Coupa PunchOut for suppliers
Your logo on your customer’s Coupa home page, one click from your store. Their buyers shop at their contract prices and send the cart back to Coupa for approval. TierCommerce is your PunchOut site, and the purchase order goes straight into your ERP.
- cXML PunchOut from the Coupa Shop Online page
- Units, part numbers and prices that land in the requisition cleanly
- Coupa purchase orders answered, checked and sent into your ERP
Your customer buys through
New requisition · Catalogues
cXML · signed straight in
- A4 copy paper, 80gsm, 5 reams 10 × $38.50
- Nitrile gloves, medium, 100 6 × $11.20
- Whiteboard markers, 4 pack 12 × $6.95
cXML · cart sent back
Coupa PunchOut at a glance
Coupa runs PunchOut from its Shop Online page, and your customer’s Coupa admin does most of the setup. This is what each side needs.
- Protocol
- cXML
- Buyers start from
- Your logo under Shop Online on their Coupa home page
- The cart goes back as
- A requisition, approved in Coupa
- The purchase order arrives
- A cXML OrderRequest, the Coupa Supplier Portal or email
- What you need on their side
- A free Coupa Supplier Portal account, your PunchOut details and your logo
How a Coupa PunchOut works
Every Coupa PunchOut follows the same four cXML steps, from a click on your logo to a purchase order in your ERP.
-
1
The buyer clicks your logo
Your logo sits under Shop Online on their Coupa home page. Clicking it sends their identity and shared secret to your store.
PunchOutSetupRequest -
2
They shop your store
TierCommerce checks the credential and opens your store already signed in, with the account’s prices and range.
PunchOutSetupResponse -
3
The cart goes back
They return the cart instead of checking out. It posts back to Coupa as a requisition, with your part numbers, units and prices.
PunchOutOrderMessage -
4
The purchase order arrives
Once it’s approved, Coupa sends the purchase order as cXML and waits for an answer. It’s answered, checked and sent into your ERP.
OrderRequest
Getting set up with a Coupa customer
Coupa setups are led by your customer, usually starting with a call and Coupa’s cXML supplier questionnaire. These are the steps, and who does each one.
Free PunchOut setup checklist-
1
They invite you to Coupa
Your customerYour customer adds you as a supplier and invites you to the Coupa Supplier Portal, which is free for suppliers.
-
2
Answer the questionnaire
YouThey’ll ask for Coupa’s cXML supplier questionnaire, your units of measure and a logo, 150 by 50 pixels. Most also want separate test and production details.
-
3
Create the connection
TierCommerceYour PunchOut page gives you the cXML URL and a shared secret to send them. You enter the identity their Coupa site will send, often a DUNS number.
-
4
Configure the PunchOut
Your customerTheir Coupa admin adds your PunchOut site and your cXML purchase order details. Some customers let you do it yourself in the supplier portal, under Catalogs.
-
5
Test, then switch to production
TogetherThey test the PunchOut, then a purchase order, with test credentials, then switch to production. One Coupa customer plans two to four weeks of joint testing.
What TierCommerce handles for Coupa
The parts suppliers usually build themselves or pay a PunchOut vendor for, ready in your store.
- cXML setup requests checked against each customer’s identity and shared secret
- Each account’s own prices and product range
- Units of measure, part numbers and UNSPSC codes on every cart line
- Carts that Coupa sends back to be edited reopen with their items
- Every purchase order answered with the cXML response Coupa waits for
- Purchase orders checked against the account’s prices before they become orders
- Orders sent into your ERP with the Coupa PO number
- Every session and message logged, with secrets removed
PunchOut add-on
$149 a month
Includes your first connected customer account, then $69 for each extra account up to 10 and $39 each after that. Australian dollars, ex GST.
- cXML and OCI PunchOut, and Unimarket catalogues
- On the Professional and Enterprise plans
- Only accounts that used PunchOut that month count
Where Coupa PunchOuts go wrong
Coupa’s own error list and its suppliers’ questions point to the same few problems. Here’s what to check.
-
Units Coupa doesn’t know
If a unit in the cart doesn’t exist in Coupa, the cart won’t come back. Send your unit list at the setup call, and every line uses the same units.
-
Credentials that don’t match
Test and production usually use different identities and shared secrets. If either doesn’t match exactly, the PunchOut is refused.
-
Purchase orders sent twice
Coupa retries a purchase order when it doesn’t get a clean answer. TierCommerce only ever takes each purchase order once, so a retry can’t double an order.
-
No PO, no pay
Many Coupa customers only pay invoices that match a purchase order. Every PunchOut order in TierCommerce carries the Coupa PO number into your ERP.
