TEACHERS COLLEGE | COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
“ When you think contract , you generally think legal ,” Tony says . “ But that ’ s not always true , especially when it comes to procurement and you ’ re talking about a purchasing or service contract , when 80 % of the terms relate to procurement and only 20 % relate to legal .
“ That ’ s why it ’ s so important to integrate these two departments and work hand in hand . The only way to achieve that is to be in constant discussion and have joint meetings so we are all on the same page .”
Elsewhere , amid the ongoing transition from manual to e-procurement , the convergence of technology and procurement has resulted in the creation of a relatively new domain : IT procurement .
In fact , the lack of training provision in this area is something Tony is keen to address in his role as President of CIPS for North America .
“ Traditionally , all procurement where computers are concerned was done through IT people , but guess what ? They ’ re experts on IT equipment but not on procurement matters .
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