Readiness Assessment Tools

Sample Cover Letter

Retailer Readiness Assessment 
(Questions to Ask Your Retailer Trading Partner)

Supplier Readiness Assessment
(Questions to Ask Your Supplier Trading Partner)

Solution Provider Readiness Assessment
(Questions to Ask Your Solution Provider)

Understanding Why Readiness Assessments were Developed

Over a decade ago, convenience store operators and petroleum marketers imagined the benefits of receiving information electronically from their business partners. Today, thanks to the efforts of NACS, many companies are now experiencing these benefits, which provide operational efficiencies and cost savings. These companies are engaging in electronic business-to-business (EB2B) document exchange using standards developed by NACS and now maintained by the Petroleum Convenience Alliance for Technology Standards (PCATS).

Being ready to participate in the paperless revolution, experience shows, requires that an organization examine its business strategy, support personnel, technology infrastructure and best practices if it wants to determine how best to integrate the new processes.

In response, members of the PCATS Implementation Committee have developed EB2B readiness assessments. These readiness assessments may be used as an information gathering mechanism for retailers, suppliers and solution providers as they plan their move into electronic commerce. The assessments are designed to help retailers identify areas where they may require external support or aid as well as the major concerns or gaps with their supplier partners (or solution providers) that would prevent them from being able to engage in electronic message exchange.

Readiness assessments help business partners communicate better with each other, particularly when it comes to discussions on how to best implement a paperless process. Completing a readiness assessment is one small step that a company can take now to see whether its partners are prepared to take advantage of this new way of doing business. It also provides companies with a structure for evaluating their current and future technology initiatives.