Balance Long-Term Procurement Planning with Short-Term Agility

Managing sourcing and procurement categories effectively requires organizations to operate in multiple supply chain time horizons. Considering the complexity of sourcing decisions and the time often needed to develop strong supplier relationships, organizations must have one eye on the future. Having an eye on the near-term horizon is also important, helping sourcing and procurement organizations stay agile and shift quickly when things change.

The best-practice organizations in APQC’s Supplier Category Management: Driving Value Through the Procurement Organization Collaborative Benchmarking study create long-term and short-term procurement plans while putting in place mechanisms that allow for quick procurement changes.