[Special report]
Inflation, supply tensions, CSR initiatives, accelerated digitalisation... The purchasing function is now at the heart of business performance and resilience. In this changing context, buyer training is no longer simply a means of enhancing skills: it has become a strategic issue. So how do we adapt our know-how to the new realities of the market? And what skills need to be developed as a priority in order to continue creating value?
For a long time focused on negotiation and cost control, the purchasing function is evolving towards a more strategic role. a more cross-functional and strategic role. Today's buyer needs to understand global supply chains, integrate ESG criteria in its decisions, managing data, collaborate with the business divisions and anticipating risks.
This far-reaching transformation means that skills have to evolve continuously. Data analytics, complex contractualisation, responsible purchasing, supplier performance management, soft skills... skills are becoming increasingly sophisticated.
This special folder explores the major trends that are redefining the purchasing function and the most relevant training courses to support these changes.
[Contents]
The aim is to provide purchasing professionals with concrete keys to enhancing their impact, securing their practices and making a lasting contribution to their organisation's competitiveness.
Negotiating purchases
Negotiation has always been at the heart of the purchasing profession. But the nature of negotiation has changed. It is no longer limited to obtaining the best price, putting suppliers in competition with each other and putting pressure on deadlines.
Purchasing negotiations now include :
- supplier risk management
- data analysis (total acquisition cost, etc.)
- integration of CSR issues
- complex contractualisation
- a long-term partnership approach
- negotiating in a context of inflation and scarcity
To put it plainly: we have moved from transactional negotiation to strategic negotiation.
For example: trading against a backdrop of rising commodity prices
Previously, the buyer sought to maintain the initial price through competitive pressure.
Today, it analyses market indices, models the impact on production costs, negotiates revision clauses, shares the risk and secures continuity of supply.
Negotiation requires more technical skills as the buyer's role becomes more complex. Without ongoing training, there is a risk that buyers will quickly find themselves out of their depth.
[Also read] Negotiating purchases: best practice
[Training] Negotiating your purchases more effectively
Are you a traditional buyer or a strategic buyer?
| Dimension | Classical approach | Strategic approach |
| Price | One-off negotiations | TCO analysis |
| Suppliers | Competitive bidding | Long-term partnership |
| CSR | Optional | Integrated into decisions |
| Data | Reporting | Predictive steering |
| Role | Contractor | Business partner |
Total cost of ownership (TCO)
In a VUCA environment marked by inflation, supply tensions and market volatility, reasoning solely in terms of purchase prices no longer makes sense.
VUCA is the name given to an unstable environment:
V
Volatility
Volatility
U
Uncertainty
Uncertainty
C
Complexity
Complexity
A
Ambiguity
Ambiguity
The total acquisition cost or total cost of ownership (TCO) becomes a strategic decision-making tool. It includes logistics costs, supplier risks, maintenance, quality, end-of-life and now carbon footprint.
But this approach requires new skills These include advanced financial analysis, scenario modelling, mastery of data tools and the ability to use AI to consolidate data and make it more reliable. Buyers need to engage in dialogue with finance, production and CSR departments in order to build a global vision.
4 steps to an efficient TCO
1 - Complete mapping of costs
2 - Accurate modelling
3 - Building teams
4 - Regular monitoring and communication
The training will enable you to move from a negotiator's posture focused on price to that of a "buyer's negotiator". strategic analyst capable of informing investment decisions and securing the company's overall performance.
[Also read] How can TCO be used to optimise purchasing?
[Training] The keys to the purchasing function
Relations with suppliers
Supplier relations are no longer limited to a process of listing and quality control. Against a backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty and frequent supply disruptions, it is becoming a key factor in the company's success. a lever for resilience and innovation.
What are the key skills ?
- risk mapping
- ESG evaluation
- compliance audit
- steering performance via shared indicators
- relational intelligence
- partnership negotiations
The buyer must know how to establish a cooperative approach without abandoning the requirement.
