THE PURCHASING GUIDELINES
Do you know the purchasing guidelines of your company? Are they helpful, simple and understandable for “normal” people? Are they properly communicated to the team?
I am asking because I was surprised by several companies in regards to the complexity of their purchasing guidelines, lack of purchaser’s knowledge about their existence, and the negative feedback of the few purchasers that knew about them: difficult to follow and without clear objectives.
From my understanding this is a big mistake of lot of organizations, resulting on an unclear picture about what is right or wrong for the team, and especially during the onboarding process of new purchasers.
Definition of roles and responsibilities, vendor set ups and sourcing procedures, signing and purchasing authority, conflict of interest and ethical purchasing… all basics, but basics that must be clearly defined and communicated to the entire team.
And, by ‘clearly defined’ I mean simple and concrete guidelines to support the team, because I also hate the typical complicated, long and unintelligible documents that nobody even reads in the end.
So, I would kindly like to propose to all Purchasing Managers reading this post to have a look to your own guidelines and ask yourself:
- Are they clear and easy for the team to understand?
- Are they helpful to the team in terms of comprehending how to work correctly?
- Are they properly communicated to the team?
If the answer is «No», please take note and invest some time in changing them. You will be surprised by the improvement in the working atmosphere, increased self-confidence of the team throughout the processes and consequently significantly better results…which in turn mean: profits for the company.
Join our Learning Sessions to gain deep knowledge about:
ADVANCE NEGOTIATION
This program is designed for senior purchasers involved in complex, high-stakes negotiations. It develops advanced negotiation skills, strategic thinking, and influence techniques to optimize outcomes in both bilateral and multilateral environments. Participants gain a structured, practical approach and immediately applicable tools to manage complex negotiations more effectively, increase their impact, and achieve superior results.
STRATEGIC PURCHASING
This training program is designed primarily for employees who are new to purchasing, but it is also highly recommended for operational purchasers who lack experience in a strategic approach. The program combines dynamic presentations, real-life examples from my professional experience, and interactive business cases that participants will actively work through. This ensures a practical, engaging, and results-oriented learning experience.
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