From office supplies and furniture to consulting services and advertising campaigns, procurement managers make key purchasing decisions that help organizations achieve their business objectives.
Here, we delve into the key duties and responsibilities of a procurement manager, their tasks, and how they manage the procurement process to help a business achieve its strategic goals.
What is Procurement Management?
Procurement management is a complex business function that involves the process of planning, managing, and purchasing goods and services from external suppliers and sources to meet company needs.
As a key business administration function, procurement officers and managers are responsible for acquiring goods and services of the highest quality at the lowest cost.
Effective procurement activities include identifying requirements, selecting suppliers and managing supplier relationships, contract negotiations, and managing purchase orders from start to finish. The head of procurement and procurement managers are ultimately responsible for getting the most out of the company’s purchasing power and ensuring high levels of risk management.
Ensuring a high-performing procurement function is essential for businesses that want to gain an edge over their direct competitors, realize cost savings while meeting business needs, streamline operations, increase their profitability, and optimize their processes.
What does a Procurement Manager do?
Procurement managers — sometimes known as purchasing managers — play a critical role in ensuring that organizations have the resources they need to operate effectively. They use a combination of management skills and negotiation skills to identify and source the best products and services for their organizations.
To understand the business’s procurement needs, procurement managers excel at working closely with various departments and stakeholders to ensure that the organization has the resources it needs to operate effectively.
They also select new suppliers based on an analysis of factors such as quality, price, and delivery time, and negotiate contracts to obtain the best deals. They’re also responsible for managing supplier and vendor relationships, approving purchase orders, and performing risk assessments on potential contracts and agreements.
Procurement professionals also have strong leadership skills that help them oversee the entire procurement lifecycle, manage and motivate a procurement team to achieve organizational objectives and make difficult decisions.
Procurement managers also rely on their strong communication skills to help them build strong relationships with various stakeholders, suppliers, and internal departments. They’re able to articulate the organization's procurement strategy and goals to both their teams and external audiences with the goal of obtaining the best goods at the best prices to protect the business’s bottom line.
There’s a wide variety of tools and software available to Procurement Managers
Procurement Manager responsibilities, duties, and tasks list
A procurement manager’s job will vary depending on the business and industry they work in. A varied skill set and years of experience in relevant industries enable them to manage all stages of the procurement process, partnerships, and purchasing processes.
While some procurement manager roles are entry-level, others require additional certifications such as a master’s degree or bachelor’s degree.
However, while there are many different types of procurement and procurement roles, there are many duties that are commonly found within any procurement manager job description.
- Identifying the procurement needs of the entire organization.
- Managing direct procurement processes, including the purchasing or obtaining of raw materials, resources, goods, and services for manufactured goods.
- Managing indirect procurement, including the purchasing of goods, services, supplies, and materials needed for daily operations.
- Creating RFQs and overseeing competitive bidding cycles.
- Managing procurement budgets, strategies, and payment processes.
- Developing and implementing cost-effective procurement strategies and policies for the purchasing of raw materials, goods, and services.
- Managing the procure-to-pay process, including requisitioning, purchasing, receiving, invoicing, and paying for goods and services.
- Evaluating and strategic sourcing of potential suppliers.
- Devising initiatives to drive procurement performance.
- Negotiating contracts with vendors to secure the best deals and terms.
- Maintaining advantageous relationships with suppliers and managing disputes.
- Monitoring supplier performance for optimal business operations performance.
- Ensuring the timeliness and effectiveness of goods and services.
- Forecasting to predict future demand for goods, services, and purchase requisitions.
- Collaborating with internal departments to ensure procurement needs are met.
- Finalizing purchase details and approving purchase requests and purchase orders.
- Tracking key metrics and KPIs to reduce costs.
- Analyzing procurement data, conducting spend analysis, and preparing reports.
- Streamlining the organization’s business travel processes, including ensuring the best corporate management rates and maintaining compliance.
- Optimizing workflows and automation processes to save time and money.
- Compiling reports for the Chief Procurement Officer (CPO).
- Ensuring compliance with relevant regulations, standards, and laws.
- Incorporating new procurement software, e-procurement processes, and business processes when necessary.
- Leading the procurement department, including a team of procurement officers and other team members.
- Developing and implementing risk mitigation strategies.
- Monitoring industry trends and developments.
