Home > Network Solutions > Supplier FAQ
Telepress quote
Join the Network

Quick Links


Supplier FAQ



Registration Questions

Business Questions



Other Questions

General Questions
Q: What is the Ariba Supplier Network?
A: The Ariba Supplier Network connects many of the world's leading organizations with their suppliers for electronic business collaboration. As the largest global network across a broad range of commodities and business processes, the Ariba Supplier Network delivers unparalleled reach, functionality and expertise to support your trading partner relationships. With more than 160,000 suppliers and hundreds of buying organizations, the Network avoids the challenges of point-to-point connections and manual processes by providing a centralized solution to more effectively manage trading partner discovery, transactions and financial settlement.


Q: What is Ariba?
A: Ariba, Inc. is the leading provider of Spend Management solutions that help companies analyze, understand and manage their corporate spending to achieve increased cost savings and enterprise wide business process efficiency. Ariba enables efficient online trade, integration, and collaboration between buyers, suppliers and commerce service providers. The Ariba Spend Management solutions comprise a unique, comprehensive blend of domain expertise, operational services, and technology that accelerate each customer's journey toward an improved bottom line.


Q: What services does the Ariba Supplier Network offer?
A: The Ariba Supplier Network offers:
  • Directory and registration services that include a single global directory of buyers and suppliers.
  • Transaction management that provides for secure, reliable multi-protocol translation and routing of business documents.
  • Catalog services that include an online interface for suppliers to register, upload and publish catalogs at no cost.
  • Financial management that supports the efficient management of invoices and payment processes.
  • Sourcing services that enable buyers and suppliers to find new business opportunities and business relationships.


Q: What infrastructure do I need for the Ariba Supplier Network?
A: The Ariba Supplier Network supports suppliers at any level of technical sophistication. The level you use depends on your order volume and the amount of automation you want. For suppliers with fewer technical resources, the only infrastructure required is a fax machine or Internet connection-you can receive orders via fax, through email, or directly through the Ariba Supplier Network web site.

Technically savvy suppliers may opt to obtain orders through EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), which allows direct order entry into an order processing system. This method requires an account with an EDI provider and an order processing system. The most sophisticated suppliers can implement a Web commerce site that receives orders as cXML (Commerce XML) documents and routes them directly into an order processing system. This process requires a cXML-enabled Web site and an order processing system. Such Web sites can be expanded to support PunchOut, which enables end users to view content and configure products through direct interaction.


Q: My company's eCommerce Web site is an important differentiator for us. Can the Ariba Supplier Network take advantage of it?
A: Yes. Procurement applications and the Ariba Supplier Network support a protocol called PunchOut, which gives buying organizations access to your Web site and its product and service content. For PunchOut catalogs, procurement applications display a hyperlink instead of product or pricing details. Users select this hyperlink to directly access specific pages on your local site. Depending on how you implement those pages, users can browse product options, specify configurations, and select delivery methods. All of your Web site's features, including user authentication and personalization, can be made available to buying organizations.

When users finish browsing your site, they click a button that returns the order information to procurement applications. The fully configured products and their prices appear within procurement applications on user purchase orders.


Q: How does the procurement process work?
A: The following steps outline how purchase orders are generated and routed to you:
  • An employee in a buying organization uses a procurement application on a desktop computer or over the Web to select products or services from your catalogs.
  • An employee in a buying organization uses a procurement application on a desktop computer or over the Web to select products or services from your catalogs.
  • The procurement application generates a purchase requisition and routes it to appropriate personnel for approval.
  • Upon approval, the procurement application converts the purchase requisition into a purchase order and sends it to the Ariba Supplier Network through the Internet.
  • The Ariba Supplier Network looks up your preferred order-routing method, and sends the purchase order to you.
  • You can update the order status on Ariba Supplier Network to notify the buyer (for example, order shipped).


Q: What is the Supplier Membership Program?
A: The Supplier Membership Program helps you mzximize the benefits your business receives by providing added functionality and services tailored to your level of participation on the Ariba Supplier Network. The Supplier Membership Program offers a three tiered structure - Basic, Premier and Elite.


  • Basic - Supports the most commonly used functionality an dlimited transaction volumes. Suppliers with no qualifying relationships join the Ariba supplier Network at th efree Basic level.
  • Premier - Suppliers with at least one qualifying relationship join at the Premier level. The Premier membership level is for suppliers seeking advantage through value-added features.
  • Elite - Suppliers with greater than $10M USD in volume in qualifying relationships become Elite members. The Elite membership level is designed for the most active suppliers that recognize the Ariba Supplier Network as strategic to their business.

Q: What is the difference between Supplier Technical Support and Supplier Customer Support?
A:Supplier Customer Support provides both webform (email)-based support and telephone support (in 8 languages) for simple administrative questions related to suppliers' Ariba SN account, such as ID and password issues, questions about account funtionality and settings, general inquiries, etc. This sevice is free for all suppliers.

Supplier Technical Support is generally an optional service that provides direct access to technical support engineers for assistance troubleshooting EDI, cXML, PunchOut or Catalog data issues. This services requires a $1,000USD annual subscription fee. Please note that EDI suppliers are required to subscribe to this service.

