BlueBean vs. Traditional P2P
The modern way to control spend without slowing people down
Legacy Procure-to-Pay (P2P) platforms were built for a world of paper invoices and static catalogs. They centralize control, but at the cost of long onboarding projects, clunky buying experiences and high change-management effort.
BlueBean takes a different approach.
We let your employees buy directly from the supplier stores the same way they buy at home, while automating controls and approvals, as well as accounting. Virtual cards power instant payment and automated reconciliation — without the complexity of traditional P2P.
Quick Comparison: BlueBean vs P2P
What this means for you:
Faster time-to-value
Happier requesters and suppliers
Stronger control with less manual work for procurement, finance and IT
Here’s how BlueBean stacks up on the 5 dimensions that matter most.
BlueBean vs P2P: Summary Table of Key Differentiators
<< Swipe to see table information >>
| Capability | BlueBean | Traditional P2P |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier Onboarding | List supplier online stores and connect them via SSO with stored credentials to access your negotiated prices and assortments. No complex integrations or static catalog loads. | Heavy supplier master data setup, static catalog loading, and costly XML / EDI connections. Long projects before anyone can place an order. |
| Buying Experience | Employees buy directly on suppliers’ websites like any consumer. No training; no “punch-out and back” gymnastics. The browser extension brings approvals and payment into the checkout. | Users must start in a portal, browse static catalogs or punch out to supplier sites and return to the portal. Disjointed, slow, and frustrating for casual buyers. |
| Product Availability & Delivery | Real-time stock and delivery information directly from the supplier website. Employees see what’s available and can start consuming online services as soon as they pay. | Availability is confirmed only after the Purchase Request becomes a Purchase Order and the supplier responds. Delays and changes often force the requester to revisit the order. |
| Approvals | All required approvals run concurrently right at checkout, driven by your policies. Approvals are automated by default; only exceptions require manual review. | Sequential, mostly manual approval chains that add days or weeks. Automation is limited and often requires IT or consultants to change. |
| Payment & Reconciliation | BlueBean instantly issues a virtual card once approvals are done. Suppliers are paid immediately while your company benefits from card payment terms. Transactions are coded and reconciled automatically. | Invoice-based payments with lengthy three-way match, manual invoice approvals, and manual or batch payments. Reconciliation requires more work from AP and accounting. |
Section 1: Supplier onboarding without the IT project
With BlueBean: connect stores, not systems
BlueBean flips supplier onboarding from an IT project into a light configuration step:
You list the online stores your company uses (or wants to use).
You capture and store supplier site credentials centrally so employees benefit from your negotiated prices, catalog and discounts.
You connect those stores to your company SSO, so employees sign in securely without needing to track account details.
There’s no need to build and maintain complex XML/EDI connections or continuously reload and maintain static catalogs.
Result: you can add suppliers in minutes and start capturing savings faster — and long-tail suppliers become manageable instead of being pushed off-system.
With traditional P2P: every supplier is a project
Legacy P2P platforms treat every supplier like a mini ERP integration:
Create and maintain detailed supplier master records
Load and refresh static catalogs (and chase suppliers when they’re outdated)
Set up and maintain XML/EDI connections for punch-outs, orders and invoices
This kind of onboarding makes sense for direct materials — but it’s overkill for the majority of vendors your employees use every day, especially for tail spend.
Section 2: A buying experience employees actually like
With BlueBean: shop like a consumer, control like an enterprise
BlueBean keeps what employees already know: the supplier’s own website.
Employees start where they want to buy — the supplier site.
A browser extension injects BlueBean controls at checkout, so they can request approval, see spend policy, and get a virtual card in one smooth flow.
No training sessions, no new search interface, no “where do I click?” questions.
Result: rapid adoption, much higher compliance, and less pressure on procurement and finance to “police” off-system purchases.
