Intel thrives in an intricate supply chain of tech companies that span the globe. "Over half of our suppliers are small and midsize businesses," says Jackie Sturm, corporate vice president of global supply chain operations. "Supply-chain health and continuity are at the forefront of our business practice as we work to support the businesses that power Intel." To that end, the chipmaker responded to the 2020 pandemic economy by bolstering its supply-chain finance options for smaller suppliers.

Even before Covid-19 hit, Intel offered suppliers a variety of options to support their working capital needs. "The genesis of this was that we were approached by multiple external banks offering to help us with supplier financing," explains Antoine Hamelin, director of treasury in Intel's capital markets group. "We have a very strong balance sheet and realized that it made more sense to finance our suppliers ourselves."

Intel began writing discounting options into its supplier agreements, offering to pay faster in exchange for reductions to the invoice amount. "If they are meant to be paid in 90 days, they can get paid in 10 days for a fixed discount," Hamelin says. However, the agreements typically let Intel choose how quickly to pay. "So, this doesn't work for suppliers that don't want to give Intel the predetermined discount. As we explored other options, we liked the C2FO approach, which provides more flexibility for suppliers."