Scout RFP: Vendor Analysis (Part 2) — Product Strengths and Weaknesses

Scout RFP went to school on its procurement technology and geographic neighbor, Coupa. Just as Coupa focused on delivering a best-in-class user experience for core e-procurement initially and built out support for related components and then adjacencies such as AP automation and e-invoicing — so too has Scout RFP focused its product development locus on a single area, emphasizing usability, from which it has expanded. That said, in Scout RFP’s case, it has focused on the “upstream” areas of procurement technology, centered on e-sourcing. Perhaps it’s not surprising that the three-year-old provider, like Coupa, decided on using the Ruby on Rails application framework, a development platform and language that emphasizes efficiency and speed in coding.

Despite the fact that the core of Scout RFP’s functionality is not all that different in enabling sourcing capability than 15-year-old technology (remember Procuri?), what makes Scout RFP unique is how it has streamlined its overall user experience, including wrapping a new generation of collaboration, communication, project management, basic supplier management, reporting, savings tracking and supplier portal capability in a cloud-native environment. In short, it’s the first truly “modern” independent e-sourcing technology we’ve encountered with sufficient depth and breadth to serve as a core management platform and cockpit that can compete against incumbents in the market.

This Spend Matters PRO Vendor Snapshot explore Scout RFP’s product strengths and weaknesses, providing facts and expert analysis to help procurement organizations decide whether or not to shortlist the vendor. It also offers a critique (pros/cons) of the user interface. Part 1 of our analysis provided a detailed overview of the solution and the company, along with a recommend fit list of criteria for firms considering it. The remaining parts of this series will offer a SWOT analysis, user selection guide, competitive alternatives, and additional evaluation and selection considerations.