Digital Transformation Changes Role Of Purchasing Organizations
The role of CPOs and their organizations grew over the last 10 to 15 years by institutionalizing consistent disciplines in acquiring products and services. There is no doubt that they made a strong contribution to the earnings of organizations. But in the context of digital technologies and services, the nature of the buying process is changing. Thus, digital transformation poses an existential threat to CPO organizations.
The importance of corporate CPO organizations was based on the foundation that there was tremendous value in introducing consistent disciplines in acquiring products and services. This resulted in a practice of “three bids and a buy,” which is the practice for most current purchasing vehicles and the classic request for proposal process in the case of third-party services. Most products and services, particularly for indirect spend, now are shepherded under the domain of the CPO organization.
