Describing SAP Ariba 2602 Release Features

This feature enables you to automate the effectiveness review of risk controls for engagement level and vendor level controls. This is done by using modular questionnaire scoring based on predefined criteria, eliminating the need for manual analysis.

Previously, buyers had to evaluate manually whether risk controls were effective. Now, the system will recommend an Effectiveness level based on the average score of associated assessment scores. The recommendation for control effectiveness is only provided if all the associated assessments are completed and have scores. Administrators configure the levels of effectiveness ratings and the criteria for determining these levels, and override the system-generated effectiveness levels if necessary, providing flexibility and control over the final decision.

This feature allows buyers to create and manage programs for conducting periodic supplier performance evaluations, which evaluate suppliers for performance based on key indicators determined by your organization.

Performance evaluations are carried out by analyzing data gathered from questionnaires sent to participants. These questionnaires are part of a customizable evaluation program. With evaluation programs, you can perform evaluations for groups of suppliers based on product, geography, or organization. You can specify the teams that work on the program, including participants that fill out and submit questionnaires, reviewers that review their responses and the resulting scorecards, and approvers that close and publish the evaluation. Evaluation programs provide a standardized process across your organization that uses a defined set of metrics for evaluating suppliers, yet are flexible enough to adapt for specific divisions, categories, or geographical regions. They collect, aggregate and harmonize key indicator data, provide visibility and transparency across procurement, and allow your organization to improve decision-making by leveraging evaluation data in your procurement processes.

With this feature, template creators can now configure hierarchy level selection restrictions for Department and Region question types in the same way they can for Commodity questions. Respondents can select only within specified hierarchy levels, improving accuracy in data selection and reducing manual review and correction efforts.

Previously, only Commodity question types had the ability to define hierarchy levels of selection. Template creators can configure these values when creating a template. If no value is selected by the user, the system will automatically default to All.

This feature enables you to configure the maximum number of answers process initiators can add to Commodity, Region, and Department questions in process intake forms.

Process initiators can only add the maximum number of answers you specify when creating a process, ensuring that processes meet your business requirements. It is applicable for process intake forms only. If the data is pre-populated from the registration stage or initial values specified from the template, the selected items need to be within the defined levels in the template configuration. If the pre-populated answers exceed the specified range, you must remove the values that are outside of the defined levels in the template configuration.

With this feature, template creators can configure hierarchy level selection restrictions in the modular questionnaire template for Department and Region question types in the same way they can for Commodity questions. Respondents can select only within specified hierarchy levels, improving accuracy in data selection and reducing manual review and correction efforts.

Previously, only Commodity question types were able to define hierarchy levels of selection. Template creators can configure these values when creating a template for a modular questionnaire. If no value is selected by the user, the system will automatically default to All.

This feature adds capabilities for using AI copilot Joule to find more information about suppliers and supplier management projects, including approval status and pending approvers for projects created by the current user, qualified and preferred suppliers, and suppliers with expiring or expired certificates. It also enhances the scenario for finding supplier contact information.

This feature also enhances the existing supplier contact information capability so that users can find contacts by providing the supplier's full or partial name, ACM ID, or ERP vendor ID (excluding "placeholder" ERP vendor IDs assigned by SAP Ariba to non-integrated suppliers, which begin with VDR and aren't supported in this scenario). Previously, users could only get a supplier's contact information by providing their SM vendor ID.