used efficiently locally and globally.

What are the benefits of a SaaS model?

The SaaS model provides several benefits over traditional installed products including:

  • Instant Deployment:  access the application and start using it as soon as you sign up.
  • No System Support Headaches:  vendor is responsible for maintenance, upgrades, and error-resolution.
  • Buy-As-You-Need and Pay-As-You-Go:  add user licenses as you need them, and cancel them when you don’t.
  • Regular, Automated, Secure Data Backup:  a redundant data-backup systems and robust infrastructure ensure protection from disasters.
  • Built for Change: modern technology keeps quality high and ongoing innovation, development and support costs low.

How quickly can Coupa be up and running?

Organizations that do not require complex workflows, supplier punch-out sites and catalogs or accounting integration can start generating and processing purchase orders in less than an hour. Coupa’s Quickstart will guide the setup process for users, approval rules, payment and shipping terms, billing information, chart of accounts, suppliers, and more.

For those who require a more sophisticated implementation, Coupa can be up and running in as little as 10 days depending on specific customer needs.

Does Coupa integrate with accounting and ERP systems?

Coupa’s secure, open API platform allows seamless integration with a variety of accounting and ERP systems.  Using XML script or CSV files, data can be easily uploaded and transactions downloaded.
In addition, Coupa has partnered with Boomi, a market-leading provider of on-demand integration technology, to enable

Does Coupa have a supplier network?

The Supplier Network provides a hub for e-commerce by enabling buyers and suppliers to connect directly through the Coupa platform to:

  • Create online catalogs or enable punch-outs
  • Automatically send and receive POs through email or XML
  • Submit paperless invoices and Manage company information

Coupa has already connected to a number of larger distributors and provides both instructions and hands on service to enable your suppliers on the Coupa system.

Solution Questions

Is there budgeting capability in Coupa?

Yes, with Coupa finance is able to establish spending rules and enforce budget limits, while budget owners are able to get a r2eal-time view of existing spend and remaining budget.

Can Coupa track spend by vendor, buyer, commodity, project, job and department?

Coupa tracks spend on multiple levels.  With Coupa’s spend management reports organizations are able to run budget and PO reports across accounting codes, suppliers, and commodities.

Can purchase requisitions be automatically routed through multiple levels of approval for electronic signoff?

From the moment a requisition is submitted, Coupa e-Procurement kicks in and automatically submits the requisition for approval and notifies the appropriate approver.  Approvers can ok purchase right from email or mobile device, including their iPhone.

Is there a “Dashboard” view of activity for management?

Coupa allows management the ability to create custom views of data to best match their reporting interests.  Quick export-to-excel is available for pivot-table enthusiasts who wish to perform more detailed analysis.

Security Questions

How secure is Coupa’s technology and infrastructure?

All customer data and system generated information is stored on Amazon AWS hardware and infrastructure – the same hardware and infrastructure that powers Amazon.com.

Amazon AWS was launched in July 2002 and as of June 2007 claimed more than 330,000 developers. It is the most popular on demand infrastructure for commodity computing and virtual secure storage on the planet. More information about the service can be found on the website: http://www.amazon.com/aws.

Does Coupa have SOX controls in place for audit purposes?

Organizations implement SOX and manage compliance differently.  At the base level, Coupa allows for separation of duties and access controls that manage risk by controlling who can do what in the system.

Beyond that, Coupa makes audits a lot easier by capturing a digital record of all approvals to identify who approved what purchases, when, and why. Coupa’s SAS70 audit report is available upon request.

Implementation Questions

What is Coupa’s standard implementation process?

Coupa’s leverages proven methodology for quick and cost-effective  implementation.  The process includes:

  • Project Kick-Off: customer is introduced to implementation team, schedule and next steps are reviewed.
  • Business Process Analysis: analyze their business processes including a review of the data elements to be brought over into Coupa.
  • Data Migration: gather data from their existing systems/processes in order to load the data into the Client’s Coupa site.
  • Setup & Configure: system is configured, data loaded and integration mapped (as needed).
  • Training & Client Acceptance Testing: web-based training for administrators, AP personnel, Procurement personnel, and other users.
  • Deploy: setup and configuration data moved from production system from sandbox.
  • Optimize: optimize usage of Coupa based on what you have learned from your user base and your spending habits.

What is Coupa’s standard SLA?

Coupa commits to maintaining 99.9% Service Availability (”Service Availability Target”) based on twenty-four (24) hours per day, Monday through Friday.
Regular upgrades and maintenance occurs approximately once a quarter. These updates are well planned, and deployed on weekends when they will are the least disruptive.

How many users can the system support?

Coupa currently powers the procurement process for more than 4,800 users with the number of subscribers increasing significantly each year.

How many transactions can the system support?

Coupa is the fastest growing procurement solutions with more than $1B in spend being processed and managed through the system to date.