Obtaining maturity in purchasing refers to the level of improvement that a company reaches in terms of processes and operation of the area. For this, each company must go through a cycle in which the management and optimization capacity of the procurement process is developed, as well as its efficiency and effectiveness.
The purchasing cycle establishes 4 stages that contain the level of maturity in the acquisition process:
- Strategic and operational purchases
Generally, in the first stage of the cycle, organizations tend to invest without establishing any strategy , and the acquisitions that are made are rather tactical.
This stage covers the entire process from acquisition to payment: identification of the need, followed by the creation of the request and purchase order, establishment and selection of suppliers, negotiation, creation of the contract until receipt of the product or service.
- Tactical supply
In the tactical sourcing stage, directors focus on cost savings, so they initiate a strategy that includes hiring purchasing professionals , in charge of negotiating the best cost-quality benefit. The use of technology is beginning to be contemplated.
This second stage covers inventory planning and management, demand forecasting, replenishment and invoice payment.
- Categorization strategy
The third stage is a technological awakening for companies, where the limitations and conflicts caused by the lack of technological use or the scale of technology used by the company become evident.
The categorization strategy focuses on relationship activities, monitoring and evaluation of supplier performance , in addition to the management, analysis and category strategies of products or services to obtain better performance in acquisitions.
- Innovative purchases
In the last stage of the maturity cycle, companies reevaluate the state of collaboration with their suppliers and begin relationship strategies focused on the value and opportunity they represent for their purchases.
It is in this cycle where solid strategies for monitoring, evaluating and renewing contracts are established, as well as the collection and analysis of information for cost savings, the identification of opportunities and the continuous improvement of processes that will add to the value of the area of purchases and, therefore, the company.
Understanding the stage of the cycle in which an organization is in the purchasing area is vital to identify its level of maturity, detect strengths, areas of improvement and, in this way, establish strategies to focus them towards the company’s objectives. .
Referencias: Procurement League
