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Electronics AI agent · Procurement

Procurement & Sourcing AI Agent

Shortlist parts and suppliers from your own sources, name the distribution path behind each candidate, and hold every alternate part for the named buyer who decides whether it is ordered.

Typical delivery
4–6 weeks
Deployment
Your stack
Buyer approves
Your data only
After launch
Agent Care

What this agent does

Shortlists the part, not the decision to buy

In

  1. 01

    Ingest the demand line, the bill of materials and the approved-supplier list from supported ERP, PLM or MRP sources.

  2. 02

    Normalise each line to a full manufacturer part number, and hold anything that resolves to more than one part.

Reason

  1. 03

    Shortlist candidates from the sources your desk configured, and from no other customer's buying data.

  2. 04

    Name the distribution path behind each candidate — manufacturer, authorised supplier, or outside that hierarchy.

  3. 05

    Mark the point where a path leaves authorised distribution, and state what the buyer would be taking on.

Decide

  1. 06

    Screen each supplier and each part against the forced-labour and restricted-source lists on file.

  2. 07

    Stop the line on a hit and route it to the named owner, who is the one who reports it.

Out

  1. 08

    Retain the sources read, the path stated, the screening result and the buyer's decision on the requisition.

  2. 09

    Execute write actions only inside the approval boundaries agreed during implementation.

Product statement

The agent shortlists and names the path; a named buyer decides whether an alternate part is ordered — and once a buy leaves authorised distribution, authenticity is the buyer's to answer for.

Example workflow

One demand line, shortlist to order

  1. 1Demand receivedERP requisition, MRP shortage, BOM change or a buyer's request
  2. 2Sources assembledApproved-supplier list, authorised-distribution records, lifecycle notices and stock, each with its as-of date
  3. 3Shortlist draftedCandidate parts, the distribution path behind each, screening result and confidence
  4. 4Controls appliedApproved-source checks, distribution-path checks, the configured screening lists and confidence threshold

No human action required

Stages 1 to 4 run unaided, and nothing is ordered at any of them — the agent is shortlisting, and the buyer's lane opens at the confidence gate.

5DecisionBranches at the confidence threshold
High confidence

Goes to the named buyer to approve.

Low confidence

Adds a component-engineering read first.

Buyer approval

The shortlist is held with its sources, the path behind each candidate and the confidence.

Approve · Amend · Send to engineering review

Approved — released to order

  1. 6ERP and PLM updatedOnly where write access and approval policy allow it
  2. 7Outcome evaluatedAmendment distance, path outcomes, screening stops and nonconformances found after the order

Amendments

Each buyer amendment is counted in the evaluation.

What should not run autonomously

Human approval stays in control

Outside the boundary — human approval required

8 items

  • Releasing a purchase order to a supplier.
    • Approving an alternate part for a build.
    • Concluding that a part is authentic.
    • Releasing anything a screening hit stopped.

  • Automation boundary

    Agent acts unaided

    • ✓Shortlist candidate parts and suppliers from your configured sources.
    • ✓Name the distribution path behind each candidate.
    • ✓Assemble the evidence pack a buyer reads before deciding.
    • ✓Stop on a screening hit, and hold the line for the named owner.

    Any write happens inside the boundaries agreed at implementation, never ahead of the buyer.

    • Accepting a path outside authorised distribution.
    • Certifying substance or minerals compliance.
    • Determining country of origin or duty treatment.
  • Changes to approved sources or screening rules.

Example output

One candidate part, annotated

Everything the agent puts forward is attached to the record it was drawn from.

Sourcing output · single candidate

Illustrative example
Requirement
Shortage on a live build
Candidate part
Same manufacturer, alternate package, engineering review open
Lifecycle status
Active, not obsolete
Distribution path
Authorised distributor
Confidence
91%
Authenticity risk
Stays with the authorised path

As received

Read from the approved-supplier list and the distribution records — the agent has not seen the part.

Sources used

  • Approved-supplier list
  • Authorised-distributor record
  • Manufacturer lifecycle notice

Why this candidate

Inside authorised distribution — a control on the path, not on the part.

What the score decides

Below the configured threshold the shortlist takes an engineering read first.

Action

ApproveAmendSend to engineering review

Value

Where AI adds value

The same four claims, placed at the point in the workflow where each one applies.

Where the value lands

Value 01 – 04

Each demand line

From your own sources

03Shortlisting

Shortlist from your data

Draw on the approved-supplier list, the distribution records and the source rules your desk configured.

01Approved path

Shortlist, and name the source

Repeat buys arrive with the path already named and the evidence already attached.

02Human review

Put the read where the risk sits

Screening stops, unauthorised paths and low-confidence candidates are marked, so the buyer's read starts where the risk concentrates.

04

Build an evidence trail

The candidate part, the distribution path behind it and the buyer who approved it stay on the order file.

Integrations

Typical integrations

Five system groups connect to the same agent. Which of them are in scope is decided in discovery.

