Sourcing and Procurement Operations glossary
Learn about the terms and concepts used in Sourcing and Procurement Operations (SPO).
Glossary terms are grouped alphabetically.
C
child case
A case that is linked to and is a part of a parent case, inheriting its context and contributing to its resolution or management.
N
negotiation
Individual discussions with a supplier to track activities like pricing, product requests, or agreement terms.
sourcing event
A collective sourcing activity managing multi-supplier and multi-product negotiations, enabling streamlined tracking, supplier management, and decision-making.
Natural Language Understanding for SPO
AI models enhancing the Virtual Agent's ability to understand and respond to user queries naturally.
Now Assist for SPO
An application that uses generative AI to summarize procurement-related records and facilitate conversational procurement tasks.
P
parent case
A case that contains multiple related child cases. This hierarchical case structure is useful for managing complex scenarios that involve multiple stages and processes.
playbooks for SPO
Pre-built workflows and templates for automating common procurement tasks.
procurement case
A record used to track and manage procurement-related queries or issues.
procurement task
A specific action or step that contributes to the completion of a procurement case.
purchase requisition
A request sent by a requester to procure specific goods or services, requiring approval.
performance analytics for SPO
Dashboards and metrics to evaluate spend, efficiency, and team performance in Sourcing and Procurement Operations.
Procurement Buyer Dashboard
A visualization tool showing individual buyer performance over a specified period.
Procurement Team Performance Dashboard
A dashboard that provides visual insights into team performance on procurement-related tasks.
Procurement Strategy & Ops Dashboard
A dashboard that shows the year-to-date total spend, spend categorization, total savings, negotiation outcomes, spend by category and supplier, and active blanket purchase orders.
purchase order
A binding contract between a buyer and supplier that outlines item details, quantities, prices, discounts, payment terms, delivery dates, and other conditions.
R
record summarization
A feature of Now Assist for SPO that provides a concise overview, the actions completed, and the next steps for procurement records.
related case
A case that is associated with another case due to shared characteristics, dependencies, or interactions.
S
Source-to-Pay Workspace
A workspace that centralizes the management of suppliers, from sourcing to payment, enhancing productivity and collaboration.
Shopping Hub
An e-commerce-style interface for employees to submit self-service requests for goods and services, integrated with the organization's procurement processes.
Sourcing and Purchasing Automation
A workflow and automation for sourcing requests, negotiations, and purchase requisitions.
Shopping Hub catalog
A curated list of goods and services available for employees to order through Shopping Hub.
Shopping Hub Mobile
A mobile application version of the Shopping Hub, integrated with the Now Mobile app.
sourcing request
A request that is created when an item that the shopper intends to buy needs to be sourced due to the lack of an active contractual price.
V
Virtual Agent
An AI-powered conversational chatbot that helps shoppers quickly find and purchase products from vendors via the Shopping Hub application, accessible through Employee Center.