1. Context & Scope
1.1 Business Context
Within the SyWay Source-to-Pay transformation, supplier collaboration must support a broad range of processes:
- Procurement execution (PO, ASN, SES, Invoice)
- Supplier lifecycle (qualification, onboarding, enablement)
- Logistics collaboration (carrier integration)
- Integration with S2S (Product Compliance) and S2P (Procurement)
- Regulatory compliance (e-invoicing)
As identified during workshops, standard solutions (S/4 + Ariba) do not fully cover the required collaboration scope, especially for:
- Long-tail suppliers
- Operational collaboration scenarios (consignment, subcontracting, services)
- Flexible qualification logic
Therefore, a custom SAP BTP Supplier Portal is introduced as the primary interaction channel
1.2 Solution Scope
The scope is aligned with the “orange areas” from the functional scope diagram below
In Scope
- Supplier collaboration (PO, ASN, SES, Invoice, etc.)
- Supplier Qualification
- Supplier Onboarding (data + enablement)
- Supplier User Management
- Integration with S/4HANA core processes
Out of Scope (Future Waves)
- Supplier Risk Management
- Advanced ESG scoring
- Supplier 360 analytics
- Extended lifecycle automation
2. Target Architecture Overview
2.1 Hybrid Supplier Collaboration Model
| Channel | Role | Usage Scope | Architecture Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ariba Sourcing | Sourcing platform | Used for all suppliers for RFx / sourcing events | Upstream (Pre-Procurement) |
| SyWay Supplier Portal (BTP) | Qualification platform | Used for all suppliers for qualification & onboarding | Lifecycle / Governance Layer |
| SyWay Supplier Portal (BTP) | Operational collaboration | Default platform for PO collaboration (non-BN suppliers) | Execution Layer (Default) |
| SAP Business Network (BN) | Strategic collaboration | Used for selected/high-volume suppliers for PO, ASN, invoicing | Execution Layer (Selective) |
| SAP Business Network for Logistics (BN4L) | Carrier collaboration | Used for all carriers globally | Logistics Layer |
| EDICOM | E-invoicing compliance | Used for country-specific e-invoicing regulations | Regulatory / Compliance Layer |
2.2 Architectural Principles
- S/4HANA = System of Record
- ZQUAL = Qualification Source of Truth
- BTP = Supplier Interaction Layer
3. Solution Structure
3.1 Base Solution — Supplier Collaboration (ERP-1162)
Purpose
Enable operational collaboration between suppliers and S/4HANA
operational flexibility
supplier adoption
automation for high-volume suppliers
long-tail supplier accessibility
Functional Scope
From scope diagram :
- Purchase Orders & Scheduling Agreements
- Goods Receipt / Returns
- Consignment / Subcontracting
- Service Entry Sheets
- Invoicing / Credit Memo
- Payment visibility
- Quality interactions
3.2 Supplier Lifecycle Add-on (ERP-2089)
Purpose
Provide supplier governance layer:
- Qualification
- Onboarding
- Eligibility control
Qualification Model
Event-driven (NPI / MOC / Sourcing / Risk)
Supported Qualification Levels
- Supplier
- Supplier + Country
- Supplier + MGC
- Supplier + Material
- Supplier + Material + Application
Core Data Model
ZQUAL (Custom Table in S/4) = Single Source of Truth
- Stores:
- Scope
- Answers
- Validity
- No duplication of SAP standard data
4. Application Architecture
4.1. BTP Application Landscape
| Domain | Application | Capabilities | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lifecycle (Governance) | My Compliance & Qualification | Questionnaire Execution | Suppliers receive and complete qualification questionnaires (multi-level scope: Supplier / MGC / Material / Country) |
| Lifecycle (Governance) | My Compliance & Qualification | Dynamic Forms | Questionnaire content dynamically adjusted based on scope, category, and regulatory context |
| Lifecycle (Governance) | My Compliance & Qualification | Document Upload | Suppliers upload certificates and supporting documents (OpenText integration) |
| Lifecycle (Governance) | My Compliance & Qualification | Status Tracking | Track qualification lifecycle (Draft, Submitted, Rework, Approved, Rejected, Expiring) |
| Lifecycle (Governance) | Company Information | Supplier Data Maintenance | Suppliers maintain company data, contacts, and banking information |
| Lifecycle (Governance) | Company Information | Data Synchronization | Data submitted and synchronized to S/4HANA Business Partner |
