Sourcing software supports the strategic side of procurement: intake, tendering, supplier communication, proposal comparison, evaluation, award.
Distinction. P2P systems cover the operational side after award; ERP manages purchase orders. Sourcing software ends at the award decision.
Core functions. Structured intake, supplier management, document creation, communication management, mandated pricing sheets, evaluation tools, audit trail.
What services sourcing requires. Material-oriented S2P suites often only partially cover text-based, multi-stage services evaluation.
Position in the stack. Together with P2P systems forms the source-to-pay chain.