You need to become a Digital Procurement Pro in 2023
How to have career longevity and a meaningful impact within your organisation.
You need to become a Digital Procurement Pro in 2023 to have a Meaningful Career in Procurement
The digital age has changed how we do business, and Procurement is no exception.
To stay competitive and remain successful, you need to stay ahead of the curve by understanding and mastering the latest digital procurement tools and processes.
💡 You might not lose your role to tech and AI in Procurement. But I can guarantee you will lose it to someone who can harness this technology better than you.
Surprisingly, manual processes still dominate today’s procurement organisations. They’re like white collar versions of 1970s manufacturing facilities, with legions of people handling low-value activities - in this case, sourcing and demand management. Time and attention are consumed by routine, labor-intensive transactional activities such as pricing negotiations, contract awards, and supplier performance monitoring. Procurement workers spend hours piecing together fragmented information flows form myriad transactions - a task that technology could perform in seconds. Elouise Epstein, Trade Wars, Pandemics, and Chaos
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The shift to digital Procurement is happening now.
65% of companies see digitalisation as being important to achieve their comapny procurement objectives. - ProcureTech100 Yearbook 2022
To have a meaningful career in Procurement, you must become a digital procurement pro by the end of 2023.
This means you need to thoroughly understand digital procurement principles, the latest technologies and processes, and the ability to use them to their fullest potential.
Fortunately, there are several ways to become a digital procurement pro. You can participate in online courses and certifications, attend conferences and workshops, and read up on the latest industry news. Additionally, you can join professional networks and associations to get advice and insights from experienced professionals.
BUT THAT WON’T BE ENOUGH.
I was interviewing Elouise Epstein for the Procurement Reimagined Podcast, and Elouise told me the only way you effectively learn Digital Procurement is to be hands-on.
And I agree.
I did all the reading in the world when I took on my first Procurement role in Government. All that reading about using tech for Procurement was wasted as the 20+-year-old SAP module that was not fit for purpose couldn’t do much. But I learnt how to navigate it, to do “eProcurement”, and then I was obsessed.
I was obsessed with the idea that Procurement and Contract Tech could change my work.
My next role utilised a far superior Oracle ERP system with some custom Procurement and Contract Management elements.
I could actually review and upload contracts in-progress here.
Now we were talking.
But the culture was awful, and I got out.
My next few years were plagued with lousy tech and no tech.
Microsoft Excel and Project became my best friends. Yes - seriously, this is coming from the guy who hates on excel often. Excel is my enemy. Not because it isn’t good. It’s brilliant. But it’s not the ideal way to carry out Procurement and Contract Management (but it is good at getting you started).
When I got the business buy-in to go to market for a new solution that would let us handle Suppliers and Contracts, I was ecstatic. Those 6 months of research, demos, sourcing, negotiations, contract and supplier clean up, signature, and the start of implementation were terrific.
I became learned in Digital Procurement beyond any scale I ever imagined.
So I agree with Elouise - you need to be hands-on every day with Digital Procurement.
This year, be brave and find a digitally native Procurement role. We’re no longer Procurement Professionals.
We are Digital Procurement Professionals.
Don’t hold back your career.