Overview
Findings are automated recommendations from the Analytics module that show where there is savings potential in your procurement. To do this, Tacto continuously analyzes your purchasing and order data, proactively points out conspicuous patterns and then supports you in implementing them as a team.
How it works
Specialized agents search for specific patterns in price development, ordering behavior or contract usage and generate Findings with savings potential from them.
The designated people are informed about new Findings via in-app notification and email.
You review the Finding and either convert it into an Opportunity (status Accepted) or dismiss it with feedback (status Dismissed).
You track the implementation and the realized savings in the Opportunity and in the Dashboard.
Prerequisites
Order and invoice data are available in Tacto.
"view Findings" permission.
Finding and working on Findings
Where to find Findings
In the sidebar, open Findings under Savings.
At the top, switch between Open, Accepted and Dismissed. With "My Findings", you only see the Findings assigned to you.
Filter the list, for example by Finding type, Supplier, Article, Category, Plant, Buyer, Assigned or Potential, or use the search.
Click Open on a Finding to view the description, savings potential, charts and the related Orders, Invoices and quantity contracts.
How to work on Findings
Tacto automatically informs the designated people about new Findings via in-app notification and email. New Findings are marked as unread.
Open the Finding and review the description, charts, linked Orders, Invoices and quantity contracts as well as the assigned Article, Supplier, Category and Plant.
Decide:
Start processing: Select "Create as new opportunity" or "Link to existing opportunity". The Finding receives the status Accepted.
Dismiss finding: Indicate whether the Finding was helpful anyway and enter a short reason. Your feedback is used to improve future Findings. Optionally, you can mute the Finding at the same time. The Finding receives the status Dismissed.
You can pick up a dismissed Finding again later via "Edit finding again".
Directly from a Finding, you can also prepare a negotiation or create an RFQ.
How to continue working on an Opportunity
An accepted Finding lives on as an Opportunity. There, it goes through the statuses Idea, Planned, In Progress and Completed or Cancelled. Assign a responsible person, link Suppliers, Articles and Tasks, and document realized savings. Details: "Record and track savings Opportunities".
Context-based evaluation by Tacto Intelligence
For commercial Findings, Tacto Intelligence takes additional context from your account into account. As a result, the Findings receive a contextualized description and a suggestion for next steps. Findings without recognizable added value are filtered out and not shown at all, or dismissed with a reason.
Context sources taken into account:
Previous Findings with notes and feedback
Meeting notes with Suppliers
Existing Opportunities
Quantity and framework contracts
Orders, Invoices and deliveries
Company context of your organization
This applies to: Significant price increase, Long-term price trend, No price change, Cheaper sourcing alternative and Quantity increase without price adjustment. Ordering behavior Findings are not included.
Charts and agents
Depending on the Finding type, Tacto shows the price development by day or across the years, the price impact or the development compared with a producer price index.
Findings from individual analyses contain additional charts directly in the description, for example the cost model behind a price or the plant comparison for the same part.
Findings in the list can be grouped by the agent that generated them. Grouping by agent is enabled per customer; until then, you see the Finding types.
Known limitations
Filters cannot be saved as a view in the app. Tip: set the filters and bookmark the page; the filters are restored when you open it.
Permissions & access
To view Findings, the "view Findings" permission is required. It requires read access to Orders and Invoices.
Bundling Findings into Opportunities or working on them additionally requires permission to edit Findings.
FAQ
Q: How often should Findings be reviewed?
A: Ideally on a regular basis, for example in the weekly team meeting, with clearly assigned responsibilities.
Q: Who provides support with evaluating and implementing Findings?
A: The Customer Value Team supports you with evaluating individual Findings, aligning with Suppliers and implementing and measuring savings, including Procurement Advisory Services.
Types of Findings
Tacto automatically generates various Finding types based on your purchasing and order data. The Findings are grouped by the agent that created them; one agent can report several Finding types.
Price trend agent
Significant price increase
Definition: An Article shows a significant price increase between two Orders.
