One of the effective ways to grow your business is winning orders from large-scale industries such as Tata Steel. The company has established an eProcurement portal to fulfill its requirements. This article throws light on Tata Steel’s procurement platform and the procurement process.

Tata Steel’s approach to procurement

Before we understand the process of Tata Steel’s procurement, it is important to understand the company’s strategy. Unlike government tenders where tender evaluation takes place based on the lowest quoted price, Tata Steel has adopted a strategic sourcing approach. This approach focusses on the total cost of ownership (TCO) not the purchase price.

It is a more structured and planned way of sourcing. Usually, a cross-functional committee is formed to formulate a sourcing strategy for a commodity. The committee carries out a study on technical and commercial aspects, and then the strategy is made.

Tata Steel e-Procurement

In order to receive enquiries and share quotes against enquiries, you need to log in to Tata Steel’s eProcurement platform.  Once you log in to this platform using your user ID and password, you come to the dashboard. Here multiple actions can be taken. For example, you can change your password, upload GST details, acknowledge enquiries, and so on.

Process of Tata Steel’s procurement

• In case of a requirement for goods or services relevant to your business, Tata Steel will place an enquiry, which will reflect on your dashboard.
• It is mandatory for you as a vendor to acknowledge all enquiries.
• If you have already received multiple enquiries and have acknowledged some while some are yet to acknowledge. However, if you are finding it difficult to spot unacknowledged enquiries, you can click on the search bar in the right corner of the screen and type ‘NOT’. All unacknowledged enquiries will be displayed.
• Now you can click on each enquiry number to see details.
• You can either click on ‘I acknowledge’ or ‘I regret’.

Also read: Tata Steel vendor registration process

How to quote against enquiry?

• To quote against the enquiry, you can to the Enquiry Menu and click on the List of Enquiries
• Click on the Enquiry Number for which you need to send a quote.
• A new page will open with details of the enquiry.
• You can easily click on the Quote button for initiating quoting.
• Now, a new window will open wherein you will have to feed in extra charges if any.
• Also, check if the currency displayed against your quote is right.
• Add applicable taxes and click on Submit Charges.

How to see the order list?

On Tata Steel’s eProcurement platform, you can see the order list. This is how you will have to navigate:

• To see the orders that you have received, click on the Order Module option on your dashboard.
• All orders will appear in the tabular format on your screen.
• You can locate a specific order that you are looking for by searching by order number or order date.
• To see the details of the order, you need to click on the Order Number. If the status of the order is blank, then you will have to take action by clicking either on ‘I accept’ or ‘I reject’.

For Order confirmation, the following steps need to be taken:

• On your dashboard, click on Order Module Menu and click on Order Confirmation.
• A page will open containing a search bar and a list of orders.
• You can locate the order you are looking for by searching with an order number.
• Enter the order number for which you need to give confirmation.
• The order details will appear on the screen. Select confirmation date, enter confirmation quantity and remarks, and click on ‘Submit’ for confirmation or ‘Save as drafts’ for saving.
• Alternatively, you can also download the details. It will be downloaded in Excel format.

Important things to note.

• Tata Steel follows the Tata Code of Conduct (CoC) in the procurement process. This Code of Conduct will be displayed to vendors on two occasions. One when you log in to the procurement platform for the first time and then when there is any change made in the Code of Conduct. You will need to click on ‘I Accept’ or ‘I Reject’. Only when you accept the CoC, you can enter further into the site.
• Then the vendor also has to make a declaration of Conflict of Interest (CoI). You need to fill in the CoI form and submit it.

Final thoughts: tips for MSMEs

Here are some tips for winning orders from Tata Steel.

• Large companies such as Tata Steel has several requirements. Therefore, even if your company is not in the steel-related business, you can log in and check for other requirements.
• Before accepting any order, ensure that you have the required capabilities and capacities to fulfill the order.
• While quoting for the order, make sure it is competitive enough. Simultaneously, it should be sustainable enough for your business.
• Read order details thoroughly. Understand quantity, expected quality, etc., so that you can match the expectations.

Also read: Tenders by city

Author: Swati Deshpande

Swati is a passionate content writer with more than 10 years of experience crafting content for the business and manufacturing sectors, and helping MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) navigate complexities in steel procurement, and business services. Her clear and informative writing empowers MSMEs to make informed decisions and thrive in the competitive landscape.