| Lifecycle (Governance) | Manage User Access | User Management | Supplier Admin creates and manages users within their organization |
| Lifecycle (Governance) | Manage User Access | Role Assignment | Assign roles (Admin / Contributor) and control access to portal apps |
| Lifecycle (Governance) | Manage User Access | Identity Integration | Integration with IAS/IPS for authentication and provisioning |
| Collaboration (Execution) | Procurement Collaboration | Purchase Order Visibility | Suppliers access and monitor purchase orders |
| Collaboration (Execution) | Procurement Collaboration | Order Confirmation | Suppliers confirm purchase orders directly via portal |
| Collaboration (Execution) | Logistics Collaboration | Advance Shipment Notice (ASN) | Suppliers submit shipment notifications to S/4HANA |
| Collaboration (Execution) | Logistics Collaboration | Goods Receipt Visibility | Suppliers track goods receipt status |
| Collaboration (Execution) | Logistics Collaboration | Returns Management | Manage return POs and shipment notifications |
| Collaboration (Execution) | Inventory & Manufacturing | Consignment Management | Manage consignment stock and withdrawals |
| Collaboration (Execution) | Inventory & Manufacturing | Subcontracting | Manage component shipments and consumption |
| Collaboration (Execution) | Inventory & Manufacturing | Component Inventory Visibility | View supplier-managed inventory levels |
| Collaboration (Execution) | Service Collaboration | Service Entry Sheet (SES) | Suppliers submit service confirmations |
| Collaboration (Execution) | Service Collaboration | Time Entry Sheet | Submit time-based service activities |
| Collaboration (Execution) | Finance Collaboration | Invoice Submission | Submit invoices for non e-invoicing countries |
| Collaboration (Execution) | Finance Collaboration | Credit Memo | Submit invoice corrections |
| Collaboration (Execution) | Finance Collaboration | Payment Visibility | Track invoice payment status |
5. Integration Architecture
| Domain | Source | Target | Object | Direction | Trigger | Technology | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Procurement Collaboration | S/4 | BTP Portal | Purchase Order | Outbound | PO creation/change | OData API | Supplier views PO |
| Procurement Collaboration | BTP Portal | S/4 | Order Confirmation | Inbound | Supplier action | OData API | Supplier confirms PO |
| Logistics Collaboration | BTP Portal | S/4 | ASN | Inbound | Supplier submission | OData API | Shipment notification |
| Logistics Collaboration | S/4 | BTP Portal | Goods Receipt Status | Outbound | GR posting | API | Visibility only |
| Service Collaboration | BTP Portal | S/4 | Service Entry Sheet | Inbound | Supplier submission | OData API | SES submission |
| Service Collaboration | S/4 | BTP Portal | SES Status | Outbound | Approval/rejection | API | Status feedback |
| Finance Collaboration | BTP Portal | S/4 | Invoice | Inbound | Supplier submission | OData API | Only for non e-invoicing countries |
| Finance Collaboration | BTP Portal | S/4 | Credit Memo | Inbound | Supplier submission | OData API | Corrections |
| Finance Collaboration | S/4 | BTP Portal | Payment Status | Outbound | Payment posting | API | Visibility |
| Qualification Lifecycle | S/4 | BTP Portal | Questionnaire Assignment | Outbound | Buyer action | API | Trigger qualification |
| Qualification Lifecycle | BTP Portal | S/4 | Questionnaire Responses | Inbound | Supplier submission | API | Stored in ZQUAL |
| Qualification Lifecycle | S/4 | BTP Portal | Qualification Status | Outbound | Approval/Rework | API | Feedback to supplier |
| Onboarding | BTP Portal | S/4 | Supplier Data (BP) | Inbound | Supplier update | API | Company / Bank / Contacts |
| User Management | S/4 / BTP | IAS | User Provisioning | Outbound | Supplier activation | SCIM API | Identity & access |
| Document Management | BTP Portal | OpenText | Attachments | Outbound | Upload | API | Store documents |
| Document Management | OpenText | BTP Portal | Attachments | Inbound | Retrieval | API | Display documents |
Jira Cards
- ERP-1162 : Develop a new SAP BTP Supplier Portal covering different collaboration processes to extend Syensqo core capabilities
- ERP-2089 : Extend SyWay Supplier Portal with Supplier Lifecycle capabilities (Qualification and onboarding)