Finance

Best spend management software for cost control & savings

Published on:
February 21, 2025
Vaishnavi Babu
Content
Karthikeyan Manivannan
Design
State of SaaS Procurement 2025
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The cost of SaaS will get out of control sooner than most of the teams anticipate. The more tools are introduced to the business tech stack, the less visible and controllable it is. What begins as a couple of subscriptions can easily escalate into spending out of control, redundancy, and unnoticed inefficiencies.

And that is where spend management comes in. The right platform enables finance and procurement leaders to ensure that they are ahead of the curve in terms of renewal, waste elimination, and making sure that each dollar is spent wisely by giving them real-time visibility, automated tracking, and data-driven insights.

Understanding the Landscape of Spend Management

Market size & growth

Both procurement software and spend management fall under the enterprise software category and are growing at double-digit rates. The worldwide market price of spend management programs may be approximated at approximately ~15.7B by 2024, and approximately ~17.5B by 2025 (11.6% CAGR) because of the need to have real-time clarity and compliance. Equivalent research into the procurement software market suggests that in 2024 the market is estimated to be 8.0B and projected to be 18.3B in 2032 (10.8% CAGR) as businesses keep investing in digital procurement stacks.

Technology trendline

AI + automation. Procurement and finance departments are moving fast to adopt AI, both intake-to-approve and analytics. Polling industry executives in 2025 depicts a 94 per cent upsurge in the utilization of generative AI by the procurement executives at the least once-a-week, a significant increase compared to 2023–2024, when generative AI was primarily used in vendor due diligence, policy checks, and renewal decisions. The companies are also thinking the same way: by 2025, the budgets of procurement technologies are expected to rise dramatically, and interest in Gen-AI applications and upskilling teams cooperating with intelligent agents is evident. Looking slightly ahead, analysts predict that in 2027 the majority of finance analytics will become automated as it will further advance the trend of manual reporting to machine-based insights and alerts.

News on regulatory and compliance.

Compliance pressures are intensifying, placing stricter requirements on spend processes.E-invoicing is now moving beyond B2G to B2B under the VAT in the Digital Age (ViDA) initiative, and country level factsheets already monitor an AP requirement aspect to B2B, onboarding vendors, and tax returns. Security regulations were also increased: the NIS2 directive deadline was the transposition deadline of October 17, 2024, which pushed even stricter risk and incident regulations across sectors (and maintained national implementations in 2025). SECs cybersecurity disclosure policy in the U.S. requires that public companies disclose on an Item 1.05 Form 8-K to four business days after determining that there has been a material cyber incident, which puts an extra burden on vendor-risk and incident disclosures across the supply base.

Where it’s going next 

AI-assisted decisioning (policy-aware approvals, contract/risk summarization, renewal recommendations), autonomous controls (automated three-way match, PO creation, and variance alerts), and audit-ready records by default are defining the near future of the spend management (near complete linkage between contracts, POs, invoices, usage, and budget). Since more regulations (e-invoicing, cyber disclosure, sectoral security) lleaders increasingly prefer platforms that provide real-time analytics, automated compliance, and cash-flow visibility, rather than relying solely on after-the-fact reporting. Concisely: the respondents will bring together centralized visibility and machine-learned guardrails to bring about measurable savings and scale and resiliency.

Quick Comparison of Spend Management Softwares

Here’s a summary table that condenses how each software performs across the key criteria:

Software Comparison Table
Software Integration Customization Security Usability Support Best For ROI Potential
Spendflo Integrates with major SaaS tools, offers APIs Flexible workflows, multi-language support SOC 2, GDPR, encryption, audit logs Intuitive, Slack integration, real-time reports 24/7 support, video tutorials, and live chat Mid-to-large enterprises managing multiple SaaS tools 30%+ SaaS cost savings, 3X faster procurement cycles
Payhawk Integrates with ERP and accounting systems Multi-entity, custom fields, multi-currency Encryption, 2FA, fraud detection, GDPR Mobile apps, real-time tracking, custom fields Multi-tiered support, webinars, user communities Businesses with global teams Reduces reimbursement delays, improves budget forecasting
Pleo Supports Xero, QuickBooks, digital wallets Spending limits, approval workflows, multi-currency Fraud detection, role-based access, encryption Mobile app, auto-expense categorization Basic to premium support, live chat options Small-to-medium businesses needing flexible spending Eliminates manual expense tracking, increases spend control
Zoho Expense Integrates with Zoho suite, offers APIs Customizable workflows, multi-language support SOC 2, GDPR, 2FA, audit trails Auto-scan receipts, mobile-friendly interface 24/7 support, premium plans, video tutorials Companies needing automated employee expense reporting Reduces expense fraud, speeds up reporting workflows
Airbase Integrates with ERP, QuickBooks, and Oracle Custom workflows, multi-subsidiary, multi-currency SOC 2, secure payments, encryption Real-time reporting, mobile access 24/7 premium support, live chat, documentation Growing startups and enterprises with finance teams Streamlines payments, improves spend visibility



