Master Business Spend Management: Streamline Costs & Boost Growth
Table of Contents
- What is Business Spend Management?
- Key Activities in Business Spend Management
- Tips for Effective Business Spend Management
- Business Spend Management FAQ
What is Business Spend Management?
Business Spend Management (BSM) is a collection of business practices, often supported by software, designed to control costs. It meticulously accounts for every dollar spent, from employee expenses to vendor contracts. Different departments within a business have varying spending needs—procurement handles purchasing, accounts payable processes invoices, and human resources manages employee expenses. BSM consolidates all this information, providing tools to manage and control spending proactively rather than reactively.
BSM integrates every stage of the spending lifecycle—from request and approval to payment and reconciliation—into one cohesive process. Understanding BSM requires familiarity with different business-spend categories:
– Direct Spending: Costs directly tied to products or services, such as machinery and raw materials for manufacturing companies or cloud hosting services for software companies.
– Indirect Spending: Expenses necessary for running a business but not directly involved in product creation, including office supplies and utility bills.
– Employee Expenses: Out-of-pocket expenses incurred by employees on behalf of the company, such as travel costs and client dinners.
– Capital Expenses: Long-term investments in tangible assets like buildings or machinery, often involving significant one-time purchases.
BSM is typically supported by a single software platform that centralizes and automates all business spending activities, from initial request to final payment. This software integrates functions that might otherwise be managed by separate systems, such as procurement and vendor management, accounts payable automation, expense management, and financial reporting and analytics. By consolidating these functions, BSM software provides businesses with a clear view of their spending, with leading platforms including SAP Ariba, Coupa, and GEP Smart.
Key Activities in Business Spend Management
Procurement and Strategic Sourcing
Procurement involves sourcing necessary goods and services by identifying, evaluating, and engaging with suppliers to secure the best quality and rates. A BSM platform streamlines this by creating a central repository for all vendor-related data, enabling contract management, performance tracking, and stronger vendor relationships. This approach also helps prevent unapproved purchases at higher costs.
Purchase Order Management
Once vendors are selected, and purchases are ready, BSM software centralizes the creation of purchase orders, ensuring purchases align with the budget before money is spent. Automated approvals, customizable workflows, and audit trails streamline this process.
Expense Management
Expense management within a BSM platform focuses on controlling costs incurred by employees, such as travel and meals. Tools like optical character recognition (OCR) simplify this process by scanning receipt data and automating approval workflows, ensuring all expenses are tracked and reimbursed efficiently.
Accounts Payable Automation
This involves paying vendors and suppliers, a process often complicated by manual data entry and approval delays. BSM systems automate invoice capturing, approval routing, and reconciliation, preventing duplicate payments and fraud while providing a clearer view of cash outflows.
Spend Analysis and Reporting
Spend analysis involves collecting and categorizing spending data to identify trends and cost-saving opportunities. A BSM platform provides real-time spending data, allowing businesses to make data-driven decisions and improve budgeting and forecasting accuracy.
Tips for Effective Business Spend Management
Manage Your Data on a Unified Platform
Consolidate financial data on a single platform to gain real-time insights and make informed decisions quickly.
Set and Enforce Spending Policies
Create and enforce spending policies to prevent overspending, using BSM systems to automatically route requests for approval and alert you to policy violations.
Analyze Your Spending Regularly
Regularly analyze spending data to gain insights into financial health, improve forecasting, and identify cost-saving opportunities.
Foster Financial Responsibility
Encourage a culture of financial responsibility by empowering employees with tools for accountability, creating a cost-conscious organization.
Embrace Automation to Reduce Manual Tasks
Utilize BSM software to automate manual tasks, reducing errors and freeing up time for strategic activities.
Business Spend Management FAQ
- What does BSM mean in business?
BSM stands for Business Spend Management, an approach that tracks, manages, and analyzes a company’s spending lifecycle, providing a real-time view of spending. - What is spend management vs. expense management?
Spend management encompasses vendor and supplier management, contracts, and payments, while expense management focuses on managing employee expenses. - What are the three types of spending?
Discretionary spending involves non-essential expenses, non-discretionary spending covers necessary operational costs, and strategic spending involves planned investments for growth.
In conclusion, mastering Business Spend Management is crucial for streamlining costs and boosting growth. By implementing effective BSM strategies, businesses can gain control over their finances, make informed decisions, and foster a culture of financial responsibility. Embracing automation and regularly analyzing spending data are vital steps toward achieving these goals.
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