  • ERP and MRP

    • SAP S/4HANA Sourcing
    • Oracle
    • Infor
    • Epicor

  • PLM and part data

    • Teamcenter
    • Windchill
    • SiliconExpert
    • Z2Data

  • Authorised distribution

    • Franchised distributor feeds
    • Manufacturer lifecycle notices

Agent

Procurement and sourcing

  • Reads your sources
  • Shortlists candidates
  • Holds for approval

  • Screening lists

    • UFLPA and denied-party lists
    • GIDEP and ERAI alerts

  • Observability & evaluation

    • OpenTelemetry
    • Langfuse
    • Supported monitoring/evaluation sources

Integration availability depends on the client's existing systems and API access.

Agent controls

Six layers between the model and the order

Every control encloses the next. What survives the set is named in the map below.

L6 · Outermost — last line of defence

Inward → L1 · closest to the model

L6Rollback / safe modeCut shortlisting back to authorised-source lookup when evaluation or production signals degrade.Roll back
L5Version monitoringTrack model, prompt, source-rule and screening-configuration changes.Track
L4TraceabilityRecord the sources read, the path stated, the screening result and the approval time.Record
L3Buyer approvalHold shortlists for the named buyer; it governs the order, not whether an approved part is right.Gate
L2Policy guardrailsTest each candidate against the approved-source rules and configured screens; a failure returns the line.Restrict
L1Confidence thresholdsRoute low-confidence shortlists to an engineering read before the buyer sees them.Require review
Model coreShortlist produced — candidate parts, distribution paths, screening result and confidence
L1 – L2
Test whether a candidate may stand
L3
Puts the order in a buyer's hands
L4 – L5
Keep the candidate and the path it came through
L6
Falls back to authorised-source lookup when signals degrade

How Nestack evaluates it

Evaluate the sourcing workflow — not only the part at the end of it.

Coverage runs the whole depth of the workflow, and every layer is cut by slice.

Surface — the shortlist the buyer reads

  1. E1Final-output evaluationDid each candidate carry the distribution path its record supports?
  2. E2Step-level evaluationDid the agent use the right approved sources and screening configuration?
  3. E3Tool evaluationDid it read and write the correct requisition and the correct line?
  4. E4Confidence calibrationDo low-confidence shortlists actually attract more buyer amendments?
  5. E5Slice evaluationHow does performance change across specific commodity groups?
  6. E6Business outcomeHow many lines needed an amendment, or a correction after the order went out?

Floor — the exposure the buyer answers for

Failure modes

Where each failure originates in the agent

Seven ways a shortlist goes wrong, placed by stage.

Agent lifecycle

Direction of processing →

  1. 01 · Retrieval

    1 mode

    • GY-03

      Stale screening list

      A supplier is screened against a list since superseded.

    Stage gathers

    Approved suppliers, distribution records, screening lists

  2. 02 · Reasoning

    2 modes

    • GY-04

      Datasheet-equivalence leap

      A pin-compatible reading is carried as a qualification.

    • GY-06

      Approved-source rule breach

      A candidate is put forward from outside the configured sources.

    Stage proposes

    Candidate parts, distribution paths and confidence

  3. 03 · Tool / write

    2 modes

    • GY-02

      Path stated without a record

      A distribution path is asserted with nothing behind it.

    • GY-05

      Screening hit scored, not stopped

      A hit is ranked down the list instead of halting the line.

    Stage writes

    Only where write access and approval policy allow it

  4. 04 · Output

    1 mode

    • GY-01

      Unauthorised path unmarked

      A candidate leaves authorised distribution unflagged.

    Stage returns

    The shortlist the buyer reads before ordering

  5. 05 · Change / Version

    1 mode

    • GY-07

      Silent source-list regression

      A configuration change widens the sources the agent may draw on.

    Stage tracks

    Model, prompt, source rules and screening config

  • Sev-1 · a part ordered outside the boundary
  • Sev-2 · an unauthorised path reaches a buyer
  • Sev-3 · source degrades, line routes to review
See the complete Electronics failure-mode catalogue

Affected slices

Overall shortlist quality can hide one cohort

Break the amendment rate down by commodity before you trust it. The lines carrying it are the ones a buyer would have asked to see first — obsolete parts, and suppliers new to the approved list.

Slice performance — reported separately, not only in aggregate

Illustrative example
SliceFailure rateLiftLift vs. thresholdStatus
Alternate parts for obsolete lines7.3%3.4×Review
Suppliers new to the approved list4.5%2.1×Review
Allocated and long-lead commodities3.4%1.6×Watch
Repeat buys on an authorised path1.9%0.9×Normal

Bar: amendment-rate lift vs. the repeat-buy baseline · scale 0–4.0× · tick marks the 2.0× review threshold

2 of 4 slices over threshold

Evidence-linked improvement

The loop shuts when the case is written

The loop closes on a case the next release must pass, not on an explanation. That suite is what the next part put forward to a buyer is measured against.

Improvement cycle · five stages

Switchback — the path turns at Improve and returns at Learn

  1. 01

    Detect

    Amendment rate rises in one commodity slice.

  2. 02

    Diagnose

    Read back through the shortlists and the records behind each candidate until a single cause is left standing.

  3. 03

    Improve

    The fix is versioned with the shortlists that motivated it.