Top 10 spend management software

Spend management software allows companies to keep track of their financial expenditures, thereby reducing costs and adhering to budgets. 

Here are the top 10 spend management software that you can rely on:

1. Spendflo

2. Payhawk

3. Pleo

4. Zoho Expense

5. Airbase

6. Emburse

7. Wallester Business

8. Coupa

9. Spendesk

10. Ramp

1. Spendflo

Spendflo is an industry-leading spend management software for businesses to manage their SaaS expenses easily. It streamlines approvals and contract management while its team of expert buyers helps you save up to 30% of your SaaS expenses. It achieves this by leveraging benchmark data and organizational insights into the contract negotiations. With a user-friendly interface and Slack integration for faster approvals, Spendflo enables SaaS purchases to be monitored and spending right-sized.

Key features

  • Consolidates all your SaaS vendors into one unified platform for easy management and      improved visibility
  • Puts security and compliance first to safeguard your business from potential risks and      threats
  • Features such as API, access controls & permissions and activity dashboard with alerts      and notifications 
  • Greater transparency and efficiency with intelligent reporting and analytical insights

Ideal For:

  • Finance & Procurement Teams looking for centralized SaaS expense management.
  • Mid-to-large enterprises aiming to cut software costs and optimize renewals.
  • Companies struggling with renewal surprises, redundant tools, or compliance risks.

Comparison Table
Pros Cons
Centralized SaaS visibility with real-time tracking Pricing is not publicly available
Automated renewal alerts & cost optimization Primarily focused on SaaS spend, not all procurement types
Expert-led vendor negotiations for better pricing May require onboarding time for full platform adoption
Strong compliance and security features Advanced analytics available only in premium plans
Spendflo tailors savings strategies based on company size, industry, and spend patterns.
Easily connects with ERP, finance, and procurement tools for a unified spend management experience.
Get hands-on negotiation support from specialists to secure the best pricing and contract terms.

Enhanced Compliance & Security Features

Spendflo prioritizes security and compliance, ensuring that businesses meet global regulatory standards while maintaining full control over their SaaS ecosystem. The platform offers built-in compliance tracking for frameworks like SOC 2, GDPR, and ISO 27001, helping organizations stay audit-ready. 

  

Role-based access controls prevent unauthorized software purchases , reducing security risks and enforcing procurement policies. Automated audit logs and real-time monitoring provide detailed insights into transactions, ensuring complete transparency. Additionally, Spendflo’s vendor risk assessment tools help organizations evaluate supplier security measures , ensuring compliance before committing to contracts. 

With Spendflo, companies can proactively manage security, reduce compliance risks, and avoid costly penalties.

"I highly recommend that any company looking for a SaaS procurement partner contact Spendflo. They'll take care of everything SaaS while you concentrate on growing your business."  - Ali Burchfield, Controller

Pricing 

Contact for pricing

For more information, contact to schedule your free savings analysis.

Rating - 4.7 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐⭐️(70 Reviews on G2)

Checkout Customer Case Studies on how Spendflo is helping companies  save thousands on their SaaS Procurement

1. Learn how Drip Capital achieves 4X ROI & saves 100+ hours in Procurement

2. How Airmeet achieved 3X faster procurement and SaaS spending optimization.

2. Payhawk


Payhawk is a spend management platform that empowers businesses to manage financial transactions and control expenses. This all-in-one solution combines cards, expenses and AP to let businesses keep track of spending. It also helps generate real-time reports and track expenses from a single platform. 

