The SMS is the core database of the community information model. It contains detailed information about suppliers to the industry community, and therefore holds information about suppliers already known to you, plus suppliers not known to you.
Each buyer contributes their suppliers to the SMS, thereby obtaining up to date and credible detailed information about their own suppliers, and also contributing detailed information about suppliers for the benefit of other buyers. To maximize the value of the SMS database for all buyers, each buyer needs to contribute the suppliers that they know.
Achilles manages the supplier communication and follow-up on behalf of the community.
Before the SMS, if you wanted detailed information about a supplier, then you had to collect it yourself, at your own cost, and at a cost to each supplier. Now, the cost of collecting information is shared across the industry, and suppliers pay Achilles to perform this service. Overall, this is a much more cost effective outcome for the industry, and is possible only because of the Achilles community collaboration model.
The SMS will provide for different suppliers paying a different fee appropriate for their size and number of products and services they offer. Another advantage of the tiered pricing structure is that it discourages certain suppliers from promoting products and services that they can't actually do. This will make Searches more efficient.
As outlined above, the new Achilles SMS platform has taken the best practice basic Questionnaire and functionality from all global systems.
The document below contains the global standard oil and gas Product and Service codes, also noting the Achilles system from which the codes originated. Using the standard global codes, everyone using the Achilles systems, has the same information and basis for spend analysis. The codes can also be used for cataloguing and sharing certain inventory information across the buying community.
If you see any areas where additional codes need to be added, please let us know. The process will be that the additional codes are approved by the Asia Pacific Steering Committee first, then will be approved by the Achilles global steering body.
FPS Product Codes
The next stage of the process is for the Asia Pacific oil and gas companies to agree local and community questions in addition to those in the global standard.
For example, some companies have their own sophisticated supplier questionnaires, and we may need to compare individual questions to cover any gaps. Or, there may be some particular local standards that you want information about.
Anything particular only to an individual member will be included in the Additional Questions and Internal Qualification tools specific to that member.
The Questionnaire document shows which questions are interactive, and where supplier information can be copied across sections.
SCC Questionnaire
The video demonstrations below assist understanding of how the SMS works. It is recommended that you watch the videos in order of numbering.
1. SMS Questionnaire – for suppliers
2. Additional Questions
3. Internal Qualification
4. Search and Filters