[外贸英语] 10 Signs of a Modern Purchasing Department

How Modern Is Your Purchasing Department?
The purchasing function has changed dramatically over the last several years. And it continues to change and evolve almost daily. This edition of PurchTips contains 10 characteristics of modern purchasing departments. Use it as a checklist.

If your department doesn’t meet each criterion on this list, don’t be discouraged. Instead, use this checklist as a set of goals to which you aspire. So, without further fanfare, here are 10 signs of a modern purchasing department…


The head of purchasing reports directly to the CEO of your company
Your department is responsible for procurement in “non-traditional” spend areas such as healthcare benefits, fleet management, facilities and construction, temporary labor, and travel
Purchasing is actively involved in senior management level, long-term strategic planning
The purchasing staff is responsible for manually placing only a small percentage of your organization’s purchase orders
Logistics and inventory functions either fall under Purchasing on the organizational chart or are integrated into the work of purchasing staff
Maverick buying is a thing of the past
When dealing with large, frequently used suppliers, no paper is exchanged between the time that a need for a product or service is defined until the time that the supplier receives payment
No major sourcing process is conducted without the use of a cross-functional team
You are buying from global sources and measuring non-domestic spend as a percentage of total spend
Your department has social responsibility goals and measurements in place