It facilitates easier transactions between entities by supporting multiple currencies. With Payhawk, businesses can have powerful spend visibility and better cash flow control across all their entities with its multi-entity management features. The OCR software feature makes it easier for Payhawk to automate data capture and analysis from expense reports by reading receipts and invoices, and filling in required fields automatically.

Key features

  • Real-time expense and transaction tracking 
  • Mobile apps for automated receipt capture and approvals to save time
  • Customizable data capture with "custom fields" 
  • Powerful multi-entity management to unify spend across different group entities
  • Subscription spend management module 

Pros 

  • Multi-currency support for global teams
  • Real-time expense tracking & approvals
  • Smart company cards with built-in controls

Cons 

  • Pricing is higher compared to competitors
  • Steeper learning curve for new users
  • Limited procurement-specific features


Pricing 

  • Premium cards - €199
  • All-in-one spend - €299
  • Enterprise - Contact the sales team for a quote
3. Pleo

Pleo is a cloud-based spend management solution with an automated system that streamlines the management of business expenses. Its hassle-free expense reconciliation process helps minimize human error while freeing up employees’ time to focus on core tasks.

Pleo also offers fraud detection crucial for keeping business finances secure. With permission management, companies can set spending limits for each employee, assign team managers as reviewers and set expense review thresholds. Pleo also offers up to 1% cashback on every transaction, accumulating as a business spend.

Key features

  • Physical and virtual payment cards issued by Mastercard with individual spending limits      for making online and in-person purchases efficient
  • Automatic sorting of expenses into categories for streamlined expense processing
  • Support for digital wallets, such as Google and Apple Pay to facilitate one-click merchant      payments
  • Analytics dashboard to manage company spending with full visibility and set individual      card spending limits
  • Third-party integrations that permit businesses to manage finance more efficiently

Pros 

  • Easy-to-use smart company cards
  • Automated expense reporting & tracking
  • Seamless mobile experience for on-the-go approvals

Cons 

  • Focused more on employee expenses, not procurement
  • Limited customization for large enterprises
  • No built-in vendor negotiation tools

Pricing
 

  • Starter - Free (for up to 3 users)
  • Essential - £39 per month (for 3 users) and up to £11.5/additional user per month
  • Advanced - £79 per month (for 3 users)  and up to £13.5/additional user per month
4. Zoho Expense

Zoho Expense is a spend management software that enables businesses to record and report their expenses in a timely and efficient manner. It allows users to upload receipts or manually enter expenses, which are automatically converted into an expense by the auto-scan feature. The software provides a range of useful features to manage expenses such as categorizing them, adding notes and attaching receipts. It also allows businesses to track mileage expenses with Zoho Invoice, making it a useful tool for companies with employees who frequently travel for work.

Key features

  • Streamlined travel management with detailed itineraries and expense tracking
  • Spend control policies and analytics to monitor and enforce budget limits
  • Expense reporting with receipt recording, report creation and reimbursement tracking
  • Integration with Zoho Books for automated expense recording, simplified reporting and      accelerated approvals

Pricing 

  • Free starter plan
  • Standard - $15 per organization per month for 3 users (billed annually)
  • Premium - $40 per organization per month for 5 users (billed annually)
  • Enterprise - $60 per organization per month for 10 users (billed annually)

Pros 

  • AI-powered receipt scanning for fast reporting
  • Strong policy compliance & fraud detection
  • Affordable pricing for SMBs

Cons 

  • User interface can feel outdated
  • Limited advanced analytics & forecasting
  • Custom integrations require technical expertise

5. Airbase

Airbase Expense is a spend management platform that streamlines expense workflows and automates repetitive tasks. It aims to reduce financial risk and create measurable value for companies. The platform's all-in-one spend management delivers control, visibility and automation to finance teams. The software also stores all data and documentation in one central location, making tracking and managing expenses easy.

