Since 2002, the Next Level Purchasing Association has been publishing its annual “Purchasing & Supply Management Career & Skills Report.”  Each year’s report reveals something interesting about the skills and training needed for measurably successful procurement, and 2014’s report is no exception.

This year’s report was based on data collected in a survey of over 1,100 purchasing and supply management professionals from around the world.  One of the questions asked of these participants is “What is the most important skill in purchasing and supply management?”

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As has been the case in every year within the last seven years (the “Recent Reporting History”), the top four skills account for over half of the responses. However, the movement among those top four skills from last year to this year is very telling.  Two movements in particular make noteworthy statements about how the purchasing and supply management function is evolving. 

Second, for the first time in Recent Reporting History, ” Supplier Management & Development” was considered a more important skill than “Sourcing & Supplier Selection.” That is an indication that purchasing and supply management professionals are seeing value in spending more of their time working with improving the performance and capabilities of existing suppliers than continually finding new suppliers. Of course, purchasing and supply management departments will always need to do both. But this year’s new ranking represents a change in philosophy from one in which replacing suppliers was treated like a panacea for many purchasing and supply management ills.

Want to learn about all of the other findings, including the average cost savings and avoidance per procurement professional per year?  Check out the full report!

This report is available to all members of the NLPA and a Basic Membership in the NLPA is instant and doesn’t cost a cent! Here’s how to get your copy of the report:

If you’re already an NLPA member: Go to
https://lms.nextlevelpurchasing.com, log into the members’ area, and navigate to the “Webinars” tab. There you’ll find a registration link, be sure to enter a valid email address as attendance details will be sent to you by email.

If you’re not yet an NLPA member: Sign up for your free membership in the Next Level Purchasing Association at https://www.certitrek.com/nlpa/ After doing so, you’ll receive an email with information about how to log in. After logging in, navigate to the “Webinars” tab. There you’ll find a registration link, be sure to enter a valid email address as attendance details will be sent to you by email.

Registration is free but may be limited, so sign up soon to ensure access to this event. I hope that you will join me for this exciting webinar!