With traditional P2P: portals and punch-outs
In a P2P solution, employees need to:
Log into a central portal
Search and browse through static catalogs that are often out of date
Or punch out to the supplier website, shop there, and then return to the portal to complete the request
The result is a disjointed, multi-step process: the exact opposite of the easy, Amazon-like experience people expect.
Section 3: Real-time availability and delivery, not guesswork
With BlueBean: you see what’s in stock, right now
Because BlueBean lets employees buy directly on the suppliers’ websites:
They see real-time inventory
They see accurate delivery dates or instant access for digital products and services
Any constraints or alternatives are visible at the moment of purchase
As soon as payment is made with the BlueBean virtual card, the supplier fulfills just as they would for any online customer — with no extra steps.
Result: fewer back-and-forth emails, fewer surprises, and a much smoother experience for internal stakeholders, ensuring the job gets done faster.
With traditional P2P: availability is a separate step
In a P2P process:
The employee creates a Purchase Request in the portal.
The request is approved and turned into a Purchase Order.
The supplier then checks stock and delivery and may accept, reject, or propose changes often by email or on the P2P portal.
The time between request and supplier confirmation can be days, during which availability and pricing may change. That often forces employees to revisit their request, adjust items or quantities, and reenter an approval loop. A lot of time gets wasted.
Section 4: Approvals that keep up with the business
With BlueBean: concurrent, policy-driven approvals at checkout
BlueBean was built to make approvals both robust and invisible:
All necessary approvals happen right at checkout, based on your controls (amount, category, cost center, project, supplier, etc.).
Approvals are automated by default, so a single purchase doesn’t get stuck in a linear chain.
Manual approver involvement is required only when an exception is triggered.
Result: controlled spend without bottlenecks — and far fewer “urgent” asks to bypass policy.
With traditional P2P: sequential, manual chains
P2P workflows are often:
Sequential: approvals move from one person to the next, creating delays at each step
Manual: approvers receive emails or worklist items that are easy to ignore
Hard to change: adjusting approval rules and hierarchies can require IT or vendor services
Automation exists, but it’s rarely the default and is often limited to simple thresholds. The result is long cycle times and frustrated requesters.
Section 5: Payment that works for suppliers and finance
With BlueBean: instant virtual cards, extended terms, automatic accounting
Once approvals are complete, BlueBean:
Instantly issues a virtual card for that specific purchase
Lets the supplier get paid immediately, just like any online card transaction
Gives your company the benefit of card payment terms, improving working capital
Captures and codes the transaction automatically so procurement, AP and accounting don’t have to chase invoices and receipts
For record keeping BlueBean captures receipts by snapping the order and payment details on the screen right at authorization.
Result: suppliers love the speed of payment; finance loves the control and automation.
With traditional P2P: invoice-based, manual-heavy payments
In a P2P invoice process:
The supplier must generate and send an invoice
The system performs a three-way match (PO, receipt, invoice)
Discrepancies must be manually investigated
Invoices may require separate approvals before being scheduled for payment
Payments are then made via bank transfer or other methods, often in batches
This process is heavy, especially for smaller or infrequent suppliers. It consumes AP capacity and slows down the overall procure-to-pay cycle.
Wrap-up: BlueBean is P2P control without P2P complexity
Traditional P2P platforms try to put every supplier, every order and every invoice through the same heavyweight process. That may work for direct material vendors — but it slows everything else down.
BlueBean delivers:
Lightweight supplier onboarding instead of long integrations
A consumer-grade buying experience instead of portals and punch-outs
Real-time availability instead of delayed confirmations
Concurrent, automated approvals instead of manual chains
Card-first payment and automatic accounting instead of invoice-driven admin
For procurement, finance and IT teams at companies of all sizes, that means faster adoption, higher compliance and better control over spend — without a multi-year P2P project.
Ready to see BlueBean in action?
Show us your current P2P or purchase request process and we’ll show you how to replace it with a simpler, faster flow using your existing suppliers.