Creation of a procurement management system for S7 Airlines

S7 Group of Companies developed a subsystem for managing and monitoring procurement processes based on 1C:Document Management. It covers all enterprises included in the S7 group of companies. They created a mechanism that allows launching purchasing processes with minimal user interventions. The system makes it possible to plan acquisition procedures and control accurate compliance of procurement activity duration with the established regulations.

S7 Airlines is one of the largest airline companies in Russia that enjoys a widespread network of domestic routes. The fleet consists of 60 aircraft.

Earlier, several electronic document management systems (EDMS) from various vendors were implemented at the enterprise, which caused troubles in the document flow. The company required a unified information system to process and store documents and perform tasks. The 1C:Document Management software product was chosen as a unified EDMS since it fully meets the specified criteria:

• It is an out-of-the-box solution that perfectly fits the company’s requirements in business functionality;

• Highly qualified personnel

• It is possible to adapt the system without assistance from third-party agencies;

• Reasonable cost.

The project goal was to develop a subsystem for the automation of procurement business processes based on the 1C:Document Management EDMS.

Project tasks:

• ensure efficient document flow in terms of procurement activity planning and execution of purchasing procedures following the established regulations;

• arrange storage, systematization and data protection for procurement procedures;

• organize electronic approval processes;

• achieve transparency for each purchasing transaction;

• provide information assistance for control and audit of the company’s procurement activity

The implemented EDMS made it possible to automate the following business elements:

1) registration and processing of incoming/outgoing documents;

2) handling of administrative and directive documents;

3) agreement accounting and processing;

4) processing of invoices, tax requests;

5) complaint management.

At the preparatory stage of the project, it was required to carry out some methodological works which were performed by both third-party specialists and the air company’s employees. The implementation itself was fulfilled by the company’s IT workers.

Solution architecture

Nowadays, the electronic document management system based on the 1C:Document Management CORP solution is used in all enterprises of the S7 group of companies and covers 34 cities (from Pekin to Frankfurt).

As for the subsystem for managing and monitoring the company’s procurement activity, it is also based on 1C:Document Management CORP.

Project uniqueness

The project team developed a mechanism that allows launching procurement processes with minimal user interventions, automatically create purchasing procedures, carry out document approval, send notifications, etc.

One of the crucial requirements was to use the out-of-the-box functionality of the 1C:Document Management software product; therefore, the system source code was not almost modified.

Project results

The subsystem for managing and monitoring the company’s procurement activity ensures:

• efficient planning of acquisition procedures;

• transparency for each purchasing transaction;

• efficiency enhancement of overall procurement activity;

• data storage and protection.

Besides, the company got an additional tool to control the executive discipline of employees.