Tips for reviewing and choosing hospitality procurement software

As a restaurant operator, you’ve likely experienced frustration over the time-consuming and costly nature of procurement - and you may be looking to invest in the best purchase-to-pay inventory management software to automate your processes, claim back costs and regain resources, to be allocated elsewhere. 

But with so many available software options for hospitality businesses in the UK, each with their strengths and weaknesses, it can be understandably hard to decide which one is right for you. 

10 mins

Written by Jen Grenside.

This important decision will likely revolve around what it is you want to achieve: 

Are you looking to save costs by analysing your spending patterns?
Are you hoping to avoid common issues such as overstocking or running out of essentials? 
Are you searching for a more effective way to identify and manage your suppliers? 
Or do you need all of the above?

Here at Access Hospitality, we talk to customers every day about how to use hospitality procurement software to streamline processes and reduce their current spend in procurement.

In this article, we’ll give you all the information you need to decide whether or not purchase-to-pay software is right for your business and explore the various features and factors that you should be mindful of while looking for a software supplier. 

Is purchase-to-pay software right for me?

Purchase-to-pay software is ideal for larger, multi-site hospitality businesses, where managing multiple suppliers, contracts and invoices quickly becomes time‑consuming and complex. It reduces the risk of costly errors by automating key steps such as ordering, approvals, goods‑in and payments, and by giving you one place to review every stage of the procurement process.

When purchase-to-pay helps

Multi‑site venues such as restaurant groups, pubs, cinemas and hotels that place frequent orders across three or more locations.

Operators that want advanced inventory visibility and stronger compliance, with clear links between contracts, orders, deliveries and invoices.

Teams who currently juggle separate systems, email and spreadsheets to manage suppliers, and would benefit from a single, central hub.

With this level of clarity, purchase-to-pay software can strengthen supplier relationships as well as improve control. You are able to see outgoings and contract terms at a glance, quickly review which agreements are working well, and identify where there is room for improvement or negotiation.

What about smaller businesses?

For smaller businesses, purchase-to-pay software may not be a worthwhile investment. While it will likely increase efficiency, the savings may be outweighed by the costs incurred for operators with only one or two sites. 

Ultimately, it’s about making the choice that makes sense for your needs, and that involves understanding the available options, and what they can do for you.

What should I look for in a hospitality procurement system?

So, if the deciding factor for choosing hospitality procurement software is finding one that has all the features that meet the needs and requirements of your business, then the question remains, what are they? 

Let’s look at some of the key features found in various procurement software packages. 

Streamlined ordering and purchasing

Procurement software should cover the full ordering process from requisition and approval through to goods‑in, invoice matching and payment, reducing the hassle of managing multiple suppliers.

In addition to automated orders driven by stock levels, you should still be able to raise one‑off purchase orders quickly when you need to top up specific items.

Strong systems automatically match supplier invoices to purchase orders and deliveries, highlight any discrepancies, and pass clean invoices to your finance system for payment under your approval rules – letting you decide how hands‑on or hands‑off you want to be.

Stock tracking

Strong purchase‑to‑pay systems link to your hospitality EPoS and kitchen or inventory tools, so stock movements update automatically as dishes are sold.

Reorder rules based on par levels or usage help prevent stockouts while avoiding over‑ordering and excess holding.

Easy, accurate stock counts and clear on‑hand figures by site make it simpler to spot issues and track KPIs such as stock turns and variances.

Food waste management

Food waste management software is a great addition to stock tracking, as it allows you to actively track any and all food being thrown away.

Waste tracking that sits alongside purchasing and stock gives you a fuller picture of where food is being lost.

Being able to report on waste by menu, category and unit helps you identify patterns and support decisions on menu design, prep and ordering.

Manage suppliers and contracts

The bigger your business, the more suppliers you need.

Procurement software gives you access to thousands of suppliers and allows you to see an overview of recent purchases, price changes and feedback. 

With such an array of suppliers at your disposal, you can easily shop around for the best deals, comparing prices between items and looking for appropriate vendors that have better-priced alternatives. 

Using Purchase-to-pay software, you can easily request new suppliers, terminate contracts with old ones, and monitor any orders currently in process, all in one place. These relationships can take place entirely within the software, allowing you to set specific delivery times, or have your system wait until it can meet a supplier’s minimum order charge. 

Product insights

Beyond pricing, it is helpful if your procurement software can surface product data such as allergens, nutrition and pack details.

This supports safer menu choices and can make it easier to stay aligned with regulations like Natasha’s Law and PPDS labelling requirements.

Where possible, choose systems that can share this information with your menu, recipe and labelling tools rather than keeping it in a silo.

Menu engineering

Procurement and menu engineering work best together when recipe and menu tools can draw directly on live product and price data.

This allows chefs and managers to see how ingredient and supplier choices affect dish cost and GP, and to adjust recipes or menus accordingly.

Cloud-capability

Having cloud capability takes away some of the pressure of managing your purchase-to-pay software. The connectivity allows you to benefit from regular updates and stay on the latest version of the software, while its location means that it’s up to the vendor to maintain the system and avoid any outages. 

This is also beneficial if you have a malfunction. If your computers go down, you can be content with the knowledge that your procurement software is still operating safely. 

Making sure the procurement software is the best fit for your hospitality business

Key features aside, there are several other things you must consider before you commit to a particular procurement software. 

