We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • SUBMISSIONS
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
  • STRATEGY
  • GLOBAL
  • LOGISTICS
  • MANUFACTURING
  • PROCUREMENT
  • VIDEO
    • News & Exclusives
    • Viewer Contributed
    • CSCMP EDGE 2022 Startup Alley
    • Upload your video
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • White Papers
    • Webcasts
    • Events
    • Blogs
      • Reflections
      • SCQ Forum
    • Mobile Apps
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
  • STRATEGY
  • GLOBAL
  • LOGISTICS
  • MANUFACTURING
  • PROCUREMENT
  • VIDEO
    • News & Exclusives
    • Viewer Contributed
    • CSCMP EDGE 2022 Startup Alley
    • Upload your video
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • White Papers
    • Webcasts
    • Events
    • Blogs
      • Reflections
      • SCQ Forum
    • Mobile Apps
Home » The evolution of procurement: From "backwater" to driving force
Forward Thinking

The evolution of procurement: From "backwater" to driving force

January 22, 2016
Supply Chain Quarterly Staff
No Comments

It can be hard to dig through the avalanche of business titles published each year and choose one or two that are genuinely worth reading. But if you are involved in procurement or supply management, then you may want to add The Procurement Value Proposition: The Rise of Supply Management to your short list. It recently won the Grand Prix ACA-Bruel award, which is presented annually to books that make an important contribution to research and practice in the fields of procurement and supply chain management.

Authors Gerard Chick of the consulting firm Optimum Procurement Group and Robert Handfield of North Carolina State University contend that the procurement function of the future will look vastly different than it did in its recent past, when it was considered a "backwater" that played a minor role in a business's overall mission. But that's changing, and procurement is becoming critical to a company's survival in today's increasingly complex business world, they argue. Now, with outsourcing becoming nearly ubiquitous and supply chains growing in complexity, procurement is playing an important role in handling such crucial business concerns as risk management, compliance, and sustainability.

Chick and Handfield further show that the value procurement can bring to an organization can and should go beyond the traditional (yet still important) concerns of supply assurance and cost reduction. For example, they expect procurement will play an increasingly important role in product development and innovation.

The authors make clear from the beginning that the book is not a step-by-step, practical guide to implementing best practices in procurement. Rather, it presents a vision of what the discipline might encompass in the future and issues a powerful call for procurement organizations to make profound changes that will support new roles and responsibilities. These structural changes, the book says, will require procurement professionals to interact with and manage suppliers differently than they do now. For example, procurement organizations will increasingly be required to manage virtual networks of suppliers, stakeholders, and internal customers. To accomplish this, they will have to employ still-developing social media channels without sacrificing face-to-face relationships.

The procurement professional of the future, the authors write, will also need to develop new skill sets, such as the "soft" social skills required for relationship management; risk management knowledge; and the ability to collect and analyze data. Later chapters in the book discuss how organizations can meet those talent challenges.

The book is well written and organized; in addition to its thought-provoking insights, it includes a number of case studies and is peppered with anecdotes that break up the more academic discussions.

The Procurement Value Proposition: The Rise of Supply Management is available from Kogan Page, which offers an extensive lineup of titles in logistics, operations, and supply chain management. For more information, go to www.koganpage.com/channel/logistics-operations.

Procurement
    • Related Articles

      Survey: 90% of procurement leaders will tweak operating models to cope with economic outlook

      Commitment to sustainable procurement is on the rise

      From controlling cost to ensuring supply: inbound supply chain’s focus shifts, says research report

    Recent Articles by Supply Chain Quarterly Staff

    Manufacturing firms bemoan interest rates, talent shortage

    Median ransomware payment doubles to $26,000, Verizon says

    Schneider says California site can charge 32 battery-powered trucks at once

    You must login or register in order to post a comment.

    Report Abusive Comment

    Most Popular Articles

    • Report: Sagging freight stats show that trucking sector is returning to its historic mean

    • Survey: parcel delivery drivers are frustrated by using their own smartphones for work

    • Heavy transport across two continents

    • Survey: most Americans unaware that truckers face shortage of parking spaces

    • Supply chain executives not yet seeing expected results from technology investments

    Featured Video

    Household goods customs broker thumb

    Household Goods Customs Broker

    Viewer Contributed
    Household Goods Customs Broker :Gallagher Transport International is a highly experienced customs broker specializing in household goods, providing efficient and cost-effective customs clearance services while ensuring compliance with all necessary regulations. Our Services Include: Importing & Exporting...

    FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

    • Three layers of forklift safety: Promoting operating best practices

    • The Complete Guide to Automated Packaging

    • Five tips for parcel success in 2023

    • Guide to Pallet Rack Safety

    View More

    Subscribe to Supply Chain Quarterly

    Get Your Subscription
    • SUBSCRIBE
    • E-NEWSLETTERS
    • ADVERTISING
    • CUSTOMER CARE
    • CONTACT
    • ABOUT
    • STAFF
    • PRIVACY POLICY

    Copyright ©2023. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing