FORMING KEY PARTNERSHIPS
“ We are currently implementing a P2P process , which means designing an entirely digital process from the order request to the payment of the invoice ”
— Uwe Günther , Chief Procurement Officer , Deutsche Bahn
With DB maintaining a key focus in areas such as Smart Mobility , Smart Logistics , Smart Assets and Smart Admin as part of its digitalisation roadmap , this strategy has been aligned with the Finance4DB program which helps to improve DB ’ s finance function and drives digitalisation . In order to make its end-to-end processes easier and its internal procurement process more efficient , DB has utilised Plan-to-Strategy , Source-to-Contract and Procureto-Pay ( P2P ). “ We want to improve the transparency of our internal demand and use a digital system to send out digital tenders ,” says Günther . “ We are currently implementing a P2P process which means designing an entirely digital process from the order request to the payment of the invoice .”
FORMING KEY PARTNERSHIPS
In terms of Supplier Management , Günther lays out four key areas which the company ’ s procurement function manages . “ First we define the quality of the service and the goods we need and check that the supplier can provide them while complying with our standards . Next , if necessary , we look at the development of suppliers in preparation for competition . We then select the best suppliers for our requirements and after the tender , we make a supplier appraisal and give every supplier a rating . If a supplier performs poorly , we consider the fourth phase , which we call the adjustment phase .”
Having established key partnerships with a range of different companies – including Ed . Züblin , Spitzke , Thales Germany , T-Systems , UWC , CRRC and EY consulting – Günther affirms how vital developing relationships with other
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