Strategic Purchasing & Supply Management

This Coventry Academy training course leads delegates through the development and implementation of carefully crafted strategies for the acquisition of all goods, parts, equipment, and services to reduce operating cost while improving quality and productivity. With the growing importance of supply-chain management, purchasing has assumed an increasingly pivotal strategic role, evolving from an obscure buying function into a strategic business thinking. Intense competitive pressures have forced companies to reexamine their approach to managing suppliers and their supply base. Purchasing is thus increasingly regarded as a strategic tool, centered on its ability to create collaborative relationships for firm advantage. The ability to extract benefits from supplier relationships is linked to the way these relationships are managed. Thus, it is not enough for a firm to possess a strategic purchasing orientation, they must also create conditions which allow the buyer and supplier to contribute and develop the relationship. Various supply management practices facilitate this process.