FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
Common questions about Purchaser: what it does, how it works, and where it fits in your procurement stack.
About Purchaser
What is Purchaser?
Purchaser is an RFQ intelligence platform for procurement teams operating in complex project environments. It automatically extracts, normalizes, and structures vendor submissions so procurement teams can evaluate bids on equal terms, without manual reformatting or spreadsheet assembly. Purchaser is purpose-built for industries where scope complexity, vendor diversity, and audit requirements make manual RFQ management a significant operational liability.
What problem does Purchaser solve?
Vendor submissions arrive in inconsistent formats like PDFs, Excel files, email threads, and portal exports, with different line item structures, unit conventions, scope interpretations, and assumption sets. Before any comparison is possible, someone has to normalize all of that manually. Purchaser performs that work automatically: it extracts line items, aligns formats, maps responses to RFQ requirements, and flags scope deviations and assumptions. What previously required days of analyst time is reduced to a structured, reviewable output.
Is Purchaser a replacement for our ERP or procurement platform?
No. Purchaser operates alongside existing ERP systems and procurement platforms. It does not replace them. ERPs manage transactions, master data, and financial records. Procurement platforms manage supplier relationships and PO workflows. Purchaser addresses the gap between RFQ issuance and award: the intake, normalization, and evaluation work that neither category of system handles structurally. Purchaser integrates with SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, SAP Ariba, Coupa, and others.
How is Purchaser different from SAP Ariba, Coupa, or other sourcing platforms?
Sourcing platforms manage the procurement workflow: supplier portals, event management, PO issuance. They assume vendor submissions are already structured and comparable. In practice, vendor submissions in complex procurement environments are not. Purchaser handles the step that sourcing platforms skip: transforming heterogeneous vendor submissions into a structured comparison. Teams use Purchaser to prepare bid analyses that sourcing platforms or ERPs then act on.
How It Works
How does Purchaser handle vendor submissions in different formats?
Purchaser accepts vendor submissions from email, file uploads, supplier portals, and direct API input. It parses PDFs, Excel workbooks, Word documents, and structured data formats, extracting line items, quantities, pricing, and qualifications regardless of how each vendor has organized their response. The extraction output is then mapped to the RFQ structure so every vendor's submission is evaluated against the same framework.
What is vendor submission normalization?
Normalization is the process of transforming vendor submissions, which arrive in different formats with different structures, units, and scope interpretations, into a common format suitable for comparison. Without normalization, comparing vendor A's submission (organized by discipline) against vendor B's submission (organized by deliverable) against vendor C's submission (organized by cost code) requires manual reconciliation before evaluation can begin. Purchaser performs this normalization automatically, producing line-item-level alignment across all submissions before evaluation starts. Learn more about normalization.
How does Purchaser identify scope deviations?
Purchaser maps each vendor's line items against the original RFQ requirements and identifies gaps (items not addressed), additions (items included beyond scope), and deviations (items addressed but with different scope, unit, or specification than required). Each deviation is flagged with a reference to the specific RFQ requirement it diverges from. Scope deviations identified before award prevent the ambiguities that generate post-award change orders. See how evaluation works.
What is bid leveling and does Purchaser do it?
Bid leveling, also called bid normalization or quote leveling, is the process of adjusting vendor submissions to a common scope baseline so that price comparisons reflect equivalent scope coverage. Purchaser performs bid leveling by aligning line items, flagging scope deviations and additions, and surfacing assumptions so evaluators can make informed adjustments. The result is a structured comparison where pricing differences reflect genuine vendor differences, not inconsistencies in how each bid was assembled.
Does Purchaser make award decisions?
No. Purchaser structures the information needed to make defensible decisions. It does not make decisions on behalf of procurement teams. Evaluation criteria, weighting, and award recommendations remain with the procurement team. Purchaser produces the structured comparison, deviation flags, and documentation that supports human decision-making and downstream audit review.
Industries & Use Cases
Is Purchaser designed for EPC procurement?
Yes. EPC procurement is a primary use case. Engineering, Procurement & Construction projects involve large numbers of concurrent RFQ packages across multiple disciplines (civil, mechanical, electrical, instrumentation), each with complex technical specifications and a diverse vendor field. Purchaser is built for this environment: it maintains consistency across simultaneous events, normalizes vendor submissions against discipline-specific requirements, and produces the audit-ready documentation that EPC contracting requires. Learn more about Purchaser for EPC.
