Big Ideas 2015 Flashback: The Disappearing Procurement Function

We’re looking back at some of the most popular ideas from Big Ideas 2015. Peter Smith talks about the disappearing procurement function.

Peter Smith, Owner and Managing Editor of Spend Matters UK/Europe, shared a more controversial view than other delegates for his Big Idea, that the procurement function would cease to exist in its own right in the next decade.

As a former Head of Procurement, and CEO of CIPS, Peter is uniquely placed to share this view of a disappearing procurement function. Peter believes that as organisations realise how much value procurement can add, and how much value they should be getting from it, they will realise that it’s too important to be left as it’s own function.

This will lead to a situation where every manager will be charged with getting the most out of their budgets and out of their activities, and to add value to the organisation.

Peter also argues that as technology advances and makes information more available to a wider audience, it disintermediates the procurement function. By making the data more transparent, it’s not just procurement who have access to it and can leverage it, but the whole business.

See more Big Ideas from our 40 influencers from the Big Ideas Summit 2015 on Procurious.

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