gep-smart-vs-sap-ariba-contract-management

SAP Ariba Contract Management and GEP SMART both manage various parts of the procurement process. However, they have distinct feature scopes and industry focuses. SAP Ariba is more of a point solution, while GEP Smart is more of an end-to-end solution. 

GEP SMART is a source-to-pay procurement product. It emphasizes visibility into global procurement spending at the enterprise level. In contrast, SAP Ariba is a point solution for contract management. While functional across various contract types, it is frequently used for procurement contract management. 

Features

GEP SMART and SAP Ariba both excel in their respective areas, but each has distinct advantages. 

GEP SMART provides a more comprehensive procurement solution. It also excels at giving enterprises visibility into procurement spend across financial systems, and the platform offers excellent spend analysis features. Additionally, GEP SMART is relatively customizable, especially around reporting capabilities. 

As a point solution, SAP Ariba stands out for its excellent contract management capabilities. It provides an in-depth range of features for a variety of contract types and contacts, from negotiation management to approval processes to ongoing contract administration. It also integrates well with SAP ERP and other SAP products for a streamlined financial process. 

Limitations

GEP SMART and SAP Ariba Contract Management also have some limitations worth keeping in mind when comparing each product.

GEP SMART has some workflow inefficiencies around vendor management. These inefficiencies can make document management and contract signing frustrating as procurement processes reach these stages. Reviewers also highlight that the platform would benefit from more automated processes, particularly around communicating data across different procurement processes on the platform. 

In contrast, SAP Ariba Contract Management doesn’t support the procurement beyond contract management. It’s also relatively expensive as a point solution within procurement. Additionally, the platform is not customization-friendly, and some users have struggled with inflexible analytics and reporting capabilities. 

Pricing

Neither GEP SMART nor SAP publicly advertises pricing. Instead, each vendor can quote pricing on a customer-by-by customer basis.