What makes a good procurement specialist

Procurement is all about communication, networking, and building relationships with various stakeholders of the organisation. You need to develop effective communication skills, increase patience in listening, and learn to be flexible. Great relationships based on open communication are the foundation of effective procurement. The procurement specialist needs to scrutinise every contract and negotiate for the best prices that benefit the organisation. Strong negotiation skills help you deliver positive value to the business.

Negotiation skills developed are all about how they conduct themselves. Possessing fiscal responsibility and responsible for rendering strong vendor relationships, it is a must that the procurer remain courteous and fair while negotiating. A procurer needs an unconventional thinker ready to embrace new technology and analyse beyond the regulars.

If you wish to be a successful procurement specialist, then accepting the challenges and bringing out solutions that display your leadership qualities is required.

Understanding the diverse business environment, thinking strategically, nurturing every negotiation with innovative ideas can help in building this trait. Ensuring that all the contracts and tenders are timely filed, revised, and generated, the procurement specialist is liable for assuring no loophole remains in process and procedures.

Reducing the turnaround time in business is key to achieving efficient results. To paint a bigger picture of tomorrow, staying updated about the changes and continuously polishing the skills by knowing the most potential procurement strategies is crucial.

Procurement managers might deal with a range of different kinds of contracts and suppliers. Supply chain scenarios can take the shape of basic provider agreements, performance-based providers, shared services models, and even equity partnerships.

Contracts may take any of these forms and can be used for goods, services, or other resources. The vendor may be another business, a subsidiary company, or even a government department. Purchasing specialist skills can be condensed to these key areas:. At all stages of the procurement life-cycle, it is most advantageous to the purchasing specialist to have a constant overview and awareness of contracts, both those currently held by the company and potential contracts they could hold in the future.

Managing procurement contracts helps in the analysis and review of existing and speculative arrangements. Automated contract management is becoming the standard for procurement departments the world over because it is so effective at reducing time bottlenecks in contract management decisions. Reviewing fifty contracts at a hundred pages each as a manual undertaking is unthinkable for all but the biggest teams, but with automation, it's all done in a few seconds.

Learn more at www. How We Help. Get a Demo. Top 5 Traits of Successful Procurement Professionals. What does it take to move procurement from a tactical function in the accounting department to a strategic role within the supply chain?

They possess excellent negotiation skills Procurement professionals must scrutinize every contract and negotiate the best prices for their companies while remaining courteous and fair to suppliers. They embrace technology The procurement process is under powerful pressure to transform — to leverage technology to make the entire process more strategic.

They are detail oriented, yet have a big picture view Procurement professionals are often very detail oriented, organized people, and such attention to the fine points is a tremendous asset in the job. They are service minded and great communicators Great procurement professionals identify the needs of their customers and find the best ways to meet those needs. About the author: Salim Khalife is the founder, president and CEO of Paramount WorkPlace, a technology company that develops, sells, and supports advanced web-based and mobile requisition, procurement, and expense software solutions for mid-market organizations.

Share on twitter. Share on linkedin. Additionally, a Procurement Specialist with more experience and greater negotiation skills can earn a higher salary when they are able to reduce vendor costs and maximize profits. Students will often complete some training through an internship during their education.

They will train in areas such as inventory, vendor outreach, negotiation and contract assessment. Some hiring managers prefer that Procurement Specialists have previous experience, whereas others will prefer to hire an entry-level candidate and train them within the company.

Entry-level Procurement Specialists will often work for a few months with a more experienced Buyer or Purchasing Agent. Some hiring managers may require that candidates have the Certified Purchasing Professional CPP certification or that they work toward it during employment.

Some employers may also prefer that candidates have previous experience working in their specific industry. If you are looking to fill a similar role, you might find one of these related job description samples useful:.

Procurement Specialists typically report to Purchasing Managers, who oversee the entire procurement process of an organization. Procurement Specialists will often report to Purchasing Managers for any questions about their role or responsibility. Procurement Specialists typically work on a team and will receive training and onboarding from Purchasing Managers.

Procurement Specialists usually spend a large majority of their workday in the office, completing basic office tasks and researching new suppliers. Though they both deal with obtaining products or materials for a company, there are some key differences between Procurement Specialists and Buyers.