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“ Historically , procurement used to be seen as administrative , process driven , reactive and policy focused – now , we are finally being seen as strategic business partners ”
— Sheri Spinks , Executive Secretary & Director of Global Council for the Advancement of Women in Procurement working in the space . “ It ’ s important now more than ever that procurement professionals have a broad business acumen , both from an understanding and skill perspective ,” she comments .
Now , it ’ s not just qualifications and knowledge , but soft skills such as negotiation and innovation that are key to winning in the procurement sphere . “ Innovation leads to cost savings if you can find a better way of doing something ,” says Spinks . “ An effective procurement or supply chain professional is going to be constantly looking at engaging new suppliers . They ’ re going to be bringing innovative solutions to the table .”
The key for today ’ s procurement professionals , says Spinks , is open communication and true partnership with suppliers – “ talking about the goals that each organisation has and working together to come up with solutions ”. Now , she argues , supply chains can be seen as true generators of revenue by engaging new partners that bring business opportunities . “ It ’ s not just cost ,” she emphasises , having just delivered a talk at ProcureCon about total value ownership .
“ The onus is on procurement
JUNE 2019