Taking the above into account, to efficiently manage our purchases , we must take into account the following 8 key points:
Ask for several offers: it is difficult to know if we are buying well when we have only one budget, we are probably missing out on some savings. It is not a question of going crazy either, two or three offers are enough to clarify our ideas.
Comparing equivalent products: if the offers we are studying are not identical products, we should try to find an equivalence. For example, if we are thinking of saving office costs by buying recycled toner cartridges, instead of the original brand of our laser printer, the number of copies we could print with each one serves as an equivalent unit of measurement (= price x copy).
Purchasing centralization: if we jointly negotiate our total needs for a certain item or service, we will increase volume, reduce resources and increase our negotiating power with our supplier.
Purchasing concentration: we will find products that do not have a large volume individually, but if we add them up we can find considerable volumes. For example, when canadian biotechnology email list we buy office supplies for our company, we will need folders, pens, printer cartridges, paper. It does not make sense to distribute these small volumes among different suppliers. In these cases, we will be interested in analyzing the offer as a whole.
Purchase disaggregation: sometimes we have no choice but to distribute volumes between different supplier companies, due to the strategic nature of the product or service within our organization or for products with limited access. This also helps us to avoid being left hanging, in case the supplier has a problem (stock shortage, financial difficulties, bankruptcy, etc.
After-sales service: In the event that we need assistance after making the purchase, for example, to make a query about the use of a machine or to make use of the guarantee, who will assist us? How much will it cost us? How long will it take to resolve the problem? We must specify these situations in the purchase contract and always leave them in writing.
Supplier test: many times, despite having a significant improvement in price, we are reluctant to change a certain supply. Surely we have thoughts like: supplier X is used to our way of working, in all the years that we have worked together, they have not let us down. Yes, it is true that we must also take these factors into account and, without a doubt, trust is a positive point when evaluating an offer, but why don't we try new ones? For example, we can transfer a certain volume as a test to a new supplier, not 100% of the total, to find out how they work and prevent those who already work with us from resting on their laurels.
Market test: the previous exercise should not only be carried out with new needs, but also with the goods or services that we usually acquire, and we should subject them to a similar analysis. Depending on their importance in our total budget, we will increase or decrease the frequency of this analysis.
