Strategic sourcing is one of the key modern and innovative business strategies that companies incorporate into their operations nowadays. Unlike traditional sourcing in which businesses select a suitable supplier to get supplies at the lowest possible rates, strategic sourcing focuses on all important strategic factors, such as value, quality, and evaluation of supplies, in addition to low cost.

The core purpose of strategic sourcing is to ensure better, data-based selection of the supplier and reduction of supply risk to the maximum extent, helping businesses to get the highest value for their spending.

Definition of Strategic Source from a business perspective

Strategic sourcing can be defined as a modern business management approach that ensures effective management of procurement-related aspects, allowing companies to select the best supplier that can provide them with supplies at a competitive price while ensuring the highest value and alignment with their business objectives. This strategy empowers businesses with resources and tools to innovate their data and information collection processes and use them to source the best possible supply chain fitting their strategic goals. Strategic sourcing features in-depth market analysis and proactive re-evaluation of supply chain procedures. 

Importance of Strategic Sourcing

Strategic sourcing is important for your business in many ways, such as:

  • Supply chain risk mitigation

With the constantly fluctuating market conditions, businesses must employ supply chain risk management strategies that can save them from financial loss. Strategic sourcing ensures your supply chain is at minimum risk as it helps you select suppliers that meet benchmark criteria when it comes to the risks associated with supply, products, and support associated with the supplies. It conducts a thorough evaluation of all crucial risk factors before recommending a supplier, reducing the risk of your business to sustain a financial loss to the minimum. 

  • Better business-supplier relationships

Strategic sourcing helps you select the best supplier that aligns perfectly with your company’s spend and supply chain profiles. It empowers you to build a collaborative relationship with your supplier to get stronger with time as you both understand goals and objectives and are ready to meet the business needs of each other. You take your supplier into confidence in every decision you make regarding the source. That makes your supplier feel respected and valued. 

  • Reduced procurement costs

Strategic sourcing features procurement cost-reduction solutions. For example, it helps select a supplier after a comprehensive analysis of the market, ensuring you won’t end up in the wrong hands that charge you higher for supplies. Furthermore, it involves in-depth data analysis of your overall spend and needs and recommends you procure only those supplies which you need right now. Additionally, strategic sourcing helps you source supplies at the lowest possible rates in the market without compromising the quality.

  • Long-term benefits

Through strategic sourcing, you can select a supplier that suits best to your long-term strategic goals. No matter how intense the market fluctuations are or will be, your procurement of the supply chain will not be affected. 

How does Strategic Sourcing work? 

A typical strategic sourcing process includes the following steps:

  1. Gathering data and information regarding the procurement needs of the company
  2. Gathering information about potential suppliers
  3. Selection of supplier
  4. Drafting RFP documentation
  5. Drafting and signing of contracts
  6. Compliance
  7. Starting sourcing processes with consistent evaluation

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