Procurement process design for Dynamics 365, Business Central and your ERP
An ERP does not give you a procurement function. It gives you a place to put one. Purchase-to-pay, supplier onboarding, approval workflows, MRP signals and reporting all have to be designed, configured and owned, and most implementations skip that part because the implementation partner sells modules, not procurement.
Pro Outsourcing designs and implements the procurement side of ERP systems from a practitioner's seat. Founder Tom Evans MCIPS has implemented Microsoft Dynamics 365 procurement across multiple organisations, including full purchase-to-pay integration into large enterprises, and Business Central for smaller ones, and we have fixed ERP and MRP usage in manufacturers running SAP, SAGE and others.
Why ERP procurement so often disappoints
Procurement technology is the set of systems and integrations that run purchasing: the ERP purchasing and inventory modules (Dynamics 365, Business Central, SAP, SAGE), purchase-to-pay workflows, MRP and planning, supplier portals and EDI, and the reporting on top. Procurement process design is the work of making those systems reflect how the organisation should buy, with the right controls, data and ownership.
Implemented by system people, not procurement people
Modules get switched on with default settings. Nobody designs the approval matrix, the supplier onboarding route or the exception process, so the system enforces nothing and buyers work around it.
Master data is inherited, not fixed
Lead times, reorder points, BOMs and vendor records are migrated as-is. The MRP output is wrong from day one, and the planners stop trusting it within a month.
Purchase-to-pay leaks
Without three-way match, delegated authority and a clean vendor master, invoices get paid that should have been questioned, and nobody can say who approved what.
Reporting is an afterthought
The data is in the system but no one can see it. Spend by supplier, OTIF, price variance and open commitments have to be built, usually by someone who understands procurement.
Procurement technology support
Dynamics 365 procurement implementation
Procurement and sourcing process design, configuration and rollout in Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations, including full purchase-to-pay integration in large enterprises.
Business Central procurement setup
Purchasing, vendor management, approvals and reporting configured properly for SMEs and not-for-profits moving to Business Central.
Purchase-to-pay optimisation
Redesigning requisition to payment across whatever ERP you run, with delegated authority, workflows and controls that reduce cost and risk.
ERP and MRP effectiveness reviews
Assessing how the system is really used, fixing master data and planning discipline, and building capacity plans leadership can rely on.
EDI and supplier integration
Selecting, contracting and project-managing EDI and supplier collaboration platforms that remove manual order processing.
ERP selection and sourcing
Running the commercial side of choosing an ERP: requirements, shortlisting, demonstrations, pricing and contract negotiation.
How we design procurement into an ERP
Most ERP procurement problems are not software problems. They are process, master data and ownership problems that the software faithfully reproduces. We fix those first, then configure the system to support them.
Map how buying actually happens
Requisition to receipt, who approves what, where the exceptions are. The real process, not the one in the manual.
Design the target process and controls
Delegated authority, approval workflows, supplier onboarding, three-way match and reporting, designed to fit the business and the regulations that apply to it.
Configure and clean
Dynamics 365, Business Central or the ERP you have: purchasing setup, vendor master, item and lead-time data, workflows and roles. Bad master data is fixed, not migrated.
Train, go live, measure
Buyers and budget holders trained on the process, not just the screens. Reports and dashboards in place from day one so the function can see itself.
Systems work we have delivered
Moveero Group
ERP and MRP across the UK, Denmark and USA
- Assessed ERP and MRP usage at each site with emphasis on the flow of goods
- Rough-cut capacity plans built for every site
- €6m inventory reduction identified
P&A Group
SAP Business One and EDI
- SAP workflow review, RFQ and award of a cloud EDI platform
- Automated sales orders, invoicing and courier bookings
- 100+ hours of administration saved weekly; ongoing SAP B1 and supplier collaboration improvements
The Lobster Pot
ERP selection and implementation, Wales' largest live shellfish exporter
- Full ICT and process audit; ERP sourced covering purchasing, stock, BOM, labelling and traceability
- Hardware, barcode scanning and labelling infrastructure specified
- Real-time stock, production and management reporting suite
Evoke Creative and Leader Optec
ERP alignment and SAGE reporting
- Evoke: new ERP aligned to production requirements, MRP signals run by the outsourced team, 54% OTIF improvement
- Leader Optec: procurement reports and OTIF dashboards built from SAGE data
St Joseph's Hospice
Business Central procurement implementation, charity sector (in delivery)
- Business Central set up as the single buying route, aligned to the Scheme of Delegation
- Purchase order discipline introduced, reducing credit card spend
- Supplier catalogues (Lyreco, NHS Supply Chain), permissions and training for budget holders
Why organisations choose Pro Outsourcing for ERP procurement
We are procurement practitioners who know the systems, not system consultants who have read about procurement. Every implementation we have led started with how the organisation should buy and ended with a configured system, trained users and reports that show whether it is working. That is the difference between an ERP that enforces good procurement and one that records bad procurement faster.
We are currently implementing Business Central procurement for St Joseph's Hospice, making it the single buying route under the charity's Scheme of Delegation, with purchase order discipline, supplier catalogues and budget-holder training. If you are moving to Dynamics 365 or Business Central, or you have already gone live and procurement is not what you expected, that is exactly the situation we are built for.
Book a Free Procurement ReviewServices that support this work
Procurement Transformation
Rebuilding the function across people, process, technology and governance.
Procurement Governance
Controls, delegated authority and approval workflows that keep purchasing compliant and consistent.
Fractional Procurement Leadership
Senior procurement direction, part-time, without a permanent hire.
Procurement technology: common questions
How should procurement be configured in Dynamics 365 Business Central?
Have you implemented Dynamics 365 procurement in a large organisation?
Our ERP is live but purchasing still runs on spreadsheets. What went wrong?
Can you help us choose an ERP?
Do you integrate suppliers and customers through EDI?
An ERP that enforces good procurement
Book a free 30-minute review with Tom Evans MCIPS. We will look at how your ERP handles purchasing today, where the process and data gaps are, and what it would take to fix them. No obligation, no jargon.
Book a Free Procurement Review