Note: AI can facilitate the analysis of supplier data. But the final decisions still rest with the teams who have to strengthen their ability to interpret data in light of the context.
Responsible purchasing
Responsible purchasing responds to growing regulatory obligations and a strategic requirement: securing the supply chain while controlling reputational and legal risks.
Key skills to develop :
- understanding ESG criteria
- the ability to incorporate social and environmental clauses into contracts
- assessment of impacts over the entire life cycle
Buyers must therefore strike a balance between economic and non-financial performance. In a VUCA world, these trade-offs are complex. Training enables you to acquire multi-criteria analysis methods, traceability tools and a command of international standards.
Training transforms the buyer into a key player in CSR strategy, The Group is committed to ensuring consistency between commitments and operational practices.
Decarbonising purchasing
Decarbonising purchasing is now a central issue in achieving corporate climate objectives. However, scope 3 - which is often in the majority - is largely dependent on purchasing decisions.
[Definition]
Le scope 3 includes all indirect emissions, i.e. those linked to the company's value chain (purchasing, transport, product use, etc.), and represents 60 to 80 % of total greenhouse gas emissions (source: CDP Carbon Disclosure Project).
This requires new skills on the part of buyers:
- measure the carbon footprint of suppliers
- analyse environmental data
- understanding compensation mechanisms
- managing reduction plans with strategic partners
- challenge bids on environmental criteria without undermining competitiveness
A few concrete levers for taking action, depending on the realities of your sector
| Sectors | Concrete examples |
| BTP | Low-carbon materials |
| Food industry | Short distribution channels (local, seasonal produce) |
| Textiles | Eco conception |
| Distribution and logistics | Pooling deliveries |
| Industry | Innovation with suppliers for less energy-intensive manufacturing processes |
[Also read] How can we successfully decarbonise procurement?
Self-diagnosis
| The strategic buyer's checklist | ✔ |
| Have I mapped my supplier risks? | ☐ |
| Do my contracts include index-linked review clauses? | ☐ |
| Do I analyse the TCO of my critical purchases? | ☐ |
| Do I have a carbon indicator for my top 20 suppliers? | ☐ |
| Are my teams familiar with the AI tools used? | ☐ |
Digital purchasing
Digitalisation is profoundly redefining the purchasing function: e-procurement platforms (digital purchasing management tools), process automation, predictive analysis, generative AI for contract drafting and market analysis.
Buyers can no longer simply use tools. They need to understand the logic behind them, exploit the data and secure their use. Skills are evolving towards digital project management and the evaluation of technological solutions.
The ability to anticipate using data is a competitive advantage.
Avoiding involuntary digitisation: This is also one of the challenges of training. It supports the transformation of practices and positions buyers as drivers of digital performance, rather than simply users of tools.
Purchasing and SMEs
In many SMEs, the purchasing function remains largely unformalised. Decisions are often taken on an ad hoc basis, shared between the director, operational managers or the accounts department. As long as the environment is stable, this may suffice. But in a VUCA context marked by inflation, supply tensions and pressure on margins, the absence of a purchasing strategy becomes a factor of vulnerability.
professionalising the purchasing function is a immediate competitive leverage.
It is not necessarily a question of creating a purchasing department, but of structuring practices.
Three priorities for structuring practices :
Increasing purchasing skills is not just for large groups.
Financial analysis, structured negotiation, risk management and mastery of digital tools are all part of the skills to be strengthened as a matter of priority among executives and line managers who commit expenditure. By strengthening this know-how, SMEs can transform their purchasing into a lever for performance and resilience, rather than simply a cost centre.
[Training] Optimising purchasing and supply in SMEs
Ultimately, training transforms the purchasing function into a strategic lever for the company's overall performance. Negotiation, TCO, CSR, decarbonisation, digitalisation... Every decision has an impact on overall performance. Training means securing your practices, gaining influence and creating sustainable value. The trained buyer is no longer a market follower, but a key player.
