Procurement planning

What to order, expedite or cancel, in one workflow.

Procurement planning turns material requirements into purchase proposals that respect every supplier constraint: lead times, lot sizes, units of measure, ordering costs and minimum order quantities. Planners review, confirm and release orders in Horizon, and confirmed orders go back to your ERP for execution.

Start with Horizon InstantBook a demo
ProposalsExceptionsSuppliers
ERP sync
Example · this week, 3 suppliers
Proposed
1413
Confirmed
9
Released to ERP
67
Order
RM-104 · 6,000 kgSupplier A · due week 15 · MOQ 5,000 kg
ProposedConfirmedReleased to ERP
Expedite
PK-220 · 12,000 pcsSupplier B · shortfall risk in week 13
Review
Cancel
RM-311 · 2,000 kgSupplier C · no longer needed after a plan change
Review
PO-8831 released to the ERP for executionConfirmed internally
3actions

what to order, expedite or cancel, flagged for every purchased item

OrderExpediteCancel
5constraints

in every proposal, per supplier and item

Lead timeLot sizeUnit of measureOrdering costMOQ
1workflow

from proposal to purchase order in your ERP

ProposedConfirmedReleased
HorizonPlannerERP and supplierRequirementsFrom plans and stock targetsOrder proposalsLot size, MOQ, lead timeReviewOrder, expedite or cancelConfirmApproved internallyReleased to ERPPurchase order executedBack in the planConfirmations and statusOne workflow in Horizon; your ERP executes the order and its status flows back into the plan.
Flowproposal to purchase order
RequirementsFrom production, distribution and stock targets
Order proposalsLead time, lot size and MOQ applied
Planner reviewOrder, expedite or cancel, then confirm
Released to ERPPurchase order executed
Back in the planConfirmations and order status

What you can do

Purchasing that keeps up with the plan.

Exception messages

What to order, expedite or cancel, as soon as it changes

  • Key notifications for every purchased item: what to order, what to expedite and what to cancel.
  • Shortfall risks flagged per item and week, with the order change that closes the gap.
  • Open any purchased item and split its lines down to the demand that drives them, such as production or a DC’s distribution demand.
Material RM-104 · projected stock
Example · Supplier A, weeks 10–19
Projected stockShortfall
Safety stockShortfall riskPO-7710 · W15PO-7710 · W12W10W12W13W15W19Expedite PO-7710 to week 12RM-104 runs short in week 13 · Supplier AExpediteLINE SPLIT · WHAT DRIVES WEEK 133,200 kg · production, Line 2800 kg · distribution demand, DC East

Supplier constraints and order grouping

Every proposal fits the supplier

  • Lead time, lot size, unit of measure, ordering cost and minimum order quantity applied to every proposal.
  • Orders grouped per supplier to meet group minimums, instead of small orders placed one by one.
  • Truck not full? Horizon shows what else you can add for the same supplier within its lead time.
Order builder · Supplier A
Example · group MOQ 20 pallets
Lead time 3 wksLot size 1 palletUoM: palletsOrdering cost €180Group MOQ 20TRUCK FILL · SUPPLIER A14 of 20 pallets · below group MOQ20 of 20 pallets · full truck, MOQ metRM-1048 pallets · needed week 15In orderRM-1186 pallets · needed week 15In orderRM-120Add 4 pallets · needed week 17SuggestedRM-133Add 2 pallets · needed week 18SuggestedWITHIN SUPPLIER A’S 3-WEEK LEAD TIME

Confirmation workflow

From proposal to purchase order, in one workflow

  • Proposed orders are confirmed internally first, so everyone sees which orders can be placed.
  • Confirmed orders go back into your ERP, where they are executed.
  • Supplier confirmations tracked and visibility shared with suppliers, with their feedback in one connected view.
Order workflow
Example · this week
PROPOSEDCONFIRMEDRELEASED TO ERPPO-8834RM-311 · 2,000 kgPO-8836PK-220 · 12,000 pcsPO-8829RM-118 · 6 palletsPO-8830RM-120 · 4 palletsPO-8827RM-090 · 900 kgPO-8828PK-210 · 8,000 pcsPO-8831RM-104 · 6,000 kgPO-8831RM-104 · 6,000 kgPO-8831RM-104 · 6,000 kgERP · PURCHASE ORDER CREATEDPO-8831 executed in the ERPSupplier confirmation tracked back in the planConfirmed

Learn more

Learn more about procurement planning.

Supply planning softwareReplenishment planning softwareMRP and CRPInventory optimisationProduction planning

FAQ

Procurement planning, answered.

What is procurement planning?

Procurement planning decides what to buy, from which supplier and when, so materials arrive in time for production and stock targets, within each supplier’s lead times, lot sizes and minimum order quantities.

Which notifications does Horizon give planners and buyers?

What to order, what to expedite and what to cancel, for every purchased item, together with shortfall risks. Each notification comes with the proposed order or change, so planners act on it instead of searching for it.

Which supplier constraints are taken into account?

Lead time, lot size, unit of measure, ordering cost and minimum order quantities, including minimums for a group of items from the same supplier.

What happens when an order doesn’t fill a truck?

Horizon groups the proposals per supplier and shows which other items you could add to the same order within the supplier’s lead time, so the truck or the group minimum is filled with material you will need anyway.

How does the confirmation workflow work?

Proposed orders are reviewed and confirmed internally in Horizon. Confirmed orders can be placed and go back into your ERP, where they are executed. Supplier confirmations are tracked, so the plan shows the status of every order.

Where do the purchase requirements come from?

From the production plan, the distribution plan and the stock targets, all in one data model, so purchasing matches what you will make and ship.

Can I see what drives a purchase requirement?

Yes. Open a purchased item and split its lines down to the demand behind them, such as production on a line or the distribution demand at a DC.

How fast can we start?

Start with Horizon Instant: demand planning on your own data, up and running in less than 24 hours. The supply modules then build on the same data model.

See your purchase proposals on your own data.

Start with Horizon Instant: demand planning on your own data, up and running in less than 24 hours.

Start with Horizon InstantBook a demo