Category Management

Panacea Software enables effective Category Management through the Requirement, ensuring buyers can purchase only appropriate categories of goods, services, and works from compliant, qualified suppliers. This functionality aligns with UK public contract regulations, the Procurement Act 2023 (PA23), and supports your organisation's internal policies and governance.

This guide explains how Direct P2P and Project P2P functionalities enable Category Management. Please refer to the relevant sections depending on your access.

Key Features of Category Management

The Requirement provides tools to:

• Control who can buy what, and from which suppliers.
• Manage compliance with procurement regulations and internal policies.
• Monitor spending and manage supplier performance.

Tabs in a Requirement

Category Management uses several tabs in a Requirement:

1.  Buyers: 
   • Specify the organisations, departments, or sections permitted to purchase using the Requirement.
2. Categories: 
   • This tab is central to managing Category-specific details, controls, and supplier relationships:
   • Cost Mappings:
     • Assign Cost Categories (Direct P2P) or Cost Descriptions (Project P2P) to each Category or Lot.
   • Supplier Rankings:
     • Rank suppliers to enforce compliant selection during purchasing.
   • Ranking Setup:
     • Define ranking criteria to prioritise suppliers based on their attributes or qualifications.
   • Spend Limits:
     • Set and monitor spending limits for suppliers, ensuring purchases stay within approved budgets.
3. Suppliers: 
   • Allocate qualified suppliers to Categories.
   • Activate suppliers by setting their status to "Live," enabling buyers to make purchases.
   • Disqualify suppliers if needed to maintain compliance.

Category Management using DirectP2P

For Direct P2P users, Category Management simplifies purchasing with an intuitive catalogue system.

Key Features:

• Cost Categories:
  • Assign one or more Cost Categories to each Category or Lot.
  • Cost Categories represent specific goods, services, or works available for purchase.
  • Cost Categories are linked to:
    • General Ledger (GL) Codes for financial tracking.
    • CPV Codes (if configured for your site).
• Direct P2P Catalogue:
  • Cost Categories are grouped by Cost Group and appear in the Direct P2P Catalogue.
  • Users from organisations, departments, or sections designated as Buyers in the Requirement can make purchases.

Category Management using ProjectP2P

For Project P2P users, Category Management integrates with project-specific workflows for controlled purchasing.

Key Features:

• Cost Descriptions:
  • Assign one or more Cost Descriptions to each Category or Lot
  • Cost Descriptions define goods, services, or works to be managed and purchased within projects and jobs.
• Project Manager Permissions:
  • Cost Descriptions are managed by designated Project Managers.
  • Purchases are processed within the Job Bag
  • Cost Descriptions can be used in the Catalogue on the Client Interface.