Key features

  • Guided procurement offers informed purchasing decisions
  • Real-time reporting tracks spending and cost-saving opportunities
  • Corporate cards for a secure way to make purchases while controlling spending
  • Automated workflows to streamline the purchasing process while reducing manual tasks
  • Multi-subsidiary and multi-currency support to manage all spend management needs      comprehensively

Pros 

  • End-to-end spend automation (AP, cards, approvals)
  • Strong vendor payment controls
  • Scales well for growing startups

Cons 

  • Higher pricing tier for premium features
  • Complex onboarding for finance teams
  • Requires integrations for full procurement management 

Pricing 

  • Offers three plans: Standard (up to  ~200 employees), Premium (up to 500 employees),      Enterprise (up to 5000 employees)
  • Contact them to request a quote
6. Emburse

Emburse is a spend management tool that caters to businesses with millions in annual revenue. The platform offers travel and expense management solutions, invoice and payment management with AP automation. It offers real-time expense management, enabling businesses to manage expenses via any device. The platform also features an automated expense policy and approval hierarchy, which streamlines the process of submitting expenses and processing approvals. It empowers business administrators with proactive controls, including real-time visibility and automated reconciliation. 

Key features

  • Virtual and physical cards with spending rules to control expenses and prevent fraudulent      transactions
  • Capture receipts using mobile devices and set reminders to submit expenses
  • Role-based permissions and approval flow to ensure policy adherence
  • Automatic expense categorization to simplify expense reporting and reveal spending      patterns

Pros 

  • Excellent for travel & expense management
  • AI-driven fraud detection
  • Mobile-friendly with OCR-powered receipt scanning

Cons 

  • Best suited for travel-heavy companies
  • Limited procurement & contract tracking
  • Reporting tools lack deep customization 

Pricing for Emburse cards

  • Starting at $12/month per user per month
  • Contact the sales team for enterprise plans (more than 100 employees)
7. Wallester Business

Wallester Business provides smart tools to allow businesses to set individual limits and control expenses in real-time. It also offers a white-label VISA card issuing service, providing businesses with a global payment gateway and processing solutions at zero maintenance costs.

Key features

  • Real-time expense tracking and reporting to help companies monitor spending within      budget
  • Corporate expense cards with IBAN account, expense monitoring and limit regulation
  • Customizable settings for individual limits and real-time transaction tracking for greater      control over finances
  • API integration that customizes a company's workflow and allows for integration with      accounting apps
  • Approval workflows

Pros 

  • Virtual & physical corporate cards with real-time spending controls
  • Instant card issuance for employees and teams
  • Supports multi-currency transactions, ideal for global businesses

Cons 

  • Limited integration with procurement and expense management tools
  • Primarily focused on card-based expenses, not full spend automation
  • Fewer customization options compared to competitors

Pricing 

  • Free plan
  • Premium - €199/month
  • Platinum - €999/month
  • Contact the sales team for Enterprise Suite pricing
8. Coupa

Coupa is among the best cloud-based spend management services that provides businesses with a comprehensive procurement, supply chain and finance solution. It streamlines payment processes, protects cash flow, reduces risk and optimizes spend for better performance. Its automated payment consolidation allows companies to bring payments for employees, suppliers and other beneficiaries in one place. 

Key features

  • Link contracts to spend management while ensuring compliance
  • Streamline procure-to-pay with powerful e-procurement and invoicing 
  • Monitor travel and expenses from anywhere and build an all-encompassing travel and      expense program

Pros 

  • Comprehensive spend management for enterprises
  • Strong supplier management & contract lifecycle tracking
  • Advanced analytics & AI-driven spend optimization 

Cons 

  • High cost makes it inaccessible for small businesses
  • Complex implementation with a longer learning curve
  • Requires integration support for full efficiency

Pricing 

  • Contact the sales team for a quote
9. Spendesk

Spendesk is a state-of-the-art spend management software that helps with same-time payment validation through a single dashboard. The software records the employee who spends and the manager who approves each payment instantly, making it easy to monitor payment approvals and track team spending. It also empowers employees with company cards with built-in controls and automatically categorizes payments to the correct general ledger codes.

Key features

  • Virtual cards for online expenses and subscriptions to streamline purchasing and reduce      administrative burdens
  • Create and submit expense reports for greater financial control
  • Automated payment reminders and tracking of payment status for optimized cash flow
  • Automated bookkeeping and reconciliation to minimize manual data entry and errors
  • Real-time spending insights for actionable data

Pros 

  • Strong budget automation & spend approvals
  • Clear team-wide spending insights
  • Supports subscription tracking & expense claims 

Cons 

  • Pricing is not transparent
  • Some features locked behind higher pricing tiers
  • Lacks dedicated contract negotiation support

Pricing 

  • Contact the sales team for a quote
10. Ramp

Ramp is one of the free spend management services that enables companies to effortlessly control their expenses, reduce costs and automate administrative work. This cloud-based solution provides virtual corporate cards to employees, simplifying the purchasing process and offering greater flexibility in managing spends.

