Greg Uhrlen, SPSM, writing for Next Level Purchasing Association’s blog, has compiled predictions made by 34 experts on procurement trends. Greg writes, “We here at the Next Level Purchasing Association asked procurement experts across the world their predictions and greatest challenges they expect to tackle in 2015. As expected, we received a rather diverse range of answers from the procurement experts polled.” Categories covered include: Procurement Education, Procurement Technology, and Supplier Relationship Management. This is interesting reading, to be sure. Here are my favorites that touch on market intelligence:
“For me, it’s the continued increase in niche global or regional skills in big organizations. In the marketing process, there are now experts on print, ad agencies/creative, digital, media (of various sorts) which can move round their business units like internal consultants…I hope specialized procurement analysts, researchers and report-makers are on the up too – perfect support/development roles for beginners.” – David Little | Senior Procurement Consultant | @daveylittle
“Moving toward total strategic value of purchases and away from an overemphasis on cost.” – Dick Locke SPSM3® | President | Global Supply Training Company
“Moving our buyers from a transactional to a strategic role, and upgrading their cross-functional knowledge.”
Carrie Uhl, SPSM® | Vice President of Procurement, Americas | Magna International Inc.
“We need services – services procurement, that is. Services procurement is an adolescent, waiting to break free from its authoritarian staffing parents (the kind that maintained rigid order because it was all they knew). It’s the 1950s nuclear family about to hit the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s all together with a vengeance. Free love, good music, capitalism and coke (the soft-drink that is …) all at once…Sign us up! In other words, watch out as the services industry explodes with new models, talent markets and ultimately, much better value delivery than the orderly staffing and MSP market has been able to deliver to date.” – Jason Busch | Executive Editor and Contributor | Spend Matters
