Cutting costs will continue to be the most pressing issue for purchasing next year, according to a poll of delegates at the ProcureCon conference in Brussels this week.
In response to the question “What is the key issue for your department in 2010?”, almost one-third (32 per cent) said it was reducing costs by 5 per cent or more.
Managing risk and maintaining continuity of supply was voted the second most important issue.
Asked “What has helped increase your organisation’s efficiency most?”, 36 per cent gave the answer SRM, while 20 per cent said shared service and purchase-to-pay technology has proved most effective. For 16 per cent, outsourcing and offshoring had led to greater efficiency and a further 16 per cent had seen the greatest improvements through e-sourcing and e-auctions.