A.T. Kearney analysts see shift in procurement strategies

A.T. Kearney recently released the results of a global study, which suggests that indirect procurement categories like IT, marketing and advertising, facilities management, MRO, logistics and professional services, have become increasingly important to chief procurement officers and their organizations.

According to the global management consulting firm, The Indirect Procurement Study (IPS), identifies how leading organizations are managing the procurement of indirect goods and services. Respondents to the study included procurement executives from 94 multinational companies with a combined indirect spend of $134 billion.

“We conducted the first Indirect Procurement Study in 2007 and there were high expectations among the respondents for the adoption of advanced practices like outsourcing of indirect procurement, advanced data analytics and benefits tracking,” said Jan Fokke van den Bosch, A.T. Kearney Procurement and Analytic Solutions vice president and study co-leader. “The 2010 study shows that the adoption of these advanced techniques have taken place at a much slower rate than anticipated,” spokesmen added. “The good news is that with the financial crisis and recession, executives managing indirect procurement have gained substantial influence within their organizations.”