Purchasing Performance

If the only measure of your organization's purchasing performance is forcing down prices from suppliers then not only is your purchasing team failing to add value, they may also be damaging your supply chain and the medium to long-term competitiveness of your organization. Derek Roylance's Purchasing Performance - Measuring, Marketing and Selling the Purchasing Function is a blueprint to help you identify the performance measures and marketing expertise that matter for your purchasing team. Buyers don't exist in isolation but often find it easier to focus excessively on the external market place leading to neglect and subsequent alienation of their internal customers. The book recommends operating the function as a business within a business. Part of this approach is to increase market share by better internal marketing and selling of their procurement expertise. The author provides practical methods for measuring purchasing performance and then communicating effectively - to the whole organization - the contribution the function can make to increase competitive advantage, profitability and all-round efficiency. In an intensely competitive world marketplace, purchasing can only achieve its true potential if it can persuade top decision makers that it will pay them to involve their procurement specialists in all major strategic decisions; the book shows how to achieve this top-level influence.

Derek Roylance has had a wide range of experience of quality and purchasing related responsibilities with companies such as Reader’s Digest before becoming Group Purchasing Manager of Abbey National. At that time Derek formed, and was an early Chairman of, the Financial Services Purchasing Forum, which is now affiliated to CIPS as a special interest group. He has also been a guest speaker at UK and international purchasing conferences. He started his own business, Horizon Associates, in 1995 offering procurement consultancy, training and recruitment. (www.purchasing-consultants.co.uk)