Control project expenses without slowing down the workflow

Procurement software for service providers must meet three requirements: It must support customized approval processes, especially when purchasers place orders on behalf of multiple departments or locations. It must enable rapid approvals, because service companies don’t have time for back-and-forth email exchanges. And it must adapt flexibly to different location structures without becoming overly bureaucratic. Hivebuy meets all three requirements and is in active use at leading service companies such as Securitas.

In Hivebuy, every expense is automatically approved by the person responsible for costs; the dual-control principle can be set as the default. Approval rules can be flexibly configured based on amount, category, cost center, or location. In the event of an absence, approvals can be delegated without interrupting the process. In the event of inactivity, Hivebuy automatically escalates the issue—operational processes are not blocked by absences.

Service companies often work with extensive internal catalogs, ranging from work gear to IT equipment and office supplies. Hivebuy centrally manages internal catalogs containing thousands of variants and seamlessly integrates punch-out catalogs with supplier stores. At Securitas, for example, over 4,000 product variants and four punch-out catalogs are actively in use. Employees place orders from predefined standards, ensuring automatic compliance.

Hivebuy is a cloud-based solution and is typically up and running within a few hours—without an IT project or external consultants. For larger organizations with multiple regions or locations, a phased rollout is recommended to ensure a smooth transition. Securitas rolled out Hivebuy regionally in this manner and was able to measure significant success after just a few months.

Hivebuy offers productive out-of-the-box integrations with the leading ERP and financial systems commonly used by service providers: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, SAP S/4 HANA, SAP Business One, NetSuite, DATEV, and d.velop. Master data such as cost centers and cost objects are synchronized bidirectionally, and automatic invoice assignment and verification run without manual intervention. At Securitas, updates are performed via an interface to Microsoft Dynamics 365.

SAP Ariba and Coupa are enterprise procurement platforms for corporations with several thousand or more employees, with implementation projects lasting 12 to 24 months. Hivebuy positions itself as a modern, quick-to-deploy alternative—for small and medium-sized businesses and upper-mid-market companies in the service sector: up and running in hours instead of months, without the need for consulting, featuring a German user interface, and an architecture explicitly designed for customized approval workflows and decentralized networks of locations.

Maverick spending typically results in 15–25% in additional costs for decentralized service providers. Hivebuy prevents this on three levels: First, orders are automatically checked against budgets, framework agreements, and approved suppliers. Second, the Savings Agent recommends the optimal sourcing option for every request. Third, the procurement team gains real-time visibility into all ordering activities. In this way, Securitas was able to significantly reduce maverick buying within 9 months.