Does Purchaser work for LNG procurement?
Yes. LNG facility procurement presents specific challenges: long-lead equipment with extended qualification processes, vendor submissions that mix technical datasheets with commercial proposals, and procurement packages that span FEED through detailed engineering. Purchaser handles multi-document vendor submissions, flags technical deviations against equipment specifications, and maintains a complete audit trail from inquiry through award, requirements that LNG procurement governance demands. Learn more about Purchaser for LNG.
Can Purchaser handle RFQs for long-lead equipment?
Yes. Long-lead equipment procurement for rotating equipment, pressure vessels, heat exchangers, and switchgear involves highly technical vendor submissions with detailed datasheets, technical exceptions, and commercial qualifications. Purchaser extracts and structures both technical and commercial content, separating technical evaluation from pricing review and flagging exceptions against specifications before commercial review begins.
Does Purchaser support concurrent RFQ management?
Yes. Purchaser is designed for procurement environments running multiple simultaneous RFQ packages, a standard condition in capital project procurement. It applies a consistent framework across all active events, enabling portfolio-level visibility without manual coordination overhead. Teams can monitor the status of multiple packages while maintaining the same normalization and evaluation process across all of them.
Integrations & Implementation
Does Purchaser integrate with SAP, Oracle, or Microsoft Dynamics?
Yes. Purchaser integrates with major ERP systems including SAP S/4HANA, SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Oracle ERP Cloud, and Microsoft Dynamics 365. It also integrates with procurement platforms including SAP Ariba and Coupa, and workflow tools including ServiceNow and SharePoint Online. A REST API and webhook support are available for custom integration requirements.
How long does implementation take?
Implementation timelines depend on integration scope and organizational configuration. Teams using Purchaser in standalone mode, without ERP integration, can be operational within days. Integrated deployments involving ERP or procurement platform connections typically require a structured onboarding engagement. Contact us to discuss your specific environment.
Does Purchaser require IT involvement to get started?
For standalone use, IT involvement is minimal. Purchaser is a cloud-based platform and can be configured by procurement operations teams without engineering resources. ERP and platform integrations require coordination with IT for authentication and data mapping, but Purchaser's integration layer is designed to minimize implementation complexity.
Governance & Compliance
How does Purchaser support audit trails?
Every action in Purchaser is logged: RFQ issuance, vendor submission receipt, normalization outputs, deviation flags, evaluation inputs, and award recommendation documentation. The complete record from intake through award is retained and exportable, providing an audit trail that satisfies internal governance requirements, client audit clauses, and regulatory review. Governance is not applied after the fact. It is produced as a cumulative output of the structured process at each stage.
Can Purchaser help us defend award decisions to stakeholders?
Yes. Defensible award decisions require documented evidence that the evaluation was structured, consistent, and based on comparable inputs. Purchaser produces that documentation at every stage: structured RFQ records, normalized submission outputs, deviation logs, evaluation matrices, and award recommendation summaries. Each document references its source, creating a traceable chain from the original requirement through the final award.
Does Purchaser help with procurement compliance on capital projects?
Yes. Capital project procurement, particularly in EPC, LNG, and utility contexts, is subject to client audit rights, regulatory requirements, and internal governance policies that demand documented, consistent process. Purchaser's approach produces the documentation these requirements demand without additional administrative overhead: the audit trail is generated as part of normal workflow, not assembled separately after the fact.
Getting Started
How is Purchaser priced?
Purchaser is priced per user on an annual subscription basis. Volume pricing is available for larger teams. Contact us or request a demo for pricing specific to your team size and integration requirements.
How do I see Purchaser in action?
Request a demo through our booking page. We will walk through Purchaser's normalization, evaluation, and governance capabilities using examples relevant to your procurement environment. Demos are structured around your specific RFQ complexity and industry context.
Still have questions?
See Purchaser applied to your procurement environment.
Request a demo and we'll walk through Purchaser's normalization, evaluation, and governance capabilities using examples relevant to your industry and RFQ complexity.