The platform ensures transparency and real-time visibility of employee expenditures, allowing businesses to analyze trends and identify areas where costs can be cut. Ramp's automated expense categorization feature accurately categorizes expenses, reducing the workload for accounting departments and increasing precision in financial reports.

Key features

  • Accounting integrations to automate receipt matching and savings insights
  • Vendor management system to restrict spend amounts to specific vendors
  • Automatic receipt collection to recognize and link receipts from email accounts
  • Add or remove users in real-time, create virtual cards, and restrict spend amounts for      specific vendors

Pros 

  • AI-driven spend insights for better cost control
  • No annual fees on corporate cards
  • Real-time spend monitoring with auto-reconciliation  

Cons 

  • Focuses more on corporate cards than procurement
  • Not ideal for large-scale procurement teams
  • Vendor management features are minimal

Pricing 

  • Free 

From unifying invoice management to providing visibility into your organization's spending through custom analytics, each spend management software option on our list allows businesses to reduce costs and save money.For SaaS expenses, Spendflo stands out from the competition thanks to its powerful analytics capabilities and customizable approval workflows that integrate with Slack. Get a free savings analysis today to see how much you could optimize your SaaS spend.

SAP Ariba

SAP Ariba is considered to be enterprise global procurement. It provides comprehensive supplier collaboration/compliance capabilities, which is appropriate in multifaceted and multinational supply chains.

  • Main Capability: End-to-end procurement, supplier collaboration, contract lifecycle management, global compliance.
  • Pros: Solution at enterprise level, powerful, adhering, and risk management; international supplier availability.
  • Cons: More complex and expensive to implement; consumes excessive IT maintenance; too expensive and complex to business in between.
  • G2 Rating: 4.1/5 | Capterra: 4.3/5
  • Pricing: Enterprise, quote based; varies depending on the module and size of company.

Jaggaer

Jaggaer is a procurement and supply chain solution that has a strong direct and indirect spend ability. It is known in the manufacturing, education and healthcare sectors.

  • Major Features: Spend review, supplier partnership, sourcing and supply chain visibility.
  • Strengths: The procurement is done directly; supplier base; established reputation in controlled business.
  • Neg: UI legacy feel; innovation not as strong as new SaaS-native platforms.
  • G2 Rating: 4.0/5 | Capterra: 4.1/5
  • Pricing: Enterprise, quote based.

Workday Spend Management

Workday is provided with a spend management in the package of its finance and HR. It is most appropriate to organizations that have made investments in the Workday ecosystem.

  • Associated Features: Supplier contracts, procurement workflow, expense tracking and integration with Workday Financials.
  • Advantages: Integrates with Workday HR and Finance; single platform; excellent reporting.
  • Cons: Static as a single spend management solution; only suitable to current Workday users.
  • G2 Rating: 4.3/5 | Capterra: 4.2/5
  • Pricing: Workday financial suite: Enterprise-level, quote-based.

Procurify

  • Key Features: Purchase approvals, budget tracking, spend reporting, mobile-first workflows.
  • Strengths: This is easy to run. There is close to mid-market orientation; there is high visibility of the finance team.
  • Cons: Limited enterprise-level features; less advanced analytics.
  • G2 Rating: 4.6/5 | Capterra: 4.6/5
  • Pricing: Starts around $1,000/month; scales by users and modules.

Precoro

  • Major Characteristics: Purchase order management, approval workflow, reporting, supplier tracking.
  •  Advantages: low cost; easy to use interface; good automation among SMBs.
  •  Disadvantages: Fewer high-level enterprise capabilities; smaller integration footprint than competitors.
  •  G2 Rating: 4.7/5 | Capterra: 4.8/5

 Pricing: Starts at ~$35/user/month.

Looking to optimize your SaaS spends?

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What are the benefits of spend management software?

Spend management software gives companies superior control over enterprise-wide expenditures by automating key processes, ensuring visibility, and strengthening compliance. On its part, it is a motivator of saving and turns procurement into a strategic process when well used.

These are the main advantages, which can be divided into six groups:

Cost Savings & Optimization

  • Determines the areas and the items that are overspending.
  • Facilitates vendor consolidation and enhanced contract negotiations.
  • Minimizes wastages in SaaS agreements and unwarranted costs.
  • Optimizes the budgets to gain maximum ROI.

