PROCUREMENT STRATEGY This approach has yielded impressive results for his organisation:“ We’ ve been able to go from maybe 80 suppliers a year in terms of RFP( request for proposal) to 920 last year.”
Pursuing this automation strategy eliminates mundane administrative tasks while preserving human involvement for value-added activities.
Once suppliers complete the automated qualification process, category managers can engage in more meaningful discussions about capabilities, volumes and partnership opportunities.
Human-centred tech implementation Despite the obvious benefits of automation, the panellists stressed that successful digital procurement must remain fundamentally people-first.
Jack articulated this principle most clearly:“ The biggest thing I’ ve learned in my 20-plus years in procurement is that your solution has to be humancentred. You can’ t just throw a robot at your suppliers.”
Further emphasising the value of relationships, he says:“ The most important thing we do for a living is building relationships, maintaining relationships and extracting and giving value to your supplier ecosystem. If you try to digitalise all of it, end to end, you’ re losing so much more value than you’ re gaining.”
The human element becomes particularly crucial when dealing with diverse supplier capabilities.
Mark highlighted the importance of adapting technology interfaces
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