3 Crucial Questions for Indirect Procurement Stakeholders
Managing indirect categories such as capital equipment, temporary labor travel, and MRO requires active collaboration with internal stakeholders.
Without appropriate stakeholder input, you’ll be left to speculate about what exactly is required for a supplier to meet the needs of your internal customers. Without their input, procurement teams risk implementing solutions that miss the mark, potentially resulting in service disruptions, unmet expectations, and resistance to change.
There are three areas where stakeholders can provide unique insights:
- Pain points with current suppliers
No supplier is perfect. Unearth the difficulties stakeholders are encountering with current suppliers, and proactively raise these issues with your supplier contact for resolution. Next, incorporate solutions to these problems in the requirements and KPIs of future supply agreements.
Ask them: “What difficulties are you facing with current suppliers that should be resolved to improve the value of what they bring to the relationship? - Opportunities for improvement
Most stakeholders you interview will have held similar roles at other companies, exposing them to a variety of suppliers offering similar goods and services. Find out what value-add they have seen from their past interactions with suppliers that you can explore with your indirect suppliers.
Ask them: “In your experience with other companies, did encounter any supplier value add that could be a benefit here? - Current service levels
Ins our experience, existing indirect suppliers provide service levels well beyond the scope the purchasing team is aware of. Users rely on suppliers for much more than the delivery of goods and contracted services. Many times, much of the value that current suppliers provide has evolved over time and isn’t expressly documented in supply agreements. The best way to find out vital services is to consult with various stakeholders.
Ask them: “What services are current suppliers offering that need to be mirrored if we’re considering other suppliers?”
Conclusion
Stakeholder input is not just a nice-to-have when managing indirect categories —it’s a critical component of the process. Their insights help to identify the exact needs and risks, secure buy-in, and ultimately drive efficiency and value. Indirect procurement becomes truly strategic when it encapsulates the knowledge and expertise of those most directly affected.
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