Common Data Problems
Most procurement departments suffer from having poor quality information on what they buy. This is caused by two main factors:
The needs of the present outweigh the requirements of the future
Procurement staff are judged to be efficient when they have orders placed for requisitioned products and services in the minimum possible time and have ensured the organisation does not run out of needed products. This is often at the expense of best price. The price paid may be from an existing contract or may be sourced from a few phone calls, so will be the best achievable on the day. Unfortunately staff will not be judged on how good a procurement record they have created or on what overall savings could have been made based on average annual usage.
Lack of staff expertise in creating good quality information
Staff are not given any training in the creation and maintenance of quality procurement records and it is not included on any supplies training courses or by CIPS. This is because it is a specialist role and to learn these skills would take staff many months of training.
