Rachel Lemos is an award-winning leader with 20+ years of experience in Supply Chain and Procurement. With a proven track record leading teams in both the private and public sectors, Rachel is frequently included in many lists highlighting the top procurement and supply chain talent. A champion for procurements role in driving the sustainability agenda Rachel provides her thoughts on three questions.
What do you love about Procurement?
I love the fact procurement gets full visibility on all projects that are happening organisation-wide, as well as the opportunity to work with a diverse audience and projects’ portfolio. Having great visibility on projects also gives us the opportunity to avoid duplication, conflicting projects within the organisation, as well as gives us the ability to consolidate some projects by timing them in a way that creates synergies, and potentially increases the organisation bargaining power.
A well-organised, forward-looking procurement team is not only entrenched on all activities, working closely with stakeholders across, but is also able to influence strategic direction through the Projects they get involved.
Now, more than ever before, we also have an exquisite opportunity to impact our planet through sustainable procurement decisions. Procurement practitioners that understand this power at hand have a critical role to play and the responsibility to influence the growth and establishment of inclusive and sustainable supply chains. These decisions have high relevancy and extraordinary impact on our people and planet.
What is not to love when you see all these fantastic and unmissable opportunities?
How has Procurement and the expectations placed upon it changed over time?
In my twenty plus years in the procurement and supply chain field, I’ve observed a significant change not only in the relevancy of the procurement and supply chain departments within organisations, but also in the skillset required to be successful on this field.
In the early 2000s we used to see procurement more as a ‘purchasing’ function, placing purchase orders, following up with Vendors and ensuring equipment and parts would arrive on-time, which was an important job, but nevertheless seen as administrative function. Over the years, the reliance on procurement has evolved to a much higher level of importance in which being at the table, negotiating complex deals, leading cross-functional RFPs, getting acquainted with Trade Agreements and Regulatory Body requirements were bare minimum expectations, just to name a few.
With this evolution and pace of change, a natural call for a different type of skills set followed. The higher skillset required and professionalism required nowadays follows the growth in relevancy of the procurement and supply chain teams within organisations.
More recently, the pandemic events and all the supply chain disruptions we’ve seen throughout the globe have definitely raised people’s awareness on the important role procurement and supply chain teams play. I don’t believe this stops here, we have so much more to grow, we have an immense potential to deliver so much more! It all comes down to our ability to show case the value that procurement and supply chain teams bring to the table.
How do you feel procurement is perceived in general? Why is this? What can procurement do better?
Procurement can be seen, at times, as the “police”, or the “one more thing for me to do before I get what I need”. This perception is based on lack of understanding of Procurement is really about, and is perpetuated when the procurement team is unable to showcase the value it brings to the organization.
A well-established procurement and supply chain team addresses risk and compliance, and protects organizational reputation, while supporting stakeholders to get what they need in the most seamless and cost-effective fashion. That must be our value proposition to deliver efficient procurement services.
Procurement processes filled up with non-add value steps, aka ‘red tape’, are destined to fail. We owe to ourselves to be our own critics and have a consistent mind-set and commitment to run streamlined processes, lean operations and continuous improvement. Learn with past mistakes is also part of the equation, therefore, listening to your stakeholders and adopting feedback to improve is something we can definitely do better. More partnership and less policing is the fundamental pillar of a successful procurement and supply chain function, which builds trust, credibility and so much more is accomplished!