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Process documentationRegistering Suppliers Locate this document in the navigation structure

 

You can use this business process to make it easier for you as a purchasing professional to identify and select qualified suppliers. Questionnaires that can be sent to potential suppliers enable you to gather relevant information on their qualification.

Suppliers get in contact with your company by registering themselves, using a link on your company’s homepage. At the same time, they can assign themselves to specific product categories.

The questionnaires can be customized to include information such as compliance with required standards, support for relevant business practices, or logistical capabilities for the on-time delivery of quality products or services. The questionnaires are typically used to make initial contact, but can also be an invaluable source of information throughout the course of the relationship. Answers can be evaluated, stored, and used throughout the entire sourcing cycle to support additional supplier selection needs as they arise.

After reviewing the questionnaires, you can accept the suppliers to integrate them into further processes, such as RFxs, or order processing. When you are searching for new suppliers for RFxs or order collaboration, you can access the supplier registration system and transfer suppliers into SAP Supplier Relationship Management (SAP SRM) using a standardized interface, the Open Partner Interface (OPI). In addition, external content providers, such as Hoppenstedt or Dun & Bradstreet, can also be connected using OPI. Currently, the business partners created using the OPI can be used in SRM business partner maintenance, in the Sourcing application, in SAP Bidding Engine, and in Live Auctions.

This business process is modified if you have activated the SRM, Supplier Collaboration (SRM_SUCO_1) business function and the Customizing switch Supplier Self-Registration (SRM_701_SUCO_SUP_REG). If you have activated the business function and the Customizing switch, you can also transfer suppliers from the supplier registration client (supplier self-services) to one or more ERP back-end systems. You can use the RFx process in SAP SRM as an optional qualification step, which you can integrate into the process. If you do so, you have a three-step qualification process, including supplier self-services, SAP SRM and Materials Management (MM). If you do not use RFx, you can also transfer suppliers directly from supplier self-services to MM. The transfer occurs using an ALE / IDOC interface (CREMAS). Since this is a standard technology for the transfer of business partners, it is also possible to use this interface for transfers to third party systems.

Note Note

After the transfer to ERP, the leading supplier master record is the one in the ERP system.

End of the note.

Process

This graphic is explained in the accompanying text.

  1. Carry out self-registration

    Depending on whether you activate the SRM, Supplier Collaboration (SRM_SUCO_1) business function and the Customizing switch Supplier Self-Registration ( SRM_701_SUCO_SUP_REG), you have the following options to carry out self-registration:

    • Carry out self-registration (supplier self-services)

      If you have activated the business function and the Customizing switch, suppliers can register themselves using supplier self-services.

    • Carry out self-registration (separate supplier registration system)

      If you have not activated the business function, suppliers have to register using a separate supplier registration system (ROS).

  2. Answer questionnaires

    When you activate the SRM, Supplier Collaboration (SRM_SUCO_1) business function and the Customizing switch Supplier Self-Registration (SRM_701_SUCO_SUP_REG), the questionnaires are sent with higher security. A link to the questionnaire URL is used instead of an html attachment.

  3. Approve suppliers

    Depending on whether you activate the SRM, Supplier Collaboration (SRM_SUCO_1) business function and the Customizing switch Supplier Self-Registration ( SRM_701_SUCO_SUP_REG), you have the following options to approve suppliers:

    • Approve suppliers (supplier self-services)

      If you have activated the business function and the Customizing switch, you can log on to the supplier self-services client to approve the newly registered suppliers after you have checked their data and questionnaires in SAP SRM.

    • Approve suppliers (separate supplier registration system)

      If you have not activated the business function, you approve newly registered suppliers in a separate supplier registration system (ROS).

  4. Create business partner

    Depending on whether you activate the SRM, Supplier Collaboration (SRM_SUCO_1) business function and the Customizing switch Supplier Self-Registration (SRM_701_SUCO_SUP_REG), you have the following options to create a business partner:

    • Create business partner in SRM or MM (supplier self-services)

      If you have activated the business function, the supplier self-services client can still create the business partner in SAP SRM as described below, or additionally in Materials Management (MM). The strategic purchaser can replicate approved potential suppliers to MM from his or her worklist in supplier self-services.

      Depending on the system setup the supplier is now automatically transferred to MM using SAP NetWeaver Process Integration. Additionally, an e-mail to the account payable clerk is sent out.

      To enable the supplier to log on to supplier self-services, the supplier master data and user have to be transferred to supplier self-services. For more information, see SAP Help Portal at http://help.sap.com   SAP Supplier Relationship Management   Functions   Supplier Self-Services  .

    • Create business partner in SRM (separate supplier registration system)

      If you have not activated the business function, the strategic purchaser can transfer approved potential suppliers from the supplier directory (in the supplier registration system, ROS) to the SAP SRM system using OPI. The business partner in the SAP SRM system is created automatically. To enable the supplier to log on to supplier self-services, a contact person has to be created in SAP SRM. The contact person generates both a user and a password for supplier self-services.