e-Procurement: From Strategy to Implementation

Neither Direct nor Indirect—Just E-Procurement

Until now, the focus of nearly all e-procurement energy, software, and press coverage has been on the indirect materials side of procurement, partly because the purchasing process of high volume, low-unit-cost goods that can easily be bought at a retail store with a credit card are much easier to automate than more complexly engineered MRO or direct manufacturing materials and goods. The inhouse software platforms and third-party exchanges and buying hubs that are just now beginning to mature began their focus with indirect procurement, but are quickly shifting toward vertical and horizontal exchanges for suppliers of direct goods. With Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Advanced Planning and Scheduling ...