For more information on these services, go to:

http://www.ariba.com/pdf/PremiumSupplierSupport.pdf
Registration Questions
Q: How do I register on the Ariba Supplier Network?
A: Registering your company on the Ariba Supplier Network is easy and takes just a couple of minutes. You can register either by invitation from an Ariba Buyer customer or by walkup. In both cases you enter basic company information and profile data such as your industry, company size and annual revenues. You can use the Ariba Supplier Network after your account has been reviewed and activated.


Q: How is walkup registration different from being invited?
A: The difference is when your account is reviewed and enabled by a buying organization. Invited suppliers are sponsored by a buying organization. Buying organizations send their suppliers email invitations that contain a link to the Ariba Supplier Network. This method associates the new suppliers with the appropriate buyers. After an invited supplier registers, the buyer is responsible for reviewing the supplier's registration and activating the account. The supplier is notified through email when its account becomes active.

Suppliers performing walkup registration are not associated with a buying organization. Before the account is fully activated, a buying organization must review and enable it.


Q: What is a D-U-N-S® number?
A: Data Universal Numbering System (D-U-N-S) numbers have become the standard for tracking global businesses. They are nine-digit numbers issued by Dun & Bradstreet, Inc. to identify each corporate location of a business. The Ariba Supplier Network uses D-U-N-S numbers to uniquely identify each organization, so you must have a D-U-N-S number to register. Most companies already have a D-U-N-S number. You can find yours on the Dun & Bradstreet Web site at http://www.dnb.com/. If you do not yet have a D-U-N-S number, Dun &apm; Bradstreet will provide you one at no cost.


Q: I registered-now what happens?
A: After registration you can log in to the Ariba Supplier Network and use basic supplier features. However, your account is not fully enabled until your information is reviewed and authenticated by a buying organization. You will receive email notification from the Ariba Supplier Network when your account is fully activated. If you joined the Network through an invitation, you may want to contact the inviting organization to tell them you have completed registration.


Q: What if I forgot my password?
A: Click the Forgot Your Password link on the Ariba Supplier Network Welcome page. The Network will prompt you for the secret question you entered during registration.
Business Questions
Q: How secure is the Ariba Supplier Network?
A: The Ariba Supplier Network was designed with security in mind. All communications between procurement applications, suppliers, and the Ariba Supplier Network use HTTPS (Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol), which is the standard for secure Internet communication. HTTPS uses SSL (Secure Socket Layer), which incorporates RSA's highly regarded encryption system. Access to buyer and supplier accounts is password protected.


Q: How do suppliers initiate relationships with buyers?
A: You are welcome to contact the companies listed on the Ariba Corporate Web site. Our policy strictly forbids us from revealing buyer contact names, so we suggest that you contact your business development organization, eCommerce manager, or sales organization for this information.


Q: How can suppliers advertise their companies to buyers?
A: The first step in accessing the buying community in the Ariba Supplier Network is to become a member. After account activation, you can publish your company profile information and catalogs. Buyers can then initiate new relationships and view your company profile and public catalog.


Q: What is the privacy policy for registration and company information?
A: When you register on the Ariba Supplier Network, your registration and company profile information is immediately available to buyers. Existing buyers use this data to conduct supplier transactions, while prospective buyers use it to determine whether to initiate new business relationships with suppliers. Personal account information is kept strictly confidential. You are not permitted access to the company information of other suppliers.


Q: How do I participate in sourcing events from Ariba Customers?
A: We offer two ways for you to participate in sourcing events run by buyers that use Ariba products and services. First, you can register on the Ariba Supplier Network by submitting your company profile information. This data is searchable by the hundreds of buying organizations using Ariba Sourcing solutions. When you register, it is particularly critical that you use the correct categorizations and geographies for your goods and/or services.

You can also register for Business Opportunities on Ariba Supplier Network. As a Basic Member on the Network you can view general listings for free. (Visit supplier.ariba.com to view current available listings). You can respond to specific business opportunities after upgrading to a Premier Membership.

Click here for a list of the numerous buying organizations using Ariba solutions.


Q: What benefits will I receive if I am a small or medium-sized business?
A: As a small or medium-sized supplier, you can view all new business opportunity listings at no cost by registering as a Basic Member on the Ariba Supplier Network. By doing so you'll also have access to incremental revenue opportunities from hundreds of the leading buying organizations worldwide.

You can enhance your business development efforts by promoting your ability to receive purchase orders on the Ariba Supplier Network and by marketing your status as an Ariba Ready confirmed transacting supplier.

Once you and a buyer have agreed to conduct business, you can receive the following benefits:
  • Faster receipt of approved purchase orders from your customers.
  • Lower rate of errors
  • Less paperwork and follow-up
  • Faster payments, particularly if your buyer is using Ariba Invoice
  • Better visibility of the status of your purchase orders, invoices and payments
Other Questions
Q: I read the FAQ and I still have questions. Whom can I contact?
A: If you still have questions after reading this FAQ list, you can contact Ariba SN Customer Support. See contact information at: https://connect.ariba.com/asnsupport

Include your name, company name and phone number along with your question. Activated suppliers will find that the Supplier's Guide answers many of their questions.

Q: Where can I go to view documentation and training guides on Ariba Supplier Network?
A: Documentation and training on Ariba Supplier Network topics are available at https://supplier.ariba.com/help.


Email this page