SAP is letting buyers post immediate sourcing requests and suppliers answer without fees on Ariba Discovery during the COVID-19 disruption. In a March 24, 2020 account of its virtual Ariba Live event, the company says suppliers on Ariba Network can respond free through June 30, 2020. The offer gives purchasing staff a place to seek alternatives when existing supplies are disrupted. [S1][S2]

SAP's March 18 announcement describes access as open to any buyer or supplier. It puts Ariba Network at more than four million suppliers in over 190 countries, a measure of the network's reach rather than the number able to fill a particular request. The company says the service can help address shipment delays, capacity problems and rising demand. Neither announcement establishes how quickly a buyer will receive a suitable reply or whether a responding supplier can deliver the required order. [S1][S2]

SAP’s March 18 announcement describes access for the next 90 days; its March 24 report gives June 30 as the endpoint for no-fee supplier replies. The articles do not explain the difference. For teams planning replies, June 30 is the date explicitly reported on March 24—not evidence that SAP extended the earlier window. The fee statements concern posting and responding, not a promise of free goods, freight or every other Ariba service. [S1][S2]

A practical approach for buyers is to specify the quantity needed, destination and latest acceptable arrival, then ask respondents to confirm capacity against those terms. These are suggested purchasing checks, not additional SAP requirements. The distinction matters when staff are trying to replace a disrupted supply: a reply identifies a possible supplier, while a usable commitment has to address the quantity and arrival date the buyer needs. [S1]

Source documents

  1. SAP Addresses Supply Chain and Business Travel Disruption Around COVID-19https://news.sap.com/australia/2020/03/18/sap-addresses-supply-chain-and-business-travel-disruption-around-covid-19/
  2. Virtual SAP Ariba Live 2020: Intelligent Spend Is Bold Charge Forwardhttps://news.sap.com/africa/2020/03/virtual-sap-ariba-live-2020-intelligent-spend-is-bold-charge-forward/