PURCHASING IN THE 21ST CENTURY:
AN EVOLUTIONARY STRATEGY
PURCHASING - Individual Assignment
MSc. Supply Chain Management
Lecturers: Aline Seepma, Luca Gelsomino & Sabine Waschull
Word count: 1991
Date: 11/04/2022
,PREFACE
Recent disruptions resulting from political and market instabilities have made it evident that global
supply chains are fragile and not always prepared to deal with high levels of uncertainty in ensuring
business and supply continuity ( Ateş & Memiş, 2021). It is for this reason that current educational
knowledge on purchasing needs to be updated to address the fast-changing environment we find
ourselves in, and in doing so, equip the future purchasing leaders of our generation. In line with
this idea, we have compiled the latest market knowledge on strategic purchasing in a book titled:
Purchasing in the 21st century: an evolutionary strategy.
Following the latest market developments on purchasing, topics discussed in this book are
primarily organized across three specific chapters:
● Chapter I: Building internal and external resilience through purchasing decisions
● Chapter II: Equipping public organizations to purchase for supply circularity
● Chapter III: Artificial intelligence as a strategic tool aiding the purchasing process
The relevance of this book derives from a gap analysis conducted using two existing educational
books on purchasing titled: “Purchasing Principles and Management, 9th edition” and
“Purchasing and Supply Chain Management, 14th edition”. In both books, the authors provide an
in-depth analysis of how the purchasing process can be enriched through risk analysis of market
factors but fail to provide a guiding framework on how the purchasing department can build
internal and external resilience to adapt and conquer in the face of change. Next, while the second
book briefly mentions public procurement in less than a half-page, the first book dedicates a whole
chapter to public procurement. However, there is no mention of either sustainable procurement or
circularity. Similarly, while both recognize the importance of technology in aiding the purchasing
process through acquiring better materials, neither books specifically mention artificial
intelligence or how to use technology to guide the purchasing decision. Following the gap analysis
on the above-mentioned materials, this book recognizes the importance of the purchasing function
as not only being strategic but also evolutionary in both the tools and knowledge that it requires.
It is our expectation that the materials covered in this book will not only update existing knowledge
but also equip future practitioners to make better purchasing decisions.
, TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1. Purchasing and Organizational strategy…………………………………………… 1
Chapter 2. Structuring the purchasing process ………………………………………………... 20
Chapter 3. Make or buy ………………………………………………... …………………….. 40
Chapter 4. Supplier selection and relationship management …………………………………. 60
Chapter 5. Building a resilient purchasing department ……………………………………….. 80
Chapter 6. Purchasing Services ……………………………………………………………… 100
Chapter 7. Supply Chain Circularity in Public procurement ………………………………… 120
Chapter 8. Purchasing and Artificial Intelligence …………………………………………….140
AN EVOLUTIONARY STRATEGY
PURCHASING - Individual Assignment
MSc. Supply Chain Management
Lecturers: Aline Seepma, Luca Gelsomino & Sabine Waschull
Word count: 1991
Date: 11/04/2022
,PREFACE
Recent disruptions resulting from political and market instabilities have made it evident that global
supply chains are fragile and not always prepared to deal with high levels of uncertainty in ensuring
business and supply continuity ( Ateş & Memiş, 2021). It is for this reason that current educational
knowledge on purchasing needs to be updated to address the fast-changing environment we find
ourselves in, and in doing so, equip the future purchasing leaders of our generation. In line with
this idea, we have compiled the latest market knowledge on strategic purchasing in a book titled:
Purchasing in the 21st century: an evolutionary strategy.
Following the latest market developments on purchasing, topics discussed in this book are
primarily organized across three specific chapters:
● Chapter I: Building internal and external resilience through purchasing decisions
● Chapter II: Equipping public organizations to purchase for supply circularity
● Chapter III: Artificial intelligence as a strategic tool aiding the purchasing process
The relevance of this book derives from a gap analysis conducted using two existing educational
books on purchasing titled: “Purchasing Principles and Management, 9th edition” and
“Purchasing and Supply Chain Management, 14th edition”. In both books, the authors provide an
in-depth analysis of how the purchasing process can be enriched through risk analysis of market
factors but fail to provide a guiding framework on how the purchasing department can build
internal and external resilience to adapt and conquer in the face of change. Next, while the second
book briefly mentions public procurement in less than a half-page, the first book dedicates a whole
chapter to public procurement. However, there is no mention of either sustainable procurement or
circularity. Similarly, while both recognize the importance of technology in aiding the purchasing
process through acquiring better materials, neither books specifically mention artificial
intelligence or how to use technology to guide the purchasing decision. Following the gap analysis
on the above-mentioned materials, this book recognizes the importance of the purchasing function
as not only being strategic but also evolutionary in both the tools and knowledge that it requires.
It is our expectation that the materials covered in this book will not only update existing knowledge
but also equip future practitioners to make better purchasing decisions.
, TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1. Purchasing and Organizational strategy…………………………………………… 1
Chapter 2. Structuring the purchasing process ………………………………………………... 20
Chapter 3. Make or buy ………………………………………………... …………………….. 40
Chapter 4. Supplier selection and relationship management …………………………………. 60
Chapter 5. Building a resilient purchasing department ……………………………………….. 80
Chapter 6. Purchasing Services ……………………………………………………………… 100
Chapter 7. Supply Chain Circularity in Public procurement ………………………………… 120
Chapter 8. Purchasing and Artificial Intelligence …………………………………………….140
