Procurement; the ax of fresh air

To what extend the attention of a procurement professional is focussed externally says something about the internal postion of Procurement. During my many years of practical experience in searching and matching procurement professionals this has been an important parameter to qualify professionals and organizations.

The more Procurement acts in “the heat of the kitchen” of the organization, the bigger the bottomline impact. This makes the internal position of Procurement more obvious. The stronger the postion of Procurement  the more room Procurement has to focus on the market. This strengthens the position of Procurement and by that of the whole organization in the supplier market. This is achieving results causing a better position of Procurement. A perfect cycle.

The further away Propcurement acts from the core activity of the organization, the more time Procurement devotes to internal stakeholders with all the consequences for the bottomline impact of Procurement and by that for the position of Procurement. How can Procurement break this cycle and realize an optimal connection with the business? How about the fresh air of your procurement organization?