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Source-to-Pay (S2P)

The source-to-pay (S2P) cycle includes all the activities related to sourcing and procuring goods and services. While closely related to procure-to-pay (P2P), S2P is much broader in scope. 

Source-to-pay includes the following activities in addition to the P2P cycle:

  • Identifying business goals and needs
  • Supplier evaluation
  • Contract negotiation
  • Supplier relationship management
  • Market analysis

S2P processes often rely heavily on software systems like ERPs to monitor supply chains and generate actionable insights. The efficiency of these systems can have a significant impact on how effectively a business sources supplies, and by extension, its overall strategy.

Related terms

3 Way Match
3-way matching refers to a three-step process of matching three key documents before processing a payment to a supplier.
Accounts Payable Automation
Accounts payable automation (AP Automation) refers to the use of technology and software solutions to streamline and optimize the accounts payable process within an organization.
Accounts Payable Days
Accounts Payable Days (AP Days), also referred to as Days Payable Outstanding (DPO), is a financial ratio that measures the average time a company takes to pay its suppliers or vendors for credit purchases.
Accounts Payable Turnover
Accounts payable turnover explains how many times a business pays its creditors in a set timespan. Companies can use this metric to measure their short-term liquidity.
Advanced Electronic Bank Payments
Advanced electronic bank payments typically refer to sophisticated electronic payment methods and systems that enable businesses to execute various types of transactions with their banks electronically, often leveraging advanced technologies and automation capabilities.
Advanced Inventory
Advanced inventory refers to a comprehensive and feature-rich inventory management system or module within an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software or inventory management software.