HomeServicesIvalua upgrade and version migration: assessment, then the upgrade
Ivalua upgrade and version migration: assessment, then the upgrade
How hard an Ivalua upgrade is depends on two things: how far your configuration and integrations sit from the standard, and how many versions you jump. A one to two-week assessment, from €7,500, measures both and gives you the plan before the upgrade itself.
Who needs an Ivalua upgrade assessment?
Teams that are versions behind, or whose upgrade keeps losing its slot in the roadmap. Also teams that are wondering whether to upgrade in place or rebuild a cleaner solution on the new version. Migration from SAP Ariba to Ivalua is a different subject, covered by a guide in preparation.
How often does Ivalua require an upgrade?
In Ivalua’s standard terms, at least once every two years, with one upgrade every 12 to 18 months recommended. The terms are published in a public US contract, the master agreement Ivalua signed with the State of Maine under NASPO ValuePoint in 2023.
| Rule | What the terms say |
|---|---|
| Frequency | At least one upgrade every 12 to 18 months recommended; at least one every two years required |
| Destination | Typically one of the two most recent versions released, and only a generally available one |
| Limit | One upgrade per 12 months, unless both parties agree |
| What is included | Ivalua’s resources to support the upgrade are included in the fees |
| What is billed | New features or modules may need extra labour; customisations or complex configurations and integrations added after go-live incur labour charges for each upgrade |
| Enhancement pause | No enhancement work during the whole upgrade; a shorter pause costs merge and re-testing fees |
| Prerequisites | Detailed test scripts written by the customer, a signed project plan, labour charges in a statement of work |
| If you fall behind | Ivalua is not responsible for defects, security issues or a missed SLA while the customer is not in compliance |
The cost of an upgrade sits in your specifics and in the versions you skip; the terms say so.
Source: Ivalua’s standard terms in a public US contract, master agreement MA 18P 23081100000000000020, effective August 2023. Your own contract may differ; the assessment reads it.
How hard is an Ivalua upgrade?
It ranges from a technical step to a project. Ivalua’s terms say the elapsed time could be days, weeks or months, depending on the complexity of the implementation (customisations, complex configurations, regional variations, non-standard integrations, number of modules) and on the number of versions jumped, since some versions carry refactoring or migration requirements. For a short upgrade, Ivalua itself recommends sticking to the standard features and upgrading regularly.
At the light end, EPFL moved from version 170 to 178 with a service cut from a Wednesday at 16:30 to the Thursday morning, production on 27 June 2024: a technical version change with no new feature and EPFL-specific functions unchanged (EPFL news).
What breaks when you upgrade Ivalua?
What the standard terms single out as costly is also what needs the most testing:
- Specific configurations and custom objects built after go-live: each one has to be carried across and re-tested.
- Non-standard integrations, above all the ERP interfaces: a change in a message or a rule shows up as rejected orders or invoices.
- Workflows with many exceptions, and custom alerts, queries and reports that depend on the data model.
- Skipped versions: the more you jump, the more refactoring or migration requirements stack up.
- Your own changes: the enhancement pause stops them, so the business has to plan around it.
How do you prepare an Ivalua upgrade?
- List the specific configurations, custom objects, integrations and reports, and decide for each one: keep, simplify or drop.
- Write or update the non-regression test scripts; the terms make them a prerequisite.
- Check the data that will move: supplier duplicates, statuses, records the new version will treat differently.
- Map the interfaces with the ERP and other systems, and plan their end-to-end tests with the teams on the other side.
- Agree the enhancement pause with the business and the sponsors, and sign the project plan.
- Choose the destination version and the approach: upgrade in place, or a new solution built on the new version.
What upgrade and migration work have I done?
Three full cycles on the same group platform at BNP Paribas, and two of them were choices between carrying a configuration forward and rebuilding it:
| Version | Approach | Why, and what I did |
|---|---|---|
| v156 | Build and deploy | Built and deployed the group’s S2P platform: suppliers, sourcing, CLM, catalogue, BPM, e-procurement, with many complex specific configurations |
| v164 | Complete redesign, built from scratch | v156 carried many complex specific configurations; the rebuild reset and simplified them and redesigned the workflows. Delivered on budget and on schedule |
| v182 | New solution built from scratch, moving from v164 | Migration workstreams end to end: data quality controls, duplicate detection, flow documentation through sign-off. Delivered on schedule, still evolving, in a parallel run while entities and users switch over |
Two of three cycles chose a rebuild over carrying the configuration forward.
What does the upgrade assessment deliver, and what does it cost?
- The inventory: specific configurations, custom objects, integrations and reports, each with a keep, simplify or drop recommendation.
- The impact analysis: what the versions between yours and the destination change for your configuration and interfaces.
- The approach: upgrade in place or rebuild, with the reasons.
- The plan: test scripts to write, data to clean, interfaces to re-test, the enhancement pause and the sequence.
The assessment takes one to two weeks and costs from €7,500 excluding VAT, at a fixed price. The upgrade itself is custom and quoted on the plan: I can carry it as a senior mission or with an Ivalua team I lead.
Frequently asked questions
How long does an Ivalua upgrade take?
Ivalua’s standard terms say days, weeks or months. The duration depends on the complexity of the implementation and on the number of versions jumped. A technical upgrade on a configuration close to the standard can be short; a jump of several versions with many specific configurations is a project in its own right.
What happens if we skip upgrades?
Under Ivalua’s standard terms published in a public US contract, the customer must upgrade at least once every two years, and Ivalua is not responsible for defects, security issues or a missed SLA while the customer is not in compliance. Each skipped version also adds to the next upgrade.
Should we upgrade in place or rebuild?
Upgrade in place when the configuration still fits the business and sits close to the standard. Consider a rebuild when specific configurations have piled up: at BNP Paribas the platform was rebuilt from scratch on v164 for that reason, and v182 was again a new solution. The assessment gives the recommendation with its reasons.
What certification does Ivalua require to configure the platform?
In Ivalua’s standard terms, whoever configures the platform needs Ivalua Level 2 certification, and Level 3 for integrations; otherwise the third party mandated by the customer must be an Ivalua certified partner. The rule applies to every configuration, upgrades included. I am certified Ivalua L1, L2 and L3.
Does the enhancement pause stop the business?
It stops changes to the platform, not its use. During the upgrade no enhancement is built, so pending requests wait. The assessment plans the pause with the business so that urgent changes ship before it starts.
30 minutes. Your project, my honest read.
Tell me where the programme stands. You leave the call with a view on risk and the next step, whether or not we work together.