Monday, October 12, 2009

Making Use of Procurement Services

By Brent Jorgenson

What exactly do we mean when we talk about procurement? In the most basic terms, procurement is the process of purchasing goods and services at a very cost effective price. Other words you could use include: gain, acquire, or purchase. Using a procurement service, then, is like hiring someone to make purchases for you.

Procurement isn?t just about making purchases though. It is also a process that should always check for the quality and quantity of the product or service. A procurement service or department should make sure that you only buy what you need and that it is in good shape. Usually the department will have a list of suppliers that they regularly use, and can use this relationship to get good deals and products they trust.

Procurement processes differ from company to company because they all have different needs, and methodologies between government agencies and private companies have different regulations. Procurement is still beneficial to both when they are purchasing items in bulk and on a regular basis.

The actual step of acquiring the merchandise a company needs will differ according to the product being gained, and as such the procurement services will differ as well. For example, health care equipment needs to be reliable and efficient and so the procurement process is carried out far more meticulously than with a non-health care company so that faulty merchandise is not acquired.

Individuals conduct procurement processes as well, every time they go to the grocery store or go online. If you buy a good or a service from someone, you have conducted procurement; you have acquired something you needed from a supplier that gave you the best possible price for it, whether it is the local grocery store or an emergency plumber.

Some companies just don?t have the ability to keep track of they are spending on a day to day basis. This is where procurement services can really help. Buy turning to a department specifically created for the task, a company can always have an accurate analysis of their current spending and spot ways to negotiate better deals.

As a company or organization, how you decide to use procurement services is completely up to you. There are those that choose to completely outsource the procurement departments to a dedicated company, but other companies cannot do this simply because of the nature of the merchandise they need to acquire. It is important to note that every organization is unique and so each use of the service will differ.

It is important to do a little research into procurement service providers before making the final decision on which to use. There are many to choose from in the market and you want to ensure you choose the one that will work best for you. Your safest bet is to look closely at a procurement service provider that has been around longer than 5 years since they are established and know the market best.

About the Author:

No comments:

Post a Comment