Michael O’Brien

There are many definitions given for category management, but simply it is the process that involves managing product/ services spend categories on behalf of your organisation to gain optimum benefit/ value from the product/ services attained as per contract arrangement with your suppliers.

Meetings and Events are an imperative part of any business environment. There are many businesses however that do not place much emphasis on meetings/ events program and do not drive the procurement strategically. Meetings and Events used effectively can be a channel to promote products and services to clients, used to train staff and promote internal organisational programs.

Procurement has come out of obscurity and into mainstream business. Once known merely as a back office function, it is now a mainstream business management activity for most organisations as it's now understood that it is more than just a cost-saving measure but a way to gain competitive edge in this day of business globalisation.

Spend mapping is used to gain an overview of companywide spending. It helps determine the percentage of company-wide spending in major cost categories.

Some businesses have services and/or goods moving between suppliers, themselves and often to consumers (sometimes with a few more steps in-between). Outsourcing one’s procurement activity and management can streamline their business and dramatically improve their efficiency increasing spend savings and bottom line profit; however the question is what do you keep and what do you outsource?

Professional procurement is a crucial process that both private businesses and governments rely upon to achieve operational efficiency and long-term productivity gains.