leverandørflaten

Leverandørflaten is a term used in Norwegian ICT and procurement contexts to describe the supplier-facing portion of a digital procurement platform or ERP system. It encompasses the interface, services, and data models that enable suppliers to interact with buyers’ systems, typically supporting onboarding, catalog management, order handling, invoicing, and communication.

Etymology and scope: leverandør comes from supplier, while flaten (the flat surface or layer) signals a distinct layer within the architecture that sits between the supplier and the buyer’s core procurement processes. The concept emphasizes a dedicated surface for suppliers rather than the internal backbone used by buyers.

Core functions and components: A leverandørflaten typically includes supplier onboarding and profile management, catalog submission and maintenance, order visibility and acknowledgement, invoice submission and status tracking, and two-way messaging. It may also host performance data, compliance checks, and integration points via APIs to connect with ERP, e-procurement, and supplier networks. Data quality, catalog standardization, and secure authentication are common design goals.

Architecture and integration: In practice, leverandørflaten can be implemented as a supplier portal, a set of microservices, or a dedicated API layer integrated with buyer systems. It interacts with master data management, procurement workflows, and invoicing processes, enabling automated data exchange, spend analytics, and supplier performance monitoring.

Impact and considerations: A well-designed supplier-facing surface can speed up onboarding, improve data quality, and streamline purchasing and invoicing. It requires clear governance, standardized data models, and secure, scalable interfaces to support diverse supplier ecosystems.

See also: e-procurement, supplier portal, supplier master data.