How scenario thinking and a Single Supplier model help to speed up procurement processes while ensuring transparency, compliance and controllability.
Geopolitical tensions, technological leaps and fragile supply chains are fundamentally changing the purchasing framework. The study “Procurement Endgame 2.0" by Roland Berger uses four scenarios to show how procurement could develop in the coming years. The focus is not so much on the question of which scenario actually occurs, but on how well purchasing organizations are prepared for different developments.
The original article on Procurement Aktuell makes it clear that scenario thinking is becoming a central skill for purchasing. Companies that consider several possible future visions today will be able to react more quickly tomorrow and at the same time better control their processes.
The increasing uncertainty in global markets is questioning traditional planning approaches. Trade conflicts, regulatory changes and technological upheavals mean that linear procurement strategies reach their limits. Instead, purchasing organizations must be able to deal with different developments at the same time and flexibly adapt their strategies.
Regardless of the scenario, there is a recurring pattern. Purchasing organizations are faced with the challenge of designing procurement processes both quickly and in a controlled manner. In practice, however, this area of tension rarely results from the speed itself, but from the complexity of the underlying processes.
Many procurement processes consist of numerous individual steps such as supplier search, offer comparisons, internal reconciliation, approvals and master data creation. Each of these steps takes time and creates additional dependencies. Overall, this means that even smaller requirements result in a disproportionate amount of effort.
This is particularly evident when it comes to indirect and one-off requirements. Existing supplier relationships or standardized processes are often missing here. Suppliers must be re-identified, data must be created and checked, and reconciliations often take place across several departments.
In addition, media breaks between e-mail collaboration, systems and manual processes. Information is lost, queries arise and decisions are delayed. Invoice verification also becomes more complex when orders cannot be clearly assigned or master data is incomplete.
The result is a process that is characterized less by individual major delays, but by many small waiting times along the entire chain, from the requirement report to the invoice.
The four scenarios from the study illustrate how differently the framework conditions can develop. In stable markets, efficiency is the main focus, while in fragmented and geopolitically tense environments, ensuring delivery capacity and risk management dominate.
At the same time, it is becoming clear that technological developments play a central role in all scenarios. Digital platforms, automation, and data-based decisions are changing the way procurement is organized and opening up new opportunities to increase efficiency.
One approach to specifically reduce operational complexity in indirect procurement is the Single Supplier model. Instead of creating new suppliers for each purchase and running through complete processes, certain requirements are handled by a central creditor.
Pedlar starts right here. Companies integrate Pedlar as a central creditor into their existing ERP system and can use it to obtain a wide range of indirect and unstructured requirements. Operational processing with different suppliers takes place in the background, while only a uniform process remains visible in the company.
This eliminates many of the time-consuming steps such as supplier search, master data creation and recurring coordination with various providers. At the same time, all orders remain transparently and comprehensibly documented in the system. The result is a process that is significantly leaner without losing control or compliance.
The study makes it clear that the future of purchasing remains characterized by uncertainty and dynamism. For purchasing organizations, this means that they cannot optimize for a single future scenario, but must set up their structures in such a way that they remain able to act in different situations.
Scenario thinking helps to become more strategically flexible. At the same time, approaches such as the 1-creditor model show that operational complexity can already be reduced in a targeted manner today. Companies that simplify their procurement processes and at the same time ensure transparency create the basis for reacting more quickly and positioning purchasing more strongly as a strategic partner in the company.
