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NAED Unifies the Electrical Industry to Streamline Special Price Authorization (SPA) Process Efficiencies
Distributors & Manufacturers Work Together to Improve Process & Reduce Costs
Implementation of electronic SPA’s continues to grow as distributors upgrade their software and manufacturers adopt the recommended best practices. The efforts of the task force have been recognized in:
“Journalism That Matters: How Business-to-Business Editors Change the Industries They Serve,” and
“100 Faces for 100 Years: A tribute to the individual contributions that continue to change electrical distribution.”
Implementation Progress
The task forces decided to use EDI document activity on IDEA’s IDX2 to gauge the industry’s progress in implementing the recommended best practices. As illustrated below, the use of electronic SPA transactions has grown tremendously since January 2006.
Note: Charts do not include Flat File activity or Excel ® spreadsheets exchanged via email in the electrical industry standard data format.
Learn more about NAED’s SPA Process Efficiencies
Want more details? Click here to view the tools available for download, including recommended definitions, an inventory carrying cost calculator, and recommended
Have questions, comments, or need more information?
Post your questions on the SPA task force’s online forum, email NAED’s Customer Service @ customerservice@naed.org, or call 1-888-791-2512.
SPA Process Efficiencies Webinars
NAED hosted a series of webinars in 2007 which focused on helping members find the best software solution to implement the SPA Recommended Best Practices. Activant Eclipse, SAP, Activant Prophet 21, and INFOR demonstrated their commitment to SPA process improvement in the electrical distribution channel through their participation.
Representatives from each company discussed SPA process efficiencies and how their software implements the SPA recommended best practices. During these no-cost, one-hour webinars, company representatives reviewed the practical application of SPA recommended best practices and discussed the manner in which they are applied. They also presented successful case studies illustrating the SPA recommended best practices with their software.
Webinar recordings, available for access:
Special Pricing Authorization (SPA) Tools
Industry Standards for Data Formatting
To file SPA claims electronically, Distributors submit an EDIPro 844.
Electronic SPA credits are sent by Manufacturers with an EDIPro 849.
Electronic quotations---including Special Pricing Authorizations (SPA) ---are sent by Manufacturers with an EDIPro 845.
The industry standards for formatting data in both EDI and Flat File format were developed by the Industry Standards Committee (ISC). Please direct all questions on these documents to Mary Shaw, @ 1-647-722-3406 or mshaw@idea-esolutions.com.
NAED’s SPA Software Integration Status
The Task Force worked with leading industry software providers to incorporate the SPA Recommended Best Practices into standard software releases.
| Software Vendor |
Integration Status |
| Activant Acclaim |
EDIPro 844 & 849 included in cores systems; “maps” required. |
| Activant Array |
EDIPro 844 & 849 included in cores systems; “maps” required. |
| Activant Eclipse |
EDIPro 844, 845, and 849 included in Release 8.06; Release 8.07.02 provides increased SPA functionality. |
| Activant Prophet 21 |
EDIPro 844 & 849 included in cores systems; “maps” required. |
| Infor |
EDIPro 844 & 849 supported in Release Sx.e 1.0 to 5.5.
EDIPro 845 included in Sx.enterprise version 5.5. |
| SAP Wholesale Distribution |
Fully complies with EDIPro 844, 845, and 849. |
Don’t see your software vendor listed above? Email NAED's Customer Service at customerservice@naed.org or call 1-888-791-2512 to see what you can do get your software vendor to integrate the SPA Recommended Best Practices into standard software releases.
History of NAED’s SPA Process Efficiencies
The initiative to improve the SPA process began in response to distributor member feedback that SPAs were a considerable business challenge that needed examination. NAED first held open forum town hall meetings at regional conferences in 2003 to encourage discussion on SPAs, followed by articles in TED Magazine and a survey to the industry. In May 2004, NAED organized distributor and manufacturer SPA Task Forces, involving over 75 volunteers from 21 companies. The Task Forces analyzed the various issues involved and considered recommended best practices that would simplify the processes involved with SPAs. The task forces targeted the SPA Claim Filing Process in 2004-05, followed by the SPA Set-Up and Update Process in 2006.
What You Can Do
Implement the Task Force’s Recommendations in Your Business!!!
The SPA Process Efficiencies is an NAED initiative to improve process efficiencies and reduce costs in the electrical distribution channel.
Click here to view a list of distributors and manufacturers who have declared their support of this effort.
Don’t see your company listed? Click here to download a "Count Me In" declaration form. Then fax a completed form to NAED @ 1.877.312.9801.
Need more information or have questions about NAED’s SPA Process Efficiencies? Click here to access the task force’s online forum, email NAED's Customer Service at customerservice@naed.org, or call 1-888-791-2512.
SPA Articles in TED Magazine
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