Are you a purchasing manager who struggles in achieving savings goals?

Even though cutting costs has long been a top priority, new age procurement requirements are appearing and posing challenges. The responsibilities of purchasing managers are also rapidly evolving as a result of technological advancements. Re-evaluating the significance of purchasing process to the organization's overall strategy is crucial now.

So, what are some of the most common issues that purchasing managers face right now, and how to resolve them?

Managing & Mitigating Risks

Prioritization of spend management used to be the first action plan the purchase managers used to concentrate. Risk mitigation and management is the primary concern of the purchase managers. Although strictly working with low-cost suppliers is not always the best way to manage spending, this is still an important part of their job. It is possible to swim against the current for businesses that adapt to supply chain volatility.

In the current state of supply chains, maintaining a robust transparent market and supplier intelligence is required by purchasing managers. They must be aware of the dangers associated with certain industries, products, and suppliers. If they don't, they run the risk of having problems with purchases and harming their business's reputation.

By diversifying their suppliers, businesses can actively manage and reduce risk in a number of ways. This assists purchasing managers in avoiding issues related to purchasing such as delivery issues and supply shortages.

The majority of tier-one suppliers frequently make use of the same factories, ports, and sub-suppliers, making diversification difficult. In order to avoid running into the same purchasing issues with different suppliers, purchasing managers must therefore gather supplier intelligence.

Visibility Issues

We are experiencing a surge in costs related to manufacturing, labor, and raw materials. Due to this, the brunt is being faced by the end customers as suppliers are pushing the price increase to them. Additionally, some suppliers are taking advantage of this to raise their overall prices. For the business to be on par with the competitors, purchase managers should possess quick decision making skills. Right from company spending to negotiations, and partnerships with suppliers, every aspect of the process is impacted by a lack of visibility into the supply market and suppliers. As a result, purchasing teams must ensure that they have timely and accurate information about suppliers and the supply market.

Hands on Accurate Data & Insights

Analytics plays an important role in the strategy and financial planning related to businesses. The tools will help purchase managers in accessing accurate information and valuable insight when making purchases. Below are some of the areas covered:

• Market prices
• Product catalogs
• Company inventory
• Standing purchase orders
• Supplier KPI’S, among other things
• Contract renewals in the near future

In order to avoid purchasing issues that could lead to excess or inadequate inventory, as well as to help keep track of spending and contracts, purchasing managers require accurate and dependable data.

For instance, purchasing managers can conduct three-way matching with the assistance of accurate PO data. Without comparing the information on the purchase order to what was agreed upon with the suppliers, no purchase is complete. Purchasing managers can take action before it's too late in the event of any discrepancy, such as delivery quantities not matching the amount invoiced.

Organizations suffer financial losses and miss out on strategic opportunities when purchasing teams are unable to easily access this data. Accurate data can be gathered using dependable purchasing software, which also simplifies the purchasing procedure and significantly reduces human error.

Purchase of the Right Procurement Software

For a business to avoid any financial losses and bad partnerships, purchase of the right procurement software is a must. The software ensures that the data collected ensures accuracy, efficiency, and profitability in the long term. This will assist purchasing and procurement teams to be decisive in taking a profitable decision.

However, digital technologies have not yet been incorporated into the purchasing process for some purchasing teams. This is primarily because digitizing and automating their entire supply chain would cost a lot of money.

Most of the organizations are still in the stage where they are not able to afford purchasing software. But for the organizations to grow they need to adapt to the current technology present in the market. As that plays a pivotal role in the organization's growth cycle. Technology also gives organizations a big picture of how buying and selling fit into the bigger goals of the organization.

Establishing Rapport with Key Stakeholders

It is no longer necessary for procurement managers to review spending immediately after it has occurred. Companies can monitor spending before it occurs thanks to new tools for spending and analytics. In the past procurement managers reviewed the spend report once the transaction has been done. But with the advent of the new age analytics tools, companies will now be able to track the spend ratio even before the transaction takes place.

Because of this, procurement departments need to collaborate with stakeholders from across the company. Leaders in procurement need to be aware of what each department requires, who makes purchasing decisions, recurring orders, and their costs. That’s why procurement departments must work with stakeholders throughout the organization. The purchasing or the procurement managers need to know the needs of each and every department, i.e., their purchasing needs and decisions, the recurring orders, and how much they would cost.

The bottom line of the company can be impacted by any issues the procurement department encounters with purchasing. Professionals in purchasing can make certain that the requirements of each department's purchasing are taken into account in the organization's budgets and decision-making process by aligning themselves with each department.

Have you ever wondered what happens if there is an issue in the purchasing stage?

Well, first thing, the issues faced by the procurement department during the purchasing stage will affect the company’s bottom line. Purchasing professionals should make it certain that the requirements of each department's purchasing needs are taken into account in the organization's budgets and decision-making process by aligning themselves with each department.

Following Clear Rules of Compliance

Compliance is another issue with purchasing because organizations frequently find it difficult to implement purchasing policies. A company's operations become vulnerable to irresponsible spending and litigation without compliance policies and rules. For supply chain transparency, sustainability, and risk mitigation, compliance is also crucial.

For both internal teams and external partners like suppliers, organizations need to have clear rules for compliance. Every department's spending and supplier performance are measured by this. Additionally, it shields businesses from fraud. Again, by granting certain departmental users access to the purchasing and approval process, purchasing software can be helpful.

Contracts Creation & Usage

When a supplier accepts a purchase order, it typically serves as a legally binding contract between the organization and the supplier. The price, payment terms, order description, and product specifications are all included in the PO.

However, separate contracts are required by businesses to define their working relationship with suppliers. As a result, procurement relies heavily on contract management. Contracts write down agreed-upon pricing, delivery, and product standards and shield businesses from legal issues. The terms of the contract must be followed by both the company and the supplier.

Streamlining the Buying Process

Purchasing managers are in charge of determining what the company needs. Right from choosing the best deals to placing orders, accepting deliveries to handling payments, everything is handled by the purchase managers. There is room for error and the process moves much more slowly when businesses use manual procedures. An accountant records purchases when they receive the invoice, which begins with an email or phone call and ends up on a spreadsheet. The growth and profitability of an organization are hampered by this manual procedure.

Problems with purchasing can arise when using a manual method, i.e., repeat orders, ordering the wrong items or quantities, not protecting purchases data, etc. In contrast, an automated purchasing procedure reduces errors, saves money, and saves time. To ensure that no unnecessary costs are incurred and that the best offers are accepted, received, and paid for in accordance with the agreement with the suppliers, each step is automatically recorded.

Since they are expected to find the most effective solution, purchasing managers are tasked with making the purchasing process as efficient as possible.

Delivery Issues

Deliveries that are late, incomplete, or damaged are another issue with purchasing. These issues threaten business continuity and cause product delivery delays for customers. One of the ways purchasing managers can anticipate fewer issues with deliveries is by recording and reviewing the performance of suppliers on a regular basis. However, gaining visibility into the supplier's procedures, such as delivery routes and timelines, remains a challenge. When it comes to avoiding delivery issues, this kind of supplier intelligence is very helpful.

Vendor Management

Purchasing managers must select the right suppliers and vendors to reduce the likelihood of delivery issues. In order to properly evaluate suppliers, references and resources to fulfill orders must be checked. Checking the supplier's bank references, for instance, can increase trust and eliminate any concerns about financial issues like low liquidity or bankruptcy.

Before placing an order with a supplier, purchasing managers should ensure that all necessary background checks are completed. In an ideal world, they would have access to the supplier's previous order data to evaluate their performance.

Takeaways

In conclusion, purchasing managers have a significant impact on their company's profitability, growth, and productivity by making strategic sourcing decisions and maximizing savings opportunities. By providing your company with the appropriate tools, technology, and data insights, you can turn the purchasing challenges we mentioned into competitive advantages. With automated workflows, purchasing software enables teams to save time and aids businesses in managing all aspects of spending and purchasing.