Example: Between 10 Sep 2024 and 10 Jan 2025, the price rose by 5.92% (€4.20). Potential: €16,800.00 in savings over the next 12 months.
Typical actions:
Contact the Supplier to renegotiate
Check alternatives (e.g. via RFQ)
Bundle demand to strengthen your negotiating position
Long-term price trend
Definition: Prices rise continuously over a longer period.
Example: +34.00% in 36 months (€119.46). Potential: €9,880.03
Background: "Salami tactics" – small, gradual price increases add up.
Typical actions:
Renegotiate prices
Start tenders (RFQ)
No price change
Definition: The price remains constant over a long period.
Example: No change in 24 months. Potential: €6,323.22
Background: The Supplier does not proactively pass on efficiency gains – a good starting point for negotiations.
Typical actions:
Request a new price (RFQ)
Initiate negotiations
Cost model agent
Finding type: Article Cost Model gap
Definition: The price has risen faster than the cost factors behind the product. Tacto builds a fair cost path from raw material, energy and the other stored cost factors and compares it with the actual price development.
Background: What is negotiated is the difference between the two lines, not the entire increase.
Typical actions:
Negotiate the difference
Ask the Supplier for their calculation and compare both models
Agree on an index clause that works in both directions
Raw material agent
Finding type: Price development deviating from producer price index
Definition: The price development of an Article deviates significantly from the matching producer price index. The Finding shows price and index in a combined chart.
Typical actions:
Use the deviation as a negotiation argument
Agree on a price adjustment clause based on the index
Benchmarking agent
Finding type: Cheaper sourcing alternative
Definition: Another Supplier has delivered the same Article at a lower price in the last 12 months.
Example: Switching to the cheaper Supplier could save €57,251.60.
Typical actions:
Contact alternative Suppliers
Use the price as a negotiation argument
Revise the sourcing strategy (e.g. add second-source Suppliers)
Price deviation agent
Finding type: Drawing Parts price variance
Definition: For Drawing Parts, prices vary more widely than material and weight can explain. The comparison is not based on the Article number but on comparable parts.
Typical actions:
Hold the outliers up against the calculation
Request a bundle of parts instead of individual parts
Volume increase agent
Finding type: Quantity increase without price adjustment
Definition: The order quantity rises sharply while the price stays the same or increases.
Example: +878.22% quantity in 18 months, no price reduction. Potential: €20,570.00
Background: The Supplier produces more of the same and does not pass on the economies of scale. This cannot be claimed retroactively, but it can going forward.
Typical actions:
Renegotiate volume discounts
Optimize price tiers
Review long-term framework contracts
Order bundling agent
Finding types: Concentration of ordering activities (same price) and Concentration of ordering activities at different prices
Definition: An Article is ordered several times within a short period, at the same or different prices.
Same price: operational inefficiency
Different prices: non-transparent purchasing processes
Typical actions:
Consolidate demand
Define purchasing processes and ordering cycles
Optimize minimum order quantities and safety stocks
Order quantities agent
Finding type: Higher optimal order quantity
Definition: Call-offs are made in smaller lots than would be economical. Every Order involves effort, and smaller lots often forgo an existing price tier.
Typical actions:
Define lot size and ordering cycle together with material planning
Weigh safety stock and minimum order quantity against ordering and storage costs
Maverick buying agent
Finding type: Orders not linked to an active quantity contract
Definition: Orders bypass an existing quantity contract. The negotiated terms then do not apply.
Background: The lever lies in your own process, not in a negotiation. The price has already been agreed; it is just not being called off.
Typical actions:
Check why the call-off does not hit the contract
Anchor the contract reference in order creation
Hold the quantity not called off against the contract commitment
Prerequisite: Contract and transaction data are available in Tacto.
Findings from individual analyses
Further agents such as the Plant comparison agent (different prices or duplicate master data for the same part across several plants) or the Payment terms agent (missing or lower early payment discount, inconsistent payment terms) deliver Findings from individual analyses by the Customer Value Team. These custom Findings are available in German and English.