  4. 04

    Verify

    Nothing ships while an affected case is failing.

  5. 05

    Learn

    The case is added for good, and the sourcing rules change.

  6. Learn → Detect

    The return edge. Detection is re-run against a suite that grew.

Typical build scope

Twelve workstreams across six weeks

The build scope read against the delivery timeline. Week structure follows the six-week plan — discovery, sources, sourcing workflow, evaluation, integration, then production validation and handover.

Workstream

Week 1Week 2Week 3Week 4Week 5Week 6

  1. 01Sourcing workflow discovery and boundary definition.Week 1
  2. 02ERP, PLM and supplier-data assessment.Week 1, Week 2
  3. 03Approved-supplier, screening and path-rule mapping.Week 1, Week 2
  4. 04Demand ingestion and part normalisation.Week 2
  5. 05Shortlisting logic and path binding.Week 2, Week 3
  6. 06Confidence scoring and hit routing.Week 3
  7. 07Buyer approval workflow.Week 3, Week 4
  8. 08ERP, PLM and MRP integration.Week 5
  9. 09Source-path regression cases.Week 4, Week 5
  10. 10Guardrails and screening controls.Week 4
  11. 11Sourcing-trail instrumentation.Week 5, Week 6
  12. 12Deployment, documentation and Agent Care handover.Week 6

12 workstreams · 6 weeks · bar shows the weeks a workstream is active — several run in parallel

Final scope and sequence confirmed in discovery

Engagement tiers

What each tier includes

Rows are the capabilities named in each tier's scope. Higher tiers include everything below them.

Capability✓ in scope · — not at this tierPilotOne commodity, one deskProductionProduction ERP and PLMAdvancedMultiple entities / regions
Introduced at Pilot
Shortlisting from your own sources✓✓✓
Buyer approval✓✓✓
Shortlist-quality baseline✓✓✓
Introduced at Production
Reporting by commodity—✓✓
Approval workflow in your systems—✓✓
Approved write-back—✓✓
ERP and PLM integration—✓✓
Introduced at Advanced
Multi-entity source and screen rules——✓
Multi-stage buying approvals——✓
High line volume——✓
Multi-entity sourcing controls——✓
Build priceFrom $5,000From $8,000Custom quote
Final build price
Confirmed after discovery based on integrations, workflow complexity, line volume, approval controls and deployment requirements.
Separate from build
Build pricing is separate from recurring Agent Care, which covers managed monitoring, evaluations, incidents and verified improvements after launch.

What we need from you

What you bring, and what we build with it

Each input maps to a piece of build scope and a week in the delivery timeline.

  1. 01Your approved-supplier list and source rules

    Approved-source ingestion and path mapping

    Week 1

  2. 02Representative sourcing decisions you have made

    Shortlisting baseline, path binding and evidence assembly

    Week 2

  3. 03Your screening lists and who owns a hit

    Approved-supplier, screening and path-rule mapping

    Week 1

  4. 04Access to relevant APIs, feeds or exports

    ERP, PLM and distribution-feed assessment, then integration setup

    Week 2

  5. 05Parts you would not want ordered

    Path cases and the evaluation suite

    Week 4

  6. 06What a shortlist may never certify

    Confidence scoring, screening configuration, guardrails and approval controls

    Week 3

  7. 07Named buyers who accept a candidate

    Buyer approval workflow, then pilot and production validation

    Weeks 5–6

Nothing else is required

Deployment, documentation and Agent Care handover are ours.

Delivery timeline

Four phases across six weeks

Each phase occupies the weeks it needs, so the fifth week carries two kinds of work.

Phase

W1

W2

W3

W4

W5

W6

  1. DiscoveryW1
  2. BuildW2 – W3
  3. EvaluateW4 – W5
  4. Pilot & LaunchW5 – W6

Week focus

W1Sourcing workflow discovery, source mapping and the automation boundary

W2Source integration and the shortlisting baseline

W3Shortlisting workflow, confidence logic and approval controls

W4Evaluation suite, screening configuration and failure-mode testing

W5ERP and PLM integration, pilot lines and targeted corrections

W6One sourcing cycle worked under the buying desk, then handover

Reading the band
A bar sits over the weeks its work is named in and no others. The week 5 overlap is real work, not padding.
At the end of W6
The cycle closes validation and Agent Care assumes monitoring.
Duration
Six-week plan shown · typical delivery 4–6 weeks depending on scope confirmed in discovery.

Next step · Electronics AI agent

Build a sourcing agent around the buyer who already signs the order.

Show us your approved sources, your screening lists and who accepts an alternate part. You bring the source hierarchy you already buy to and the named buyer who signs. We map the sourcing workflow, set the automation boundary and leave the order where it sits.

Typical delivery
4–6 weeks
Deployment
Your ERP and PLM
Buyer approves
Your data only
After launch
Agent Care available

Nestack Agents · Procurement and sourcing

AGT-EL-10 · Agent Care available after launch

Build a sourcing agent

Four questions so the call starts from your actual setup — then pick a time that suits you.

About you
Your sourcing

No obligation. We’ll map the workflow, name the automation boundary and tell you if an agent is the wrong answer.