Contractor Purchasing Systems and Compliance with DFARS Requirements

SpendLogic truly stands in a class of its own.  There are reputable companies who may provide a portion of what SpendLogic offers, none offer the comprehensive solution that we do.  SpendLogic’s automation of written reports and analyses, simplification of documentation requirements, and streamlining of management and compliance reviews are just a few factors to consider when determining which solution is best for your organization.

CompAnalyst® by Salary.com®, Procurelinx™ Pro, CPSR ProDocs, and ivalua Procure-To-Pay are market offerings that our clients often use as a point of comparison.  Below, we distill the pros and cons of each to help with your due diligence.

How to Compare Solutions

First, when contemplating a software solution for your procurement department, keep your goals in mind. Several factors to consider:

• • Are you searching for a tool that can reduce the amount of time employees spend performing their duties?  Or are you just looking for “something different” because you’re unhappy?
  • When you ask for a demo, can the company demonstrate each and every capability it claims its solution provides? If not, does it have a demonstrated track record of putting promised capabilities into practice?
  • Is the company focused primarily on government contracting, or is this a solution that has been retro-fitted to fit this specialized industry?
  • Is the solution adaptable enough to meet your company’s current and future needs? Can it be easily integrated with existing systems?

Keeping these in mind, here are three companies that SpendLogic clients sometimes use as points of comparison:

CompAnalyst®

CompAnalyst® is a compensation management solution designed for Human Resource professionals.  Since the DCMA prohibits contractors from using GSA data for price analysis (a common CPSR finding,) those who primarily analyze service procurements will sometimes consider CompAnalyst®. 

Pros: Provides users with comprehensive information on compensation, benefits, and job market data. Good tool for Human Resource departments and project planning.

Cons: Output is focused on HR duties and is overkill for Procurement.  It provides compensation data but procurement will still need to create documentation, including a price analysis report.  Because of this, it provides no productivity benefit to procurement users.

ProcureLinx™ Pro

ProcureLinx™ Pro is an internal auditing tool for Contractor Purchasing System Review (CPSR). This system allows Compliance focals to generate real-time metrics and conduct a mock-CPSR of internal company procurement files.

Pros: Developed based on ProcureLinx’s real-world experience in CPSRs

Cons: This tool is focused on compliance and management review efforts, rather than the needs of the buyers/subcontract administrators.  It does not automate or simplify procurement documentation.  It cannot be integrated with ERP systems. Note:  As of February 2023, it does not appear that the company’s website for this product is continuing to be updated.

CPSR ProDocs

CPSR ProDocs is a Microsoft Office-based CPSR document management software system designed to facilitate the creation of procurement documentation. 

Pros:  Developed on the basis of J.A. White’s actual CPSR experience.

Cons:  Sharepoint-based – most of the industry is moving to more robust database solutions, which are more scalable require less support.  “Standard” version generates a list of templates which must then be filled out separately, which is a negligible improvement over downloading each individually.  “Enterprise” cannot be demonstrated and requires extensive customization for every client.

iVALUA Procure-To-Pay

iVALUA Procure-To-Pay is a procurement system focusing on streamlining procurement by automating manual processes such as requisition, planning, purchase order placement, invoicing, and payments.

Pros:  Replaces and updates old supply chain systems by automating processes and improving visibility into supply chain activities.  Helps to integrate vendor-supplier communications.

Cons:  IVALUA and SpendLogic are not focused on the same objectives.  SpendLogic’s objective is cradle-to-grave CPSR compliance while iValua’s focus is automating the “order in, order out” aspect of a purchase.  SpendLogic and iVALUA are complementary technologies, not competitors.  Accordingly, iVALUA has not been included in the comparison chart below.