Tata's BigBasket automates CapEx procurement with ERP built on Zoho Creator

Summary

BigBasket implemented a Budget to Procure to Pay ERP customized to their internal processes using Zoho Creator. This custom ERP centralizes their entire CapEx management process. It establishes a clear workflow with respect to projected budgets, SKU codes (stock keeping units), quotes, bill of materials (BOM) and GST (goods and services tax) details. This includes ensuring the product is purchased from the right supplier and all necessary paperwork is in order. It has improved the overall accountability by enabling BigBasket to track where their funds are being spent.

About BigBasket

BigBasket is the largest online grocery store in India with 20 million customers and 30 million monthly visitors. They process around 5 lakh orders per day.

The challenge

The solution: Modules of the custom CapEx procurement ERP

Budget planning

The budget planning module helps the procurement team create a budget for each financial year for each store across locations and then submit it for approval with management. This allows for better planning and allocation of funds for large capital expenditure projects.

Automated inventory management with bill of materials

This module maintains the master database of items and a supplier list. Every stock is identified by a unique code unique SKU (stock keeping unit) code that is mapped with the vendors who supply those items.

Purchase requisition with centralized CapEx approval

This module enables the procurement team to create purchase requests for the entire facility in one click and share it with vendors immediately after approval. Whenever a purchase request is created, the workflows running behind restrict costs as per the approved budget. The submitted purchase requisitions are then reviewed by the CapEx department heads who can either approve or reject a purchase requisition after evaluating the need.

CapEx purchase order creation

The purchase order form has fields that capture detailed data points thus preventing wrong shipments, and can be generated quickly with autofill. In case a purchase requisition has multiple categories or it needs to be purchased from multiple vendors, this module splits the purchase request into multiple purchase orders based on category, vendor name, or the vendor location.

Once the purchase order is created, it gets converted into a GRN (goods received note). A GRN is a two-way document that acknowledges the delivery of goods by a supplier and their receipt by the customer.

GST master

When a purchase order is prepared, the CGST (Central Goods and Services Tax), IGST (Integrated Goods and Services Tax) and SGST (State Goods and Services Tax) rates get calculated automatically, saving time by avoiding manual calculations.

Vendor portal

The vendor portal is a self-service portal where the vendors can register to see their payment details, requirements, quotations, and the status of their invoice. Vendors can upload e-invoices directly into the portal and also cancel tax invoices. This has created a fully transparent system for the vendors.

Invoice processing

Once the delivery of goods is confirmed, the application itself tracks its status with no hassle.

Real-time dashboards

The analytics and dashboards built using Zoho Creator's drag-and-drop dashboard builders help the stakeholders keep track of purchases, orders, and costs, analyze vendor performance metrics, and compare budget scenarios to actual revenue, costs, or profits.

Roles and permissions

The visibility of sensitive information is managed using roles and permissions even when multiple departments are using the same application.

Savings calculator with workflows for spend control

Looking forward