MeRLIN: Vendor Analysis — SXM & Sourcing solution overview, competitors, tech selection tips, analyst summary

In this Spend Matters PRO Vendor Analysis, we will give an overview of MeRLIN, a new player in the procurement technology market. MeRLIN is an integrated solution for managing direct and indirect spend along with capabilities for supplier relationship management, sourcing, purchasing and analytics.

Despite being new, the functional coverage of the solution is impressive, especially considering its direct materials-related capabilities. Modules of the solution cover most of the source-to-contract capabilities (S2C), and when the solution does not cover every element (like supplier risk), it does take the “ecosystem” approach and integrates with point solutions. On the downstream side, the solution currently covers procure-to-receipt (P2R).

This Vendor Analysis will give an overview of its supplier management (SXM) and sourcing capabilities, look at MeRLIN’s competitors, provide tech selection tips and close with key analyst takeaways.

Here’s why MeRLIN matters:

• To the market: MeRLIN is a new entrant that is a native suite capable of managing direct and indirect that, despite its young age, covers a large number of use cases. Its name is short for “Material eResource Linked Information Network,” reflecting its direct material roots.
• To customers: MeRLIN offers an opportunity to digitize procurement processes to manage all spend in a single system and benefit from better spend and supplier visibility, from efficiencies to increased throughput, and collaborate better with stakeholders and suppliers.
• To potential buyers: MeRLIN, despite its young age, covers many S2P processes and does so for direct and indirect spend, in a fully and natively integrated suite that has a modern UX and that is configurable.