Are you as good at using Excel as world-class purchasing professionals are?

PurchTips edition #2

Purchaser’s Excel Competency Checklist

  • I know how to use Excel to compare bids among suppliers
  • I know how to format a spreadsheet including use of colors, borders, font properties, cell alignment, etc.
  • I know how to develop Should Cost Models so that I can estimate the cost of a product or service before I receive bids from suppliers
  • I know how to use formulas in Excel to add, subtract, multiply, and divide, including those cases where several cells are involved in a complex calculation
  • I know how to develop weighted average supplier scorecards that allow me to place statistical emphasis on more important elements of suppliers’ performance or proposals
  • I know how to use absolute and relative references to make calculations easier
  • I know how to use Excel’s decision support features to automatically answer a question
  • I know how to use functions such as those that can automatically tell me my lowest bid in a series of bids
  • I know how to create bar charts to visually compare bids among multiple suppliers
  • I know how to create line charts to monitor a supplier’s performance over time
  • I know how to create pie charts to categorize and analyze spending
  • I know how to use sorting and subtotaling to organize and analyze a large amount of spend data
  • I know how to create PivotTables to summarize purchasing patterns
  • I know how to use the Goal Seek command
  • I know how to create a Target Pricing Model that supports my negotiation strategy development
Do You Want a More Rewarding Procurement Career?

Are you tired of not getting enough opportunities, respect, and money out of your procurement career? Well, guess what? Nothing will change unless you take action towards becoming a world-class procurement professional.

Earning your SPSM Certification is the action to take if you want to bring the most modern procurement practices into your organization and achieve your career potential. Download the SPSM Certification Guide today to learn how to get started on your journey to a more rewarding procurement career!

Need Better Performance From Your Procurement Team?

Are you a procurement leader whose team isn’t achieving the results you know are possible? Maybe it’s not enough cost savings. Or frustrating performance from the supply base. Or dissatisfied internal customers.

You need a performance improvement plan that’s easy to implement and quick to produce results. The NLPA can help.

Download our whitepaper “The Procurement Leader’s Guide To A More Successful Team.” You’ll learn the 7 steps for transforming your staff into a results-producing, world-class procurement team.

Are You Getting The Most Out of Your NLPA Membership?

Members of the NLPA get more than just articles like this by email. As a member, you also get access to:

  • The Procurement Training & Certification Starter Kit
  • The latest Purchasing & Supply Management Salaries Report
  • Leading-Edge Supply Management™ magazine
  • Members-only webinars 10x per year
  • And more!

If you haven’t been taking advantage of these benefits, why not log in and start now?