Only a quarter of councils in England have succeeded in finding procurement savings following the introduction of the National Procurement Strategy (NPS) for local government two years ago. Of the 248 councils who took part in the research, 186 of them reported no identified savings or no records of savings achieved. The National Procurement Strategy … Continued

There are certain skills all procurement professionals are required to have, no matter what industry they are in. Buyers need to find the right products at the right price, supply chain staff have to be well organised and all procurement staff need to be innovative when looking at cost cutting measures. When hiring procurement staff … Continued

Public sector and private sector companies are very different in their nature and each have contrasting objectives and goals. While private companies largely operate to produce a profit, public companies primarily exist for the public good. This means that procurement departments in the two spheres and the day to day tasks of their staff often … Continued

Cognitive computing is changing the way procurement works in the 21st century, as processors become more streamlined and professionals are expected to have strong computing and data analytic skills, according to a number of speakers at this year’s World Procurement Congress (WPC). During discussions, it was said that the types of skills that traditionally put … Continued

Procurement Managers are vital to the whole success of a company. On a basic level, a Procurement Manager will ensure that their companies are taking a strategic approach to purchasing goods and services. They must secure the best deals and develop good relationships with suppliers. The role of Procurement Manager is vital to the growth … Continued

While working in the procurement industry, you will have developed a variety of hard and soft skills that will have helped you do your job properly, including empathy, communication, cost reduction and streamlining. After developing these skills, handling your own projects from start to finish, and dealing with everyone from CEOs to suppliers, you may … Continued

Key names in the procurement industry have claimed that more needs to be done to attract and keep hold of talented millennial staff in the procurement profession. Speaking at the Big Ideas Summit, Lucy Harding, partner and head of the global procurement and supply chain practice at Odgers Berndtson, said that many millennials are choosing … Continued

Assistant buyers support the procurement team in so many different ways, it’s important to ensure that during the hiring process you establish that your candidate has all the skills required. If you simply check out their past experiences and abilities without getting to know a little more, you might be missing out on the best … Continued

An Assistant Buyer plays a key role in any procurement team. Your knowledge of your products, services and industry must be second-to-none, while you will also be required to support senior staff and deputise in their absence. Before you start applying for Assistant Buyer roles, it is important to consider whether you have the required … Continued