Energieversorger Halle (EVH) expands SAP standard with GAEB process

The energy transition is increasing the demands on transmission grids. EVH (Energieversorger Halle), a member of the Stadtwerke Halle Group, has around 600 employees together with its affiliated companies and is responsible for the regional supply of electricity, natural gas and district heating. It works continuously with numerous specialist companies for civil engineering and pipeline construction to ensure the expansion and maintenance of its networks. 

However, purchasing these services proved to be very time-consuming, as the existing S/4 systems do not support the GAEB standard for the digital exchange of construction information. The corresponding interface is missing. Instead, EVH had to laboriously convert the service specifications generated from SAP into GAEB formats in order to be able to communicate with the construction service providers. It was also not possible to transfer their GAEB service specifications directly into SAP-compliant data formats.

In search of AVA tool

"In order to eliminate these media disruptions, we were looking for an AVA tool for the digital and collaborative handling of our tendering, awarding and invoicing processes - including a platform solution for suppliers," explains Elisa Graichen, SAP ERP consultant in the corporate management department at EVH. The choice of the Supplier Collaboration Suite and eRfx for tenders from 2bits with integrated GAEB software was based on the EVH purchasers' positive experience with products from 2bits. The Procurement Suite, for example, was already in use as a procurement solution fully integrated into SAP. This allows the requisitioners to incorporate their requirements into the purchasing processes via catalog or free text orders. In this way, the shopping carts created in the Procurement Suite become classic SAP purchase requisitions (BANFs) in S/4. EVH uses a pre-system to plan and calculate construction measures.

Steps largely automated

With the Supplier Collaboration Suite and the integrated GAEB software, EVH now benefits from a standardized GAEB process for data exchange with its construction service providers - and can continue to carry out its SAP-based purchasing processes. From the invitation to tender to the awarding of contracts and the recording of services, all steps are automated as far as possible and handled in a consistent electronic process. This means that all relevant exchange phases of the GAEB service specifications can be tracked and processed.

"Possible sources of error are eliminated and the entire procurement processes for construction services are accelerated; they are now more controllable and transparent for us," says SAP ERP consultant Elisa Graichen, summarizing the benefits of the new 2bits solutions. "This has enabled us to achieve process networking and optimization in the procurement of construction services." This can be implemented both for the current SAP MM-SRV-based service procurement and for the new lean service functions of S/4 Hana.

“In order to eliminate media discontinuities, we were looking for a tool to collaboratively process our
Tendering, awarding and billing processes.” Elisa GraichenSAP ERP Management Consultant, EVH

The Supplier Collaboration Suite (SCS) offers users a simple and intuitive user interface. With the 2bits buyer cockpit linked to eRfx for tenders, requirements such as SAP BANFs or SCS shopping carts can be found, processed, bundled and used to create tenders, orders and contracts. To authenticate and manage SCS users, EVH uses a user management system that allows business partners to manage their users via self services. 

By gradually registering selected suppliers and EVH employees, a soft landing was achieved in the Supplier Collaboration Suite, and there are now 360 productive users who
work with over 80 construction service providers. "A big plus point was the 2bits project team's excellent expertise in SAP-based service procurement," emphasizes Elisa Graichen. "This enabled the team to react flexibly to our customization requests at any time and implement our focus topics very well." In addition, a direct line and very collegial cooperation with the 2bits developers and consultants had developed through the previous projects. As a result, the introduction of the Supplier Collaboration Suite was implemented within a year - despite the Covid-19 crisis and high workload.

Click here for the partner entry: