Comparison
Spreadsheets and e-mail, or a supplier platform?
Most teams start in spreadsheets, and that is fine. Here is where it stops working.
One record per supplier
Several versions across people and folders
One record with contacts, documents and history
Collecting documents
Chasing by e-mail, filing by hand
Suppliers upload to a portal; versions and expiry dates are tracked
Spotting expiring certificates
Someone remembers, or nobody does
Reminders to the supplier and your team at 90, 60, 30 and 7 days
Comparing quotes
Retyping PDFs into a workbook
Structured bids, side-by-side comparison, scored criteria
Approvals
E-mail threads, hard to audit
Approval chain with owners, due dates and a log
Supplier performance
Built once a year, if at all
Scorecards from delivery, quality and price data
Audit trail
Reconstructed after the fact
Field-level history on supplier data
Working with the ERP
Re-keying between systems
API and imports for orders, receipts and invoices
When a spreadsheet is enough
A shared sheet works well while the supplier base is small and the stakes are low. You probably do not need a platform if:
- You manage fewer than about 20 suppliers
- One person owns the process end to end
- No certificates, audits or regulated categories are involved
- RFQs are rare and informal
Most teams switch when the first audit asks for evidence they cannot find quickly, or when a missed renewal costs real money.
See Arqelo on your own suppliers
Tell us about your procurement team. We will show a demo built around your process and reply within one business day.
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