We sat down with one of the most loyal and revered DeepStream RFx Heroes, Sara Nandin de Carvalho to talk to her about all things RFx. Sara has been working with DeepStream as the Supply Chain Manager at Maersk Decom and we asked her a few questions about her experience using DeepStream.
Sara Nandin de Carvalho is one of our most loyal and revered DeepStream RFx Heroes so we decided to have a sit down with her to talk to her about all things RFx. Sara has been working with DeepStream as the Supply Chain Manager at Maersk Decom, but is moving on to bring her electric energy to...well we’ll let her tell you. However, we couldn’t bear to lose such an avid user, and we therefore created the DeepStream Alumni in order to stay in touch (and continue to ask her for her feedback - which has had a big influence in how our platform has developed). Before she left Maersk Decom, we asked her a few questions about her experience using DeepStream.
“I just love the tool! ”
It's a software built by and for the actual user.
One of DeepStreams’ USPs is our agility which gives us the ability to adapt and develop features to better fit the needs of our users. Therefore, Sara’s willingness to provide constructive feedback has been massively appreciated across the teams. When we asked her what her favourite feature was, she named a few (it is hard to choose when there are so many great ones 😎), but when made to choose, she settled on Clarifications (with the Bulletin feature close behind).
The reason for this was the ease it gave to communicating with suppliers in a streamlined way, replacing the manic fielding of emails when multiple tenders are out. Specifically she loves that you can “resolve messages to show when they’re completed, with clear actions next to messages when they come through”. Ultimately;
“It’s about you (DeepStream) understanding the procurement process, having a system that people in the heavy industry can relate to, and the (platform’s) flexibility, so you can structure the tender how you want to - it’s just easy.”
Looking for a transparent software to streamline your sourcing and RFx processes just like Sara at Maersk?
Saving time, money and sanity.
The key benefits of using DeepStream that Sara identified had a lot to do with her favourite features, the ease of supplier communication and auditability the platform offered. Saving time (and sanity) was the most important thing, a result of the efficiency that the platform brought her workflow;
“I would be completely mad working 10 tenders having to do it all over email when the suppliers are more or less the same; trying to keep track of which ones that had been invited, who needed to be included in the email chain etc., whereas on Deepstream you can just add another user, and they’ll be able to see all the information they need to.”
Sara also highlighted how helpful DeepStream’s live updated audit trail was, both to ensure transparency in her workflow, but also in her suppliers’. Rather than having to search through emails to identify what was agreed upon and when, the ability to have all the information exchanged between buyer and supplier in one place was a huge benefit.
Flexibility means one platform can fit all.
According to Sara, “DeepStream’s flexibility means that it (has the ability to) cover pretty much everything”. Even project procurement, which she says in theory would be easier over email, is better off being conducted through DeepStream, as everyone can access the relevant information, rather than it being stored in a handful of people’s heads.
DeepStream encourages transparency and collaboration. A crucial factor in DeepStream’s scalability is the ability to collaborate with your own team (and outside organisations) as a result of the granular levels of permissions that can be set against different types of information.
Looking for a transparent software to streamline your sourcing and RFx processes just like Sara at Maersk?
Best-of-breed and user-friendliness over suite solutions.
As a result of Sara’s level of expertise, she’s used a number of different systems that she identifies as our competitors; (the dreaded) SAP Ariba, Contiki and Scanmarket. However, what she felt made DeepStream stand out from the crowd was its organisational features, namely our Page tab system. This allows information to be organised in a manner that makes sense for your workflow, rather than being restricted to linear sequential questions.
Further, the likes of Contiki and SAP Ariba being linked to ERP systems is something that Sara disagrees with, as it makes the tools “heavy”. DeepStream, on the other hand, is lean and able to act as an effective point-solution to facilitate the RFx process. Proof of the tool’s user-friendliness is the fact that Sara has had up to 15 tenders running at the same time, but has stayed (as always) on top of her game with the help of DeepStream.
Sara’s confidence in us is something that we really value. Her understanding of the procurement process is second to none, and therefore her praise for DeepStream has been an affirmation of what we work tirelessly behind the scenes to deliver - the fastest and most user-friendly RFx platform ever.
Procurement software as it should look like.
Talk to sales?
Get in touch.
