What is a Purchasing Consultant and Who Needs One Anyway?
Robert Menard, Certified Purchasing Professional, Certified Professional Purchasing Consultant
That is a good question that occurs more frequently as the economy falters and business looks to where they should have been focusing all along, the supply chain. Purchasing consulting is merely the outsourcing of specific expertise for stated purposes. For instance, engaging talent to write a Purchasing Policies & Procedures Manual or conduct supply chain audits for Sarbanes-Oxley, or Merger & Acquisitions due diligence, or to develop a supplier evaluation strategy and techniques, or disaster recovery plan are but a few specific requests. Others may seek help in developing supplier qualification standards and evaluation methods or help with choosing software for enhanced data management. (See below for a list of commonly outsourced purchasing consulting services)
The need for consultants grows as organizations trim staff and must look to external sources to plug the talent gap or cannot devote the time and resources of the remaining staff to solve particular problems.
What are some good sources?
A daunting problem facing companies large and small, indeed, one which affects the decision to outsource, is where to find competent purchasing consultants and how to be certain the right choice is made. Many large “accounting/consulting” houses are often long on titles, but short on specific procurement expertise. High level thinking will not solve practical business problems. Similarly, academics often lack practical experience. You would not ask your pediatrician to do heart surgery on your parents and you don’t want advice on what to do from a consultant without practical solutions on how to do it! Put it into few words, favor a Certified Professional Purchasing Consultant over a Master of Business Administration.
Services frequently outsourced to an experienced Purchasing Consultant
Click to vist American Purchasing Society
Create/Write
- Purchasing Policies & Procedures Manual
- Purchasing Ethics Policy
- Consulting Reports for a variety of requests
- Terms and Conditions
- Disaster/Recovery Plans
- Supplier Sustainabililty Plans
Conduct audits and studies with recommendations and opinions for
- Due Diligence for Mergers & Acquisitions
- Sarbanes Oxley compliance
- Audit Committees, management, share holders, and debt holders
Establish/Recommend
- Purchasing Department organization such as Centralized, Decentralized, Strategic, etc
- Supplier Qualification (Certification) standards
- Supplier Evaluation systems
- Supplier Base reduction methods
Conduct and/or assist in
- Foreign and domestic supplier negotiations
- Supplier selection
- Supplier plant visits
- Hiring purchasing talent
- ISO and QS registration
- Development of negotiation plan and implementation strategy
- Identify and implement best practices
- Create/expand P-Card, Ghost Card, and P/R Card programs
- Investigate and recommend supply chain operations for efficiency and profitability in areas such as
- Travel Spend
- Software selection for purchasing
- Reduction/elimination of wasteful or duplicate processes