Staying up to date with procurement news and trends can feel like a full-time job. Of course, there are dozens of procurement blogs and websites creating content to help. However, the vast amount of information available presents a different problem. How do you know where to start?
Well, I hope this post can help. As a part of my job, I read a lot of procurement blogs. Then, I spend time discussing trends with experts and considering how to share the best of what I learn on our social media channels and in RFP360’s blog. Throughout this process, I’ve found a few favorites.
Below you’ll find my top 7 procurement blog recommendations. For each, I’ll share an overview, key topics they cover, a suggested post to get you started and more.
1. Procurious blog
Overview: This procurement blog, hosted by the procurement social network, Procurious, features posts from the community’s leadership and members. Consequently, many of the articles offer a boots-on-the-ground perspective from professionals navigating the day-to-day demands of their role.
Target audience: Strategic sourcing managers, procurement managers, category managers
Topics: Career development, supplier relationship management, supply chain management
Why it’s worth your time: What makes the Procurious blog unique is the regular career and professional development advice. Not only that, but the tone of the blog is encouraging, collaborative and supportive. Thanks to the social nature of the site, you can often engage directly with authors. In addition the community is a great place to ask follow up questions and share your own experiences.
Post to start with: My number one procurement career tip — Be connected
“Investing the time to listen to the challenges and opportunities that others face, and discussing these in an open forum with your peers, can be truly enlightening … Learning from professionals with extensive experience in a vast array of industries provides a diversity of thought that helps you improve as a person and enhances your strategic thinking and knowledge.”
2. Procurement Leaders
Overview: Focused on insights for executives and team leaders, the content on this procurement blog tends to cover big-picture concepts, cost savings and risk management. Here you’ll find white papers, opinion pieces on current events and more.
Target audience: Chief procurement officers, procurement executives
Topics: Procurement technology, talent management, spend analytics
Why it’s worth your time: While some procurement blogs provide high-level think pieces, the posts by Procurement Leaders offer ways to put strategic concepts into action. They cover current and emerging technology. For example, you’ll find information on RFP software, artificial intelligence and machine learning. In addition, regardless of what role you play in the RFP team, it’s always good to have an idea of what industry leaders are talking about.
Post to start with: People, processes, and technology enable procurement analytics
“Investing the time to listen to the challenges and opportunities that others face, and discussing these in an open forum with your peers, can be truly enlightening … Learning from professionals with extensive experience in a vast array of industries provides a diversity of thought that helps you improve as a person and enhances your strategic thinking and knowledge.”
Follow Procurement Leaders on social media: Twitter and LinkedIn
3. The Strategic Sourceror
Overview: The Strategic Sourceror procurement blog has been a go-to site for market intelligence for more than a decade. Led by the team at Source One, a spend management consultancy, the content is consistently thoughtful, well researched and easy to understand.
Target audience: Procurement managers, strategic sourcing managers
Topics: Procurement data, best practices, industry-specific trends
Why it’s worth your time: In addition to timely posts about data science, trends and current events, the Strategic Sourceror blog also features helpful guides to procurement best practices. It’s a great mix of resources for procurement teams of all sizes.
Post to start with: 6 tips for building a great procurement team
“Leadership skills have a lot of practical applications for just about every worker … training is a great way to impart the skills you’re looking for, and giving people the opportunity to advance within your team will help keep them engaged and working for you in the long run.”
4. CIPS Supply Management blog
Overview: Hosted and curated by the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS), this procurement blog focuses primarily on delivering industry news. Curious how new regulations might impact your supply chain? Want to learn how a Fortune 500 company manages their RFP process? Interested in tracking trends in e-procurement? Supply management is a good place to start.
Target audience: Procurement executives, data analysts, supply chain managers
Topics: Procurement current events, global procurement trends and risks, supply chain ethics
Why it’s worth your time: If you’re looking for something specific, the layout and navigation of the Supply Management blog is excellent. On the other hand, if you’re just browsing the latest, you’ll find in-depth articles spanning a range of topics and regions. Also, even if you don’t have time to read every article, simply browsing the headlines weekly provides the casual reader a good sense of what’s happening in procurement around the world.
Post to start with: Five benefits of a sustainable supply chain
“A fully sustainable supply chain is one that ensures socially responsible business practices. These practices are not only good for the planet and people who live here, but they also support business growth.”
Follow Supply Management on social media: Twitter and LinkedIn
5. Future of Sourcing blog
Overview: Authored by industry thought leaders, the Future of Sourcing procurement blog is published by the Sourcing Industry Group (SIG). Generally, contributors include practitioners, service providers and consultancy firms. In addition, new content is regularly delivered several times a week.
Target audience: Fortune 500 and Global 1000 procurement and sourcing executives
Topics: Business processes, procurement innovation, professional development
Why it’s worth your time: As businesses begin to see procurement as an important part of success and growth, leaders must be able to track trends and proactively manage risks. It’s a lofty goal. Luckily, Future of Sourcing offers visionary views, data analysis and predictions based on research.
Post to start with: The case for changing the chief procurement officer role
“Procurement’s function should be partnership building with a “trust but verify” approach to succeed. The lowest price doesn’t necessarily equate to the best quality or the ability to deliver on commitments made by suppliers consistently. The latter two only come through building genuine, well-meaning relationships with streamlined processes that are transparent and benefit both sides fairly and equitably.”
Follow Future of Sourcing on social media: Twitter and LinkedIn
6. CAPS procurement blog
Overview: This procurement blog comes from the Center for Advanced Procurement Strategy (CAPS) research center located at Arizona State University. Posts on the blog center around industry research that explores benchmarking and best practices.
Target audience: Chief procurement officers, procurement directors and vice presidents in B2B organizations
Topics: Supply chain research, procurement data and analytics, category management
Why it’s worth your time: While I tried to avoid blogs that require memberships, CAPS is the one exception in this list of procurement blogs. Unfortunately, it does require a paid registration to view the full collection of studies and research. However, they offer a free registration option that enables access to some content. Despite this, I think the value of the research is worth it. Indeed, the unbiased, well written and illustrated reports offer a deep insights.
Post to start with: Tactical v. strategic SM functions
7. NLPA Blog
Overview: Created by Next Level Procurement Association (NLPA), this procurement blog focuses primarily on education. Indeed, most of the posts offer practical advice for improving processes, relationships and efficiency.
Target audience: Procurement team managers, new-to-procurement professionals
Topics: Procurement basics, cost-savings strategies, industry news
Why it’s worth your time: The posts on the NLPA blog go hand-in-hand with their training and education services. For example, their content covers a wide range of core competencies including vendor risk management, negotiation and contracting, strategic sourcing and more. In addition, most of the posts are clear, concise and easy to read in five minutes or less.
Post to start with: Procurement transformation
“The demands of the modern customer for products delivered cheaper, better and faster puts unprecedented stress on procurement functions to ensure consistent supply of mission critical inputs to be converted into useful products and services to be consumed by customers. The procurement function can be transformed in the following ways: vision, ability to change, talent enhancement, technology and process capability improvement, response and control planning, and accountability.”
Follow Next Level Procurement Association on social media: Twitter and LinkedIn
Additional procurement blogs
Of course, this list is by no means comprehensive. Indeed, there are countless other helpful and insightful procurement blogs to explore. For the sake of brevity, I focused on blogs that post regularly and have unique content from a variety of perspectives. However, if you’re looking for even more procurement news, trends and technology, here are a few of my other bookmarked blogs:
Procurement thought leadership blogs
Procurement best practices blogs
Procurement news blogs
Community forums
If I missed your go-to procurement blog, please reach out and let me know.