-
Prices that changed
If a price changes between the cart and the purchase order, the order is held for your team instead of going through at the wrong price.
-
A logo nobody notices
Your logo is what buyers click. Coupa asks for a 150 by 50 pixel JPG or PNG, so send a clear one with your setup details.
Who buys through Coupa in Australia and New Zealand
Airlines, universities, health, education and services groups use Coupa on both sides of the Tasman. These are a few that ask suppliers to use it on their own pages.
- Qantas
- Monash University
- NSW Rural Fire Service
- ISS Australia and New Zealand
- Wesfarmers Health
- Affinity Education
- RealNZ
PunchOut across your customers’ systems
Your customers won’t all buy through Coupa. One TierCommerce store handles each of these, with the same products, prices and orders behind them.
| Buyer’s system | Protocol | Buyers start from | The purchase order arrives |
|---|---|---|---|
SAP Ariba
|
cXML, through SAP Business Network | A requisition in SAP Ariba Buying or Guided Buying | A cXML OrderRequest, routed through SAP Business Network |
| C Coupa | cXML | Your logo under Shop Online on their Coupa home page | A cXML OrderRequest, the Coupa Supplier Portal or email |
| U Unimarket | cXML PunchOut, or a hosted catalogue | Unimarket’s own search, or your PunchOut catalogue in Unimarket | A cXML OrderRequest, or by email |
|
SAP S/4HANA and ECC
|
OCI 4.0 | A purchase requisition, from Add from External Catalog in S/4HANA or the catalogue button in ECC or SRM | Separately: cXML through SAP Business Network, an EDI IDoc, or a PDF by email |
| T TechnologyOne | cXML | A requisition in TechnologyOne, or in Unimarket where it runs alongside | A cXML purchase order, or a PDF by email |
| O Oracle | cXML | A requisition in Self Service Procurement (Fusion) or iProcurement (E-Business Suite) | A cXML OrderRequest, directly or through Oracle Business Network, or a PDF by email |
Dynamics 365
|
cXML | A purchase requisition, from the External catalogs action | A cXML OrderRequest, or by email |
| J JAGGAER | cXML | A PunchOut catalogue in JAGGAER eProcurement | A cXML OrderRequest, or email or the supplier portal |
Coupa PunchOut questions
Does Coupa support PunchOut?
Yes. Suppliers with a PunchOut show as a logo under Shop Online on the buyer’s Coupa home page. Clicking it opens the supplier’s store, and the cart comes back to Coupa as a requisition.
Does Coupa use cXML or OCI?
cXML. Coupa’s own PunchOut setup screens say the protocol should always be cXML, for the PunchOut and for purchase orders.
Is the Coupa Supplier Portal free?
Yes, it’s free for suppliers to trade with their customers. Coupa charges for optional extras, such as becoming Coupa Verified to be found by new buyers.
What do we give our customer to set it up?
Your cXML URL, the shared secret, your units of measure and your logo, plus Coupa’s cXML supplier questionnaire. Their admin enters the identity and domain their Coupa site sends, often a DUNS number.
How do Coupa purchase orders reach us?
Set cXML as your purchase order method and give your customer your TierCommerce URL. Each purchase order is answered, checked against the account’s products and prices, and sent into your ERP. If they email purchase orders instead, Order Entry reads them.
Who sets up the PunchOut, us or our customer?
Usually your customer’s Coupa admin. Some customers let suppliers edit their own PunchOut details in the Coupa Supplier Portal, under Catalogs.
Can we test before going live?
Yes. Coupa customers test with separate test credentials first. Your TierCommerce PunchOut page can also send a test setup request through the same checks Coupa’s will.
What does PunchOut cost in TierCommerce?
PunchOut is an add-on on Professional and Enterprise. It’s $149 a month, including your first connected customer account, then $69 for each extra account up to 10 and $39 each after that, in Australian dollars ex GST.
Sources
- Coupa: PunchOut catalogs for suppliers
- Coupa: Configure PunchOuts in the Coupa Supplier Portal
- Coupa: cXML supplier enablement
- Coupa: Send purchase orders using cXML
- Coupa: PunchOut ordering and errors
- Organon: Coupa enablement for suppliers
- NSW Rural Fire Service: Coupa for suppliers
- Monash University: catalogues and PunchOut
- Qantas: supplier portal
- ISS Australia: Coupa for suppliers
- Wesfarmers Health (API): supplier FAQs
- Affinity Education: Coupa for suppliers
- RealNZ: Coupa supplier portal
Coupa is a trademark of its owner. TierCommerce isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by it.
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