Enhanced Productivity and Automation.

  • Automates approvals of purchases, expenses, and payments.
  • Minimizes human input and administration.
  • Accelerates procurement cycles with inbuilt workflows.
  • Frees teams to work on strategy jobs that are more valuable.

Enhanced Financial Control

  • Comparisons of expenses with budgets are real time.
  • Enhances the precision of financial statements and prediction.
  • Flags variances in planned spending and real spending.
  • This helps leaders use their resources with better efficiency.

Greater Oversight and Competitive Intelligence.

  • Offers real-time, instant access to spend data.
  • Brings together all the expenses in the departments.
  • Applying analytics to identify inefficiencies and indicate opportunities to save.
  • Enhances forward-looking decision-making and planning.

Greater Compliance and risk management.

  • Imposes compliance on policies via automated approval processes.
  • Keeps full audit records on transactions.
  • Less risk of fraud, rogue spending and non-compliant buying.
  • Enhances audit preparedness through proper reporting.

Better Supplier Relationships.

  • Unifies vendor contracts, invoices, and performance information.
  • Makes payments to suppliers in time and in the right amounts.
  • Helps Procurement teams are unbiased in terms of vendor performance.
  • Establishes a firmer, more dependable partnership that mitigate disruptions in the supply chain.

Stay ahead on the latest procurement trends with our State of SaaS buying report 2024

Criteria for comparing spend management software

When comparing spend management software, it is important to consider the following factors: 

Integration

  • How well does the software integrate with other SaaS applications, such as CRM,      accounting, project management or productivity tools? 
  • Does it offer APIs, webhooks or pre-built integrations? 
  • Can it sync data bidirectionally or unidirectionally? 
  • Can it handle conflicts or duplicates?

Customization

  • How much flexibility does the software provide for customizing workflows and approval      processes? 
  • Can it adapt to different industries, departments or use cases? 
  • Can it handle multi-language or multi-currency settings? 
  • Can it support white-label or branded interfaces?

Security

  • How strong are the software's security measures to protect data privacy, confidentiality      and availability? 
  • Does it use encryption, authentication, authorization or audit trails? 
  • Does it offer backups, disaster recovery or uptime guarantees?

Usability

  • How easily can users learn, navigate and use the software? 
  • Does it have an intuitive interface, mobile access or helpful resources? 
  • Does it allow for customization of user settings and preferences? 
  • Does it provide dashboards or analytical reports for quick insights?

Support

  • How responsive and knowledgeable is the vendor's customer support team? 
  • Does it offer different support tiers, such as basic, premium or VIP? 
  • Does it provide online documentation, training videos or user communities? 

Scalability

  • Is the platform scalable as your business increases the amount of money spent?
  • Is it multi entity, multi geography and multi currency?
  • Does it sustain higher volumes of performance?

Implementation Complexity

  • Deployment (weeks vs. months): How long does your deployment normally take?
  • Does the vendor have implementation specialists or partners?
  • Do integrations and workflows require intensive IT intervention?

Training & Change Management

  • Does it have structured training programs in finance, procurement and end users?
  • Does the vendor offer support to change management in order to facilitate adoption?
  • Does it support phased rollouts to lessen disruption?

ROI Measurement

  • What data does the platform capture and show about savings (e.g., negotiated discounts, avoided renewals)?
  • Does it report cost-savings, compliance increase, and time saved?
  • Does it have benchmarking tools to compare with peers in terms of ROI?

Hidden Costs & Long-Term Value

  • Implementation Costs: include professional services fees of setting up and integrating?
  • Training and Onboarding: What is included, and what is an extra cost?

Ongoing Value: Will the subscription provide an appreciable savings over time, or are the cost and benefits going to be comparable?

Is procurement outsourcing right for you? Find out with tools and checklists in our ‘Guide to Outsourcing Procurement’
Download Here

Common Mistakes in Spend Management

Managing SaaS and procurement expenses effectively is a challenge, and many businesses fall into common spend management traps that

lead to overspending, inefficiencies, and compliance risks. 

Here are some of the most frequent mistakes companies make when managing their spend:

Lack of Visibility into SaaS and Procurement Costs

Challenge:

Software usage, vendor contracts and renewal cycles are dispersed when various teams work in silos. In the absence of a centralized dashboard, firms lose track of ownership and usage, ending up spending money in vain.

Solution:

Embrace a spend management tool that would store all information in contract, invoice and usage forms. In the choice of the tools, you must consider the tools that have real-time reporting, custom dashboards, and integration with your ERP or finance stack. In selection of vendors: How quickly do you transition to renewal schedules and departmental level expenditure? Concept pre-proving with just a few vendors to ensure that visibility has been achieved.

Unplanned Renewals and Last-Minute Approvals

Challenge:

Auto-renewals are normally launched on hostile terms due to the missed deadlines. Without proactive warnings, or prepared lines of finance department approvals, there is no authority to negotiate.

Solution:

Use automated renewal and approval processes to avoid time deadlines. During vendor choice, you must enquire: Does your platform provide proactive renewal notifications at least 90 days before? Adoption process commences with mapping all the current contracts, uploading the renewal dates, and establishing levels of approval. In order to do the planned migration, ensure that the historical contract data is imported properly in such a manner that no renewals are left in the cracks.

Duplicate and Redundant SaaS Tools

Challenge:

Without procurement guardrails, various departments will end up buying similar tools, which spurs redundancy and cost inefficiency.

Solution:

Apply SaaS discovery and vendor consolidation. Under your prove-of-concept plan, use 2-3 departments, plot overlapping tools, and measure the amount of estimated savings. Question a vendor: What do you do to detect duplicate licenses and give consolidation advice in your software? In the migration, the departmental migrations should be planned in such a way that the deletion of redundant tools does not disrupt the migration.

Lack of Compliance and Security in Procurement

Challenge:

Shadow IT and uncertified vendors pose a threat to compliance and portability gaps and leave companies vulnerable to audits and regulatory fines.

Solution:

Search tools that have compliance checks, vendor risk scoring, and policy enforcement. When selecting: Inquire: What compliance frameworks do your platform support SOC 2, GDPR, ISO 27001? Make sure that the vendor is a support system to change management with training and onboarding of procurement and IT teams. To prevent the introduction of risk in migration planning, develop a checklist where vendors are mapped to compliance requirements.

Ready to cut SaaS costs and streamline procurement?

Book a free demo with Spendflo today and discover how you can save up to 30% on SaaS expenses while improving procurement efficiency. Book a Demo

Conclusion

SaaS and procurement cost management cannot be accomplished by tracking costs alone, it requires the appropriate platform to unite visibility, control and savings. Although numerous tools are available on the market, Spendflo is the most effective spend management software in the SaaS-intensive business. Ensuring up to 30 percent savings, expert-led vendor negotiation capabilities, automatic renewal analytics, and compliance-oriented options, Spendflo enables the finance and procurement departments to make spend management not a cost liability but instead a driver of growth.

Book a free demo with Spendflo today

FAQS

Q1. What is spend management software?

Spend management software is a tool that helps businesses monitor and control their expenses by automating key functions such as budgeting, vendor management and contract negotiations. It offers real-time insights that help companies identify savings opportunities and improve financial performance.

Q2. How does spend management software help in cost control measures?

Spend management software helps control costs by providing real-time visibility into spending patterns to help identify areas of overspending. It streamlines the procurement process and lead to better supplier negotiations and more efficient purchasing

Q3. What are the key features of spend management software?

  A good spend management software enables:

  • Automated approval workflows
  • Vendor management and security checklists
  • Usage and spend analytics
  • User sentiment
  • Budget tracking
  • Spend forecasting
  • Optimization insights
  • Integrations with a wide range of tools

Q4. How can organizations benefit from spend management software?

Organizations can benefit from spend management software by gaining greater control over their spending which leads to cost savings, improved procurement processes and better financial decision-making. It can also help ensure compliance with procurement policies and regulations and improve supplier relationships.

Q5. Which businesses can benefit from best spend management software?

Spend management software can benefit businesses of all sizes and industries, including but not limited to software, construction, healthcare, retail and manufacturing. This software is particularly helpful for CFOs and COOs who need better visibility into company spending.

Need a rough estimate before you go further?

Here's what the average Spendflo user saves annually:
$2 Million
Your potential savings
$600,000
Managed Procurement.
Guaranteed Savings.
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