Ease-of-use

One of the main things you should consider when deciding on procurement software is how easy you and your team will find it to use. When looking for the best inventory management software for restaurants, consider that while a little complexity is acceptable if the software is advanced, you need to evaluate if there's a cut-off for how complex it can be before it's no longer worthwhile.

If, for instance, a lot of your team is capable but not especially technically savvy, you’ll want something on the simpler side, otherwise, you’ll have to invest in extra training to bring everyone up to speed. 

If you only need your management team to use the software, training might not be too big of a commitment, but if you want the majority of your employees involved, those extra costs could rack up quickly.  Different solutions offer varying levels of accessibility, from moderate to high ease of use, so consider what best matches your team's capabilities.

Cost 

Cost, in and of itself, is another huge factor to consider. 

Some procurement software may come with a hefty one-off payment, while others require an ongoing subscription. It may be tempting to opt for the cheapest option, but generally speaking, the cheaper the software, the fewer features it will have, which you may come to regret down the line.

Fortunately, there are alternatives. Access Hospitality’s Purchase-to-Pay software, Procurement Wizard Evo, is built modularly, so you can pick and choose the features you need, without paying for features you won’t use. 

When it comes you ensuring you have access to the functionality you need, such as allergens and nutrition management software, or a menu management system - your package is catered to you. 

Customer support

Software solutions should be robust, especially when you’re paying high prices for a subscription. But even with the most robust software, there will likely come a time when you’ll need to get in touch with the company for support. 

When a system fails, or a mistake is made, your stress levels are high enough without then finding out that your software provider’s customer support is lacking. 

That’s why it’s important to seek out reviews and read feedback to see if this is definitely a company you want to be working with when times are hard. Because if not, even if they offer an unbeatable price, it just may not be worth it. 

Integration Capabilities

When selecting a restaurant inventory software, consider how well it integrates with your existing systems. Strong supplier integration and POS connectivity can significantly impact operational efficiency. The best solutions offer seamless integration with accounting software and other business systems, giving you a complete view of your operations.

Onboarding times

Finally, you should look at the company’s onboarding process. 

While a company may look great on paper, if they have a slow onboarding process it could leave your business in a very difficult position when you make the switch over to your new system. 

This also ties back into the issue of ease of use. As well as checking for onboarding materials and quick data onboarding processes to make sure you’re avoiding downtime, you should also check to see how long training for the new system takes. Look for providers offering comprehensive support during implementation, including training materials and dedicated assistance to ensure a smooth transition.

Once again, with all of these factors, you should keep reviews in mind. Are former customers satisfied, or are they coming up with complaints you hadn’t even considered? 

How Procure Wizard Evo supports hospitality procurement

Procure Wizard Evo is our cloud‑based purchase‑to‑pay platform, created specifically for restaurants, pubs, hotels and contract caterers. It connects ordering, stock, recipes and menus, so purchasing decisions are based on live data rather than spreadsheets.

Key features

End‑to‑end purchase‑to‑pay: Raise and approve orders, receive goods, match invoices and export to finance from one system, with clear controls so you only pay for what has actually been delivered.

Live prices and products: Product and price updates flow directly from suppliers into Procure Wizard Evo, giving buyers and chefs an accurate, up‑to‑date view of what is available, at what cost and in which pack sizes.

Integrated stock and menus: Inventory, recipe, menu and allergen tools all draw on the same data, so changes in products or prices are reflected quickly in dish costs, GP and theoretical stock.

AI‑powered insight and Copilot: AI capabilities help highlight unusual price movements, spending patterns and potential issues, while Copilot can answer common questions and surface relevant information faster – this is one of the favourite functionalities amongst busy teams.

Multi‑currency and multi‑company support: If you're buying in different currencies or trade across multiple legal entities, this functionality will help your teams manage purchasing while still reflecting local pricing and tax requirements.

Modular design: Operators can start with core purchasing and invoice automation, then add specialist modules such as allergen and nutrition management, menu engineering, stock and sustainability as their needs develop.

Key benefits:

Reduced admin: Automation of ordering and invoice matching can cut manual processing time by up to 90% for finance and purchasing teams.

Better cost control: Visibility of spend by site, category and supplier, combined with live price data, supports tighter control of food and drink costs.

Stronger supplier relationships: Clear data on volumes, prices and performance makes it easier to manage contracts and work collaboratively with suppliers.

Ready to streamline your procurement processes?

It’s clear that purchase-to-pay software offers a wide range of features that can improve the efficiency of your hospitality business and help your venues streamline procurement processes.

From the automation of stock checking and purchases, to collating and reviewing important analytics, procurement software allows you to focus on running your business, with the peace of mind that these important processes are being taken care of. 

In this article, we’ve explored the why, how, and what procurement software can do for you. Now all that’s left is for you to decide which procurement software aligns most closely with your needs. 

If you would like to start your journey towards a leaner, more efficient procurement process, Access Hospitality has several decades' worth of experience supplying software solutions to hospitality venues and has an in-depth understanding of the best way to help hospitality businesses. Procure Wizard Evo is built with all of this in mind and is sure to not only make procurement simpler but also boost revenue and help you get the most out of your business. For more information, or to discuss the implementation of this software, get in touch with our friendly team or watch the demo video.