What is purchasing and procurement?
Acquiring goods and services is an essential aspect of any organization, and purchasing and procurement are the two key functions that facilitate this process. Purchasing focuses on the transactional aspects of buying, such as placing orders and negotiating prices, while procurement takes a more strategic approach towards supplier selection, contract management, and ensuring cost-effectiveness and quality. The ultimate aim of both functions is to acquire the necessary resources efficiently while staying within budgetary constraints and maintaining quality standards, thereby contributing to the overall operational success of the organization.
Until now, purchasing and procurement were a necessary part of multinational corporations but seldom celebrated. But changing times have compelled organizations to acknowledge the role of purchasing and procurement when it comes to driving the success of organizations. Through this blog, we are discussing the difference between purchasing and procurement process and how it can impact the quality, innovation, efficiency, and savings of an organization.
Mostly, purchasing and procurement are considered to be synonyms by people. They never consider purchasing and procurement as different terms as both are related to the acquisition of goods or services for companies. Therefore, it becomes vital for companies to understand the difference between procurement and purchasing to understand the impact on their organizations.
At SpendEdge, we understand the impact that a process can have on your organization. Therefore, our team of experts has highlighted some major aspects that are influenced by the procurement purchasing process.
Are you interested in analyzing the impact of purchasing and procurement activities for your organization? Get in touch with our experts and know how your procurement and purchasing impacts your business.
What’s the difference between purchasing and procurement?
| Procurement | Purchasing |
| Procurement is a broad and comprehensive concept. However, procurement can be defined as a set strategic, tactical, and operational processes that are required to optimize the supply outcomes for needed external goods and services. It also involves processes such as spend analysis, sourcing, inventory management, and operational purchasing. | Purchasing, on the other hand, can be considered to be a part of the procurement process. It is a transactional process that deals with how goods or services are ordered. The purchasing process primarily focuses on stock purchases (inventory), non-stock purchases (expense), and subcontracting. |
Importance of purchasing and procurement process for organizations
Improve quality
Purchasing and procurement departments can control the quality of products and services by setting target performance levels for quality. This helps them track the quality of products against set parameters such as durability, the look, or the delivery timelines. In some companies, purchasing and procurement departments even work in alignment with their vendors to develop processes and ensure quality.
Want to know how improving quality can benefit your business? Request a free proposal and know how our procurement experts can help you enhance purchasing and procurement process.
Pursue innovation
Since the purchasing and procurement department is always in contact with innumerable businesses, they are in the ideal position to source innovative goods and services. Such a form of strategic sourcing provides businesses with the required competitive edge in terms of price, quality, or convenience.
Increase efficiency
Many companies consider procurement purchasing process as a one-dimensional process. However, when implemented strategically within the organization, the procurement and purchasing process can lead to greater efficiency. An optimized purchasing process can enhance the sourcing capabilities and ensure timely delivery of goods and services.
Achieve savings
Purchasing and procurement have a considerable impact on the bottom line of any organization. They directly impact the sales and costs of the company. Efficiently managing procurement and purchasing allows organizations to achieve immediate cost savings by procuring items, services, and contracts at the best possible prices.
