Procurement

Order Confirmation Agent

Chases supplier confirmations, validates them against contracts, and resolves proposed changes before they disrupt downstream plans.

Manages the confirmation lifecycle for open purchase orders: chasing suppliers for overdue confirmations, validating incoming responses against contract terms, and resolving supplier-proposed changes by tracing downstream impact and presenting trade-offs to buyers.

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The agent monitors all open PO lines past their expected confirmation window and sends email chasers to supplier contacts. When confirmations arrive — by email or EDI 855 — it extracts confirmed price, lead time, quantities, and any proposed changes (quantity reductions, date pushes, partial splits, or cancellations). Each term is checked against the governing contract or framework agreement. Compliant confirmations are written back to the PO in the ERP. Where a supplier proposes terms outside the contract or changes that affect pegged demand or production orders, the agent traces the downstream impact, then routes a framed trade-off to the responsible buyer with recovery options (alternative source, expedited shipment, or schedule adjustment) and executes the chosen path once a decision is returned.

KPI it moves

  • +25–40 pts

    Confirmation touchless rate

    The share of order confirmations that are validated, accepted, and written to the ERP without buyer intervention.

What it does

  • Chases suppliers for overdue order confirmations

    Identifies every open PO line past its expected confirmation window and sends email chasers to the supplier contacts on record. Monitors the EDI feed and supplier mailbox for incoming responses and re-queues follow-ups if no reply arrives within the configured wait period.

  • Validates incoming confirmations against contract terms

    Reads each incoming confirmation (email reply or EDI 855), extracts confirmed price, lead time, and quantities, and checks each term against the governing contract or framework agreement held in the ERP or contract repository.

  • Resolves supplier-proposed changes with downstream impact analysis

    When a supplier proposes a PO change (quantity, date, line cancellation), traces the downstream impact through pegged demand and production orders, then routes a framed trade-off to the buyer with recovery options and executes the chosen path.

How it works

  1. Trigger 1

    Scheduled scan surfaces open PO lines past confirmation window

    A time-based scan of the ERP reads open PO lines that have passed their expected supplier confirmation deadline.

  2. Trigger 2

    Incoming supplier confirmation arrives

    An email reply or EDI 855 confirmation is received from a supplier, triggering validation and processing.

  3. Step 1

    Chase suppliers for overdue order confirmations

    Identifies every open PO line past its expected confirmation window, compiles the PO number, relevant line items, and agreed confirmation deadline, and sends email chasers to the supplier contacts on record. Re-queues a follow-up chase if no reply arrives within the configured wait period.

  4. Step 2

    Parse incoming confirmations and validate against contract terms

    Reads each incoming confirmation (email reply or EDI 855) and extracts confirmed price, lead time, quantities, and any proposed line changes. Checks each term against the governing contract or framework agreement held in the ERP or contract repository. For compliant confirmations, writes confirmed dates and quantities back to the PO in the ERP.

  5. Step 3

    Trace downstream impact of supplier-proposed changes and route trade-off to buyer

    Where a supplier proposes terms outside the contract, or a change that affects pegged demand or production orders, traces the downstream impact through the relevant demand and production records, then routes a framed trade-off to the responsible buyer with recovery options (alternative source, expedited shipment, or schedule adjustment) and executes the chosen path once a decision is returned.

  6. Resolution

    All confirmations processed, deviations resolved or escalated

    Compliant confirmations are written to the ERP with updated dates and quantities. Non-compliant or change-bearing confirmations have been escalated with a framed trade-off and either resolved or awaiting buyer decision.

Why it matters

  • Fewer POs slipping past due dates

    so that delivery shortfalls are caught and chased before they delay production or create stockouts, reducing the cost of expediting and emergency sourcing.

  • Contract deviations caught before they land in the ERP

    so that non-compliant supplier terms are flagged and resolved before they affect cost records, production schedules, or downstream commitments.

  • Supplier changes resolved with full visibility into downstream impact

    so that buyers make informed trade-off decisions rather than reacting to surprises after the fact.

What it needs

Read/write access to the ERP
Connects to the ERP (e.g. Infor LN/M3/CloudSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365, IFS Cloud, or SAP S/4HANA) to read open POs, confirmed delivery dates, pegged demand, and production orders, and to write back confirmed dates, quantities, and updated PO statuses. Without this connection the agent cannot track confirmations or resolve changes.
Outbound and inbound email access
Connects to the organisation's email platform (e.g. Microsoft Exchange / Outlook, Google Workspace Gmail) to send confirmation chasers and read supplier replies. Without it the agent cannot communicate with suppliers.
Supplier master and contract data
Reads supplier records and contract terms from the ERP or a dedicated contract repository to validate incoming confirmations against agreed terms. Missing contract data means the agent cannot